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Advanced Communication Skills
Notes But when you become a manager, you have to guarantee grammatically correct English. For this
we have to have full knowledge of the rules of subject-verb agreement, articles and nouns
(especially countable and uncountable). Also, we need to have good vocabulary.
While attending meetings and conferences, discussions and debates, interviews and seminars
and all such formal/informal occasions in business, we need to have good vocabulary also.
9.1 Subject Verb Agreement
The verb used in the sentence should always be in agreement with the form of subject of the
sentence.
Basic Rule
The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a
plural verb.
Notes 1. The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural.
2. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.
3. Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do.
In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you
would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they.
Example: talks (singular),
talk (plural)
We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular.
We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.
Rule 1: Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.
Example: My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Rule 2: Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as
in Rule 1.
Example: 1. Neither John nor Kiran is available.
2. Either Kiran or Rahul is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3: When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and
follow it with the singular verb am.
Example: Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Rule 4: When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject
last and use a plural verb.
Example: The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
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