While studying English grammar, you're likely to come across the concept of compound subjects and the verbs they employ. These grammatical elements can significantly affect the structure and meaning of a sentence. In this tutorial, we will delve into the details of compound subjects and the verbs, providing examples and rules to further increase your understanding.
A compound subject comprises two or more simple subjects that have the same predicate. The subjects are usually connected by conjunctions, most commonly 'and' or 'or'.
There are essentially two types of compound subjects based on the conjunctions used. These are 'and' subjects and 'or'/'nor' subjects.
A compound subject that consists of two or more subjects connected by the conjunction 'and' is known as an 'and' compound subject.
When a compound subject comprises of two or more subjects connected by 'or' or 'nor', it's known as an 'or'/'nor' compound subject.
The fundamental concern about compound subjects pertains to the verb form used. Specifically, should a compound subject take a singular or plural verb?
There are two primary rules to consider while using verbs with compound subjects:
When the subjects are connected by 'and', they are typically plural (unless they're alluding to the same person or thing) and, therefore, the verb ought to be in plural form too.
When the compound subject is attached by 'or' or 'nor', the verb should agree with the subject closest to it. In other words, it's plural if the nearest subject is plural and singular if the nearest subject is singular.
In certain cases, when the subjects are joined by yet, but, and while, it still holds true to consider them as a single subject commanding a singular verb.
Remember, understanding compound subjects and their corresponding verbs helps eliminate common grammatical errors, thus allowing you to write more comprehensively and accurately. Differentiating singular and plural verbs based on the type of compound subjects is the key to mastering this grammar concept.