Subject Verb Agreement

Sentences / kalimat minimal terdiri dari Subject + Verb.
    contoh :
    I work
    The car in the garage is mine
    The man with the black jacket is my father
    The man who is standing before the door is my father
   
Basic rule/Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; Plural subjects need plural verb
 jadi, subject tunggal, membutuhkan kata kerja tunggal; subjek jamak membutuhkan kata kerja jamak.
    contoh:
    My brother is a nutritionist
    My sisters are mathematicians

Tips and tricksThe tricks is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. (kita harus mengetahui subject tersebut tunggal atau jamak)
The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb (kita harus mengenali kata kerja mana yang tunggal dan mana yang jamak.)

Rule 1: Indefinite Pronouns
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, noone, nobody are always singular and therefore, require singular verbs.
    Examples:
    Everyone has done his/her homework
    Somebody has left her purse
    Nobody is in the room

exception 1: All & some
some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?)
   Examples:
    Some of the books are missing.
    Some of the water is gone.

exception 2: none
None can be singular or plural depending on the noun that follows.
    Examples:
    None of the students are in the class.
    None of the food is fresh.

special case: Each
Each is always singular. Don't be confused/distracted with the plural nouns following it.
    ex:
    Each of the students is responsible for his/her homework
    Each of the cars has different color.


Rule 2: Together with, as well as, along with.
Phrases such as Together with, as well as, along with are not the same as and. They don't add or compound the subject.
    Examples:
    The mayor, as well as his brothers, is going to prison.
    The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
    My friends, together with Rani, are at school.

Additional explanation
Sometimes, the subject is separated from the verb by word such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb,
    Examples:
    The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
    Excitement, as well as nervousness, is teh cause of her shaking.


Rule 3: Subject separated from the verb / appositives
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must  not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.
   Examples:
    The mayor who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several polotical lives, is finally going to jail.


Rule 4: The pronouns of adjective clause
Sometimes the pronoun Who, That or Which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentences. The pronouns Who, That, and Which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If its plural subjects, use a plural verb.
    Examples:
    Salma is the scientist who writes the reports
    He is one of the men who does the work.

Rule 5: Either + Or and Neither + nor
Or doesn't conjoin (as and does): when Nor or Or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn'r matter:
    Examples:
    Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
    Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house
    Are either my brothrs or my father responsible?
    Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Pronouns: Eitherand neither
The pronouns neither and either are singular and require seingular verbs even though the seem to be referring, isn sense, to two things.
    Examples:
    Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
    Either of us is capable of doing the job

Conversation (Unit 6 Expression)

Misbah : Hey friends, would you like to trip to the Bali next week ?
Okky : What a delightful idea
Galuh : I'd love to, but i have a problem
Misbah : That's too bad
Okky : Can you tell me what happened ?
Galuh : I'm sorry but i must wait grandmother on the hospital
Okky : oh, I'm sorry to hear that
Misbah : How about we delay our trip until your grandmother fully recovered ?
Okky : That's a good idea
Galuh : Thank you very much
Okky : I wish i knew your grandmother condition
Misbah : Ah yes, is it possible to visit your grandmother ?
Galuh : It sounds great but not today. She must take a rest until her condition get better
Okky : I think, we must buy some healthy food for Galuh's grandmother
Misbah : Of course, let's go
Galuh : That's good idea, but before that i must go to pharmacy
Okky : I recommended that you go to NN pharmacy because there are many kind of medicine, and it is near of mini market. So, we can buy healthy fruits
Galuh : Ok, let's go

Collective nouns

Although typically words that identify more than one person, place, or thing are made plural in the English language, collective nouns are an exception. This unique class of nouns denotes a group of people, animals, objects, or concepts or ideas as a single entity.

Comparing Countable, Mass and Collective Nouns

Confused about the differences between these types of nouns?

• Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted, modified by a number or quantified with size, amount, or value related words, and can appear in both singular and plural form.
• Mass nouns, also referred to as non-count nouns, signify unbounded amounts, such as liquid, small objects, and abstract or immeasurable concepts. For example, "water," "rice," and "education" can all be considered mass nouns. A noun is considered a mass noun when its use cannot be counted, modified or quantified in a relevant and logical manner linguistically.
• Collective nouns are considered a subset of count nouns because they refer to a group of countable nouns as a unit. For example, there are 12 eggs in dozen, and there are 52 cards in a deck.

Common Collective Nouns

There are many types of nouns that refer to units or groups in a collective sense. Some of the most common include:

• Army
• Array
• Audience
• Band
• Bevy
• Board
• Bunch
• Cabinet
• Cast
• Choir/Chorus
• Class
• Cloud
• Committee
• Company
• Congregation
• Corporation
• Council
• Crowd
• Department
• Faculty
• Family
• Firm
• Gang
• Group
• Jury
• Majority
• Minority
• Navy
• Party
• Plethora
• Public
• School
• Senate
• Society
• Staff
• Team
• Troupe

Common collective animal nouns include:

• Brood
• Colony
• Clutch
• Drove
• Flight
• Flock
• Gaggle
• Herd
• Hive
• Litter
• Nest
• Pack
• Plague
• Pride
• Skein
• Swarm
• Team
• Tribe
• Troop
• Yoke

Using Collective Nouns Correctly

Nouns in the collective class can be used in either the singular or plural form depending on the context of the sentence. For example, family is a collective noun because it refers to more than one person sharing a relationship or camaraderie. However, you can also use this as a plural in referring to groups of families.

Using collective nouns in sentences can be confusing because it's sometimes difficult to discern whether to use plural or singular verbs and pronouns. To use verbs and pronouns correctly, identify whether the collective noun refers to a group or unit working as individuals or in unison.

• When the unit is acting in unison, it is appropriate to use the singular.
• When the members of the unit are acting as individuals, it is appropriate to use plural forms of verbs and pronouns.

For example:

• The class waits [singular verb] for its [singular pronoun] teacher quietly. (The class is referred to as a unit acting in unison. The students are all doing the same thing at the same time.)
• The class begin [plural verb] their [plural pronoun] homework assignments while they [plural pronoun] wait [plural verb] for their [plural pronoun] teacher. (The students are a unit, but are acting as individuals -- they each doing their own homework assignments.)

When group nouns signify units acting as individuals rather than in unison, it is also appropriate to add or replace words to create reference to the individuals – for example, adding the word "members" after collectives like board or committee, or inserting "players" for "team" or "students" for "class."

Fun with Nouns

Many singular nouns have very unique collective forms that pertain specifically to that term. While most people are familiar with the more commonly used collectives such as a class of students or crowd of people, there are a large number of less common collectives. Many people find it interesting to read and learn what the appropriate collective forms of various nouns are. Many teachers, students, and other lovers of the English language also find it entertaining to list original collectives or come up with new ways to use them in fun or ironic ways.

History of Collective Types of Nouns

Like most linguistic developments, collective nouns have developed through time as a result of many different situations.

For example, venery nouns, those nouns used to specifically signify groups of animals, developed as a result of fifteenth century English hunting practices.

• Experienced hunters were educated in discussing groups of animals in specific collective ways, sometimes in reference to the animal's activities or habits.
• Uses of these phrases were also distinguished upper-class gentry from middle class agricultural workers.

Other collective nouns are called derivational collectives -- derived as a result of language relationships and maintaining root word tendencies.

Gradual shifts in the ways that words are used and understood have also contributed to the formation of this special class of nouns.

Source : yourdictionary