Lecture 2 Subject-verbConcord(I).ppt

Lecture 2 Lecture 2 Subject-verb Concord (I) Definition: Main Points: 2.1 Guiding Principles There are three principles guiding subject-verb concord: 1) Grammatical Concord the Rule: The verb must match its subject in number. Examples: Happy families _____all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own. His brother rather than his parents ____to blame. Children interfering in their parents’ right to remarry ______become a social problem. What he did and what he said ______totally different. Because they are dead language _____no reason why they should be ignored in academic circles. 2) Notional Concord the Rule: The verb can sometimes agree with the subject according to the notion of number rather than to the actual presence of the grammatical marker for that notion. Examples: 3) Proximity The Rule: the verb agrees with a closely preceding noun phrase in the subject. Examples: Examples 2.2 Problems of concord with nouns ending in –s What is ‘s’ ? 2.2 Problems of Concord with Nouns Ending in –s Nouns that end in –s A: not countable treated as singular plural either singular or plural B: countable according to grammatical concord 2.2 Problems of Concord with Nouns Ending in –s 1) Disease Names Ending in –s: 2) Game Names Ending in –s: 3) Subject Names Ending in –ics: 4) Geographical Names Ending in –s: 5) Names for Things Made of Two Parts 6) Nouns Usually Taking Plural Endings: 7) Nouns Ending in –ings 8) Nouns Ending in –s with both Singular and Plural Meaning: 1) Disease Names Ending in –s: 2) Game Names Ending in –s: 4) Geographical Names Ending in –s: 5) Names for Things Made of Two Parts 6) Nouns Usually Taking Plural Endings: 7) Nouns Ending in –ings 8) Nouns Ending in –s with both Singular and Plural Meanings: 2.3 Problems of Concord with Collective Nouns as Subject 2.3 Problems of Concord with Collective Nouns as Subject 1) Collective n