subject/verb agreement
13 replies
anlgpNew MemberOPI need help :lol:
The assignment is to make the subject and verbs agree. That makes sense. It has been a long time since I have had grammar and I needed to look up what a verb was ( :pity: ) so I do that
any member of a class of words that are formally distinguished in many languages, as in English by taking the past ending in -ed, that function as the main elements of predicates, that typically express action, state, or a relation between two things, and that (when inflected) may be inflected for tense, aspect, voice, mood, and to show agreement with their subject or object.
so here's the first sentence:
"Weinstein & Associates are a consulting firm that try to make businesspeople laugh."
I think laugh is the verb and businesspeople would be the subject.
Businesspeople is plural but if I were to use "laughs" it just doesn't make sense so I think this one is okay, but I'm not sure. We're only supposed to be changing the verb to make it agree w/the subject. If it is okay we're not supposed to change anything and just mark it "ok".
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
Fin Dforum_veteran"anlgp wrote:
I need help :lol:
The assignment is to make the subject and verbs agree. That makes sense. It has been a long time since I have had grammar and I needed to look up what a verb was ( :pity: ) so I do that
so here's the first sentence:
"Weinstein & Associates are a consulting firm that try to make businesspeople laugh."
I think laugh is the verb and businesspeople would be the subject.
Businesspeople is plural but if I were to use "laughs" it just doesn't make sense so I think this one is okay, but I'm not sure. We're only supposed to be changing the verb to make it agree w/the subject. If it is okay we're not supposed to change anything and just mark it "ok".
try is the verb and Weisntein & Assoc. is the subject. And they agree.
anlgpNew Member"Finascious D wrote:
try is the verb and Weisntein & Assoc. is the subject. And they agree.
thanks and i understand why.
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
Fin Dforum_veteranThey're trying to trip you up, because Associates is plural. However, Weinstein & Associates is a singular entity. The subject of the sentence is who the sentence is about. After reading it, ask yourself that very question: Who is this sentence about?
The verb would be the action of the subject. Laugh is not the action the subject is taking in this sentence, "try" is.
anlgpNew Member"Finascious D wrote:
They're trying to trip you up, because Associates is plural. However, Weinstein & Associates is a singular entity. The subject of the sentence is who the sentence is about. After reading it, ask yourself that very question: Who is this sentence about?
The verb would be the action of the subject. Laugh is not the action the subject is taking in this sentence, "try" is.
yeah.
but "laugh" is a verb right? :lol: it's just not the verb to the subject in this particular sentence?
so I suppose finding the subject is key. i was gonna just go off verbs but this will make it easier obviously.
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
Fin Dforum_veteran"anlgp wrote:
yeah.
but "laugh" is a verb right? :lol: it's just not the verb to the subject in this particular sentence?
so I suppose finding the subject is key. i was gonna just go off verbs but this will make it easier obviously.
Correct.
It always made it easier for me. Good luck!:up:
DaFishforum_veteran"Finascious D wrote:
They're trying to trip you up, because Associates is plural. However, Weinstein & Associates is a singular entity. The subject of the sentence is who the sentence is about. After reading it, ask yourself that very question: Who is this sentence about?
The verb would be the action of the subject. Laugh is not the action the subject is taking in this sentence, "try" is.
Isn't "make" also part of a prepositional phrase excluding it from being the verb.
Fin Dforum_veteran"DaFish wrote:
Isn't "make" also part of a prepositional phrase excluding it from being the verb.
Yes it is. A preposition explains the verb to a more specific detail.
I learned it by using, "A squirrel runs_______" fill in the blank with things like:
- to a tree
- around a tree
- through the tree
- over the tree
etc.
pennphinfanforum_veteranI'm not sure I fully agree here..
Shouldn't the beginning of the sentence read: "Weinstein and Associates is a consulting firm that tries..." ?
Weinstien and Associates is a subject, but it's singular, so try doesn't agree with it, it would have to be tries. "are a consulting firm that" would be an appositive phrase, and if Weinstein and associates is singular, "are" would have be be the singular, which would be "is"...
I suppose out of context it is harder. If say, it said, "David Weinstein and his associates are a consulting firm" that would be okay, but it to me sounds like "Weinstein and Associates" is the name of a company, and therefore should use 'is'
Fin Dforum_veteranYou're right.
I got so caught up in explaining the stuff I overlooked that. Hahahahahaha. I'm an idiot.
anlgpNew MemberRegardless of if the wording is right or not for this assignment all we had to do was make the S and V agree.
Which we didn't even go over :tantrum:
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
Fin Dforum_veteran"anlgp wrote:
Regardless of if the wording is right or not for this assignment all we had to do was make the S and V agree.
Which we didn't even go over :tantrum:
Penn is right though.
It should be tries and not try.
anlgpNew Member"Finascious D wrote:
Penn is right though.
It should be tries and not try.
oh for the first answer?
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
DrAstroZoomluxury_boxTechnically, there are multiple verbs pertaining to the subject here, and both must agree.
The correct construction is ""Weinstein & Associates is a consulting firm that tries to make businesspeople laugh."
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