1、What is“subject-verb concord”?Grammatical Concord 语法一致原则 Notional Concord 意义一致原则 Principle of Proximity 就近原则3.three guiding principles 3.1 The principle of Grammatical Concord Thirty miles seems like a long walk to me.3.2 The principle of Notional Concord If the reference of the subject is singular,
2、the verb takes the singular form.If the reference of subject is plural,the verb takes the plural form.vIt was eleven oclock before the family were all in bed.vAll was contrary to her expectation.The team _ had their dinner.Fifty dollars _ a large sum of money for such a poor man like me.haveisIt is
3、futile to discuss the matter further,because neither you nor I am going to agree upon anything today.3.3 the principle of proximity vEither he or I am going.vNo one except the two girls were crying.vOne out of five students have passed the exam.“One of them who were so much after dancing with you ye
4、sterday,”she presently suggested.-Thomas Hardy Tess of the DUrbervillesThe form of the subject:grammatical concordThe meaning of the subject:notional concordThe distance between the head and the verb:proximityPlease note thatthe principle of grammatical concord is the basic principle,esp.in written
5、English.4.Some Pitfalls 4.1disease and game names ending in-s Marbles _(be)of different colors and materials.Darts _(be)thrown to the target.Please note:4.2 subject names ending in ics“With costs being significantly less than they were several years ago,the economics are pretty good,”says George Kad
6、ane,head of the company.economincs=profitsHis politics _ different from mine.(is,are)The statistics _ nothing in this case.(prove,proves)Please note:politics=political opinionsstatistics=numerical dataWhen ics words take the plural meaning,it has a tendency to go with the definite article or a posse
7、ssive determiner and refer to specific facts,views,etc.4.3geographical names ending in s The Philippines needs capital and technology transfer.The Netherlands has been reclaiming farmlands from water.nation4.4 other nouns ending in s 4.4.1 names for articles made of two parts Compare:The scissors _
8、made of stainless steel.(is,are)The pincers _ put in the drawer.(is,are)The pair of scissors _ very well.(cut,cuts)These two pairs of pincers _ cleaning.(need,needs)4.4.2 nouns usually taking plural endings“remains”遗迹，残余物：is/areThe remains of the meal is/are left on the table.The remains of the anci
9、ent city is/are the evidence of its existence and prosperity.His remains were kept in a crystal coffin.Delaware Mansions is a block of 167 flats opposite the BBC Radio Studios.The Broadway Mansions(simplified Chinese:百老汇大厦)is anineteen-floor Art Deco five star hotel,one of the most famous hotels in
10、Shanghai,China.“mansions”4.4.3 nouns ending in ings(verb+ings)4.4.4 nouns whose singular number and plural number share the same form which ends in-s There _ a crossroads several miles ahead.There _ two crossroads several miles ahead.5.problems of concord with collective nouns 5.1collective nouns us
11、ually used as plural 5.2 collective nouns usually as singular 5.3collective nouns either as plural or as singular Well,I have heard once or twice that my family has seen better days.It was eleven oclock before the family were all in bed.-Thomas Hardy:Tess of the DUrbervilles6Problems of concord with
12、 subject containing coordinate forms 6.1“and”/“bothand”6.1“and”/“bothand”vBread and milk _ been my breakfast for years.(have,has)vThe Stars and Stripes _ flying from the flagpole.(is,are)vHer lawyer and lifelong friend _ going to betray her.(was,were)vAll work and no play _ Jack a dull boy.(make,mak
13、es)vBread and milk has been my breakfast for years.vThe Stars and Stripes is flying from the flagpole.vHer lawyer and lifelong friend was going to betray her.vAll work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.The red and white rose _ beautiful.(is,are)The red and the white rose _ beautiful.Each boy and eac
14、h girl _ a book.(has,have)The boys and girls each _ a book.If each of the element of subject is modified by“each”,“every”,“many a”,“no”,the verb takes the singular form.Conclusion:If the subject refers to one single thing or person,it is singular.If the subject refers to more than one thing or perso
15、n,it is plural.6.2“or”,“eitheror”,“nor”,“neithernor”,“not onlybut also A beautiful flower or a glittering star ignites his imagination.Not a fly nor a mouse survives such a hot day.Not only her husband but also all her visitors are fascinated with her overflowing elegance,sparkling wit and easing na
16、turalness.Conclusions:The principle of proximity is applied to these constructions.In informal style,“neithernor”,“not onlybut also”can sometimes be regarded as plural.Not only Bush but also Kelly is/were criticized for their improper use of body language.Neither Bush nor Kelly was/were good at body
17、 language.Many big cities as well as Shanghai have too many skyscrapers.Grammar,as well as all the other subjects,is very interesting.No one except the two girls was late.No one except his own supporters agrees with him.7problems of concord with expressions of quantity 7.1 concord with expression of
18、 definite quantity as subject 7.1.1When a definite quantity is regarded as a single unit,treated as singular Seven days is too short for a person who needs a good rest.7.1.2 when used in the sense of the individuals that constitute the quantity,treated as plural He takes out two dollars which look e
19、xactly the same,but one of them is a forged note.In Shanghai,you may experience two consecutive days which feel like two seasons.Two thirds of the land is wasteland.Two thirds of the students are girls.50 percent of my income is used for food.50 percent of my waking hours are used for study.7.1.3“a
20、fraction of”,“a percentage of”In these constructions,the form of the verb is determined by the noun in the of-phrase.Five plus/and five _ ten.Five multiplied by/times five _ twenty-five.7.1.4“A plus/and B”“A multiplied by B”Five plus/and five are/is ten.Five multiplied by/times five are/is twenty-fi
21、ve.Five fives _ twenty-five.Five fives are twenty-five.Ten minus five is/makes five.Five from ten is/makes five.Ten divided by five is/makes two.7.1.5A minus B,A divided by B One in/out of eight of the children is given an apple.7.1.6“one in/out of+plural noun”One in/out of eight of the children are
22、 given an apple.(informal)A kind of rose is depicted in the picture.Roses of this kind are very expensive.These kinds of roses/rose are very expensive.These kind of roses are very expensive.7.2 concord with expression of indefinite quantity as subject A/The majority of children in our class have bla
23、ck eyes.A majority of 57 to 43 helps him to win the election.(majority=greater number of votes)8problems of concord with nominal clause as subject Who will win the election is still unknown.What caused the accident and who was responsible were a mystery.8.1 nominal wh-clause as subject What he wants
24、 are some books and a cup of coffee.What are often regarded as ridiculous are sometimes true.8.2 concord in SVC construction with what-clause as subject Conclusion:In the SVC structure,if the complement or the subject contains nouns or other signs of pluralness,the verb can be plural.9problems of co
25、ncord in relative clause关系从句,cleft-sentence分裂句existential sentence存在句 Alices Adventures in Wonderland is one of the books which expand a childs imagination.My mother is one of those people who believes in fortune telling.(British English)He is the/the only one of the students who knows Latin.9.1 con
26、cord in relative clause It is this woman who has stolen his heart.It is these women who have driven him away.It is I who/that am responsible for it.It is me who/that is responsible for it.(informal style)9.2 concord in cleft-sentence focus elementThere was no one to listen to her.There were a Duck a
27、nd a Dodo,a Lory and an Eaglet,and several other curious creatures.(the 1st coordinate element)There was a large mushroom and two rabbits.9.3 concord in existential sentencenotional subject 实义主语1)A great many people _ present at the meeting.(was,were)2)A day or two _ enough.(is,are)3)One or two reas
28、ons _ suggested.(is,are)4)Trial and error _ the source of our knowledge.(is,are)5)Early to bed and early to rise _ a man healthy,wealthy and wise.(make,makes)6)American and Dutch beer _ lighter than British.(is,are)7)No teacher and no student _ present.(is,are)8)No one but Jane and Tom _ there then.
29、(was,were)9)He no less than I _ keen to visit the Great Wall.(is,am)10)These type of snakes _ dangerous.(is,are)11)A number of students _ waiting for the teacher.(is,are)12)The number of illiterates in China _ been decreasing.(has,have)13)The good _ not always beautiful.(is,are)14)I,who _ your friend,will try my best to help you.(is,am)15)In every province of China _ found rich natural resources.(is,are)
