Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Verbs has to agree with their subjects


This is William Safire’s fourth rule of grammar. (I have three left, then I’ll have to start thinking up new blog topics.)



What do you think? Does this drive you crazy? It does me!

Easy examples:
wrong:  The girls has talked to me.
right: The girls have talked to me.

wrong: We talks to the girls.
right: We talk to the girls.

The slightly obscure, to some people, examples are the problems.

wrong: Neither of them have talked to me.
right: Neither of them has talked to me.
Neither is singular and it’s the subject.

wrong: Janet and Kaye has both talked to me.
right: Janet and Kaye have both talked to me.
Both talked, so plural.

wrong: Janet or Kaye have talked to me.
right: Janet or Kaye has talked to me.
Only one talked, so singular.

Which one here is wrong or right?
The girls talked to me.
The girl talked to me.
AHA, doesn’t matter here.

I took some of this from here:

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