LESSON

6STUDENT LESSON SUMMARY COPYMASTER

Verb Agreement withCollective Nouns and OtherTricky Subjects

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

collective noun: names a group of people or things

number: in grammar, whether a word refers to one (singular) or more than one (plural)

agreement: the use of singular verbs for singular subjects and plural verbs forplural subjects

HERE’S HOW

Step 1: Review collective nouns. A collective noun can be singular or pluraldepending on how it is used in a sentence.

EXAMPLES army, audience, class, committee, council, family, group, nation, team

Step 2: Use a singular verb when a collective noun refers to one unifiedaction or whole. Use a plural verb when it refers to individuals. Sometimesa pronoun signals whether the noun refers to a unit or to individuals.

EXAMPLES In 1911, a robbery team steals the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris.The museum staff considers its strategy to recover the painting.The police have identified their prime suspects.

Step 3: Use a singular verb to agree with some nouns ending in -s or -ics,those which look plural but are actually singular.

EXAMPLE WORDS:

mumps, news, linguistics, physics, economics, molasses, mathematics

Step 4: Use a singular verb to agree with the title of a work of art,literature, or music. Titles are singular, even when they consist of a plural noun.

EXAMPLE The Twelve Chairs is a comic mystery story.

Step 5: Use a singular verb to agree with most numericalexpressions. Words and phrases that express measurement and number are treated assingular when they refer to an amount rather than to separate items. A fraction can be singularor plural too, depending on whether it refers to an amount or to separate parts.

EXAMPLES Over two-thirds of the money comes from private donations. (singular)Three-fourths of the museum’s paintings are in storage. (plural)

Step 6: Phrases or clauses used as subjects take singular verbs.

EXAMPLES To win a competition is the goal of many ice dancers. (infinitive phrase)Learning ice dancing requires a commitment. (gerund phrase)What people don’t understand is the effort it takes to compete. (noun clause)

Standards Lesson Files Book 5: Grammar 53Grade 9

Cop

yrig

htby

McD

ouga

lLitt

ell,

adi

visi

onof

Hou

ghto

nM

ifflin

Com

pany

Gramm

ar6

Name Date

LESSON

6PRACTICE WORKSHEET A COPYMASTER

Verb Agreement withCollective Nouns and OtherTricky Subjects

Directions: Rewrite each sentence in the space provided. Correct any errors in subject-verbagreement. If a sentence is already correct, write C.

1. On an August day in 1911, the usual crowd begin to gather at the Louvre Museum.

2. The Mona Lisa is not hanging on the wall.

3. The security staff are confident in its opinion that the painting is being photographed.

4. Sixty minutes are all the time that the robbery and escape took.

5. The robbery team consist of a mastermind, a forger, a carpenter, and two accomplices.

6. A million francs do not even come close to the amount represented by the loss.

7. News of the robbery breaks slowly.

8. Meeting hastily, a group of top officials are divided in their opinions about what totell the press.

9. Forensics are used to help detect fake Mona Lisas.

10. Adventures in Artful Crimes are a nonfiction book about art robberies and investigations.

54 Book 5: Grammar Standards Lesson FilesGrade 9

Gram

mar

6

Cop

yrig

htby

McD

ouga

lLitt

ell,

adi

visi

onof

Hou

ghto

nM

ifflin

Com

pany

Name Date

LESSON

6PRACTICE WORKSHEET B COPYMASTER

Verb Agreement withCollective Nouns and OtherTricky Subjects

A: Directions: Rewrite each sentence in the space provided. Correct any errors insubject-verb agreement. If a sentence is already correct, write C.

1. “Art and Authenticity” are an article you might enjoy if you are interested in the subjectof art forgery.

2. The Art of the Faker also provides a wealth of information on this topic.

3. News of forgeries occasionally make headlines.

4. These days, thirty million dollars are not an unheard-of price for a painting by a famousartist.

5. Of course, the majority of art forgeries duplicates the most valuable works.

B. Directions: On a separate sheet, rewrite the boxed paragraph, correcting any errors insubject-verb agreement. (HINT: There are five errors.)

(6.) To fight forgery and theft, the staff of a modern museum spend much ofits time, energy, and money on security. (7.) As much as two-thirds of a budgetgo toward security-related expenditures. (8.) “Famous Forgeries and FabulousFakes” is the title of a lecture series that one art museum is sponsoring. A team ofspeakers has prepared several talks, illustrated with slides. (9.) Forty minutes arethe time limit for each lecture. (10.) While listening to these suspenseful tales, theaudience often sits on the edge of their seats!

Standards Lesson Files Book 5: Grammar 55Grade 9

Cop

yrig

htby

McD

ouga

lLitt

ell,

adi

visi

onof

Hou

ghto

nM

ifflin

Com

pany

Gramm

ar6