2.2 Concord & Agreement: Subject-Verb & Pronoun-Antecedent

2.2 Concord & Agreement: Subject-Verb & Pronoun-Antecedent

Quick Reference: Grammatical concord demands alignment between interacting syntactic elements. A singular subject takes a singular verb (typically marked with an -s or -es in the present tense), while a plural subject takes a plural verb. Intervening prepositional phrases (of the artifacts) and parenthetical additions (along with her research associates) never alter the core subject's grammatical number. Similarly, pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, person, and gender, maintaining unambiguous reference and proper case.

Agreement questions represent one of the most heavily tested categories on the CLEP College Composition exam. The test writers craft sentences with complex, layered syntax specifically designed to distance the grammatical subject from the verb and the pronoun from its referent.

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Subject-Verb Agreement: Intervening Structures & Distractors

The fundamental rule of subject-verb agreement is simple: singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. The difficulty arises when intervening syntactic structures obscure the true grammatical subject.

1. Intervening Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase between the subject and verb contains an object of the preposition. Test-takers often mistakenly match the verb to this adjacent noun rather than the true subject.

• Flawed: The catalog of seventeenth-century Dutch maritime paintings were auctioned yesterday.
• Diagnosis: The true subject is the singular noun catalog. The phrase of seventeenth-century Dutch maritime paintings is an intervening prepositional modifier. The plural noun paintings is the object of the preposition of and cannot dictate verb agreement.
• Correct: The catalog of seventeenth-century Dutch maritime paintings was auctioned yesterday.

2. Parenthetical & Additive Expressions

Expressions such as as well as, along with, together with, in addition to, accompanied by, including, and no less than sound like the coordinating conjunction and, but grammatically they are parenthetical prepositions. They do not create a compound subject.

• Flawed: The department chair, along with three senior tenured professors, have expressed reservations.
• Diagnosis: The grammatical subject is solely The department chair (singular). The phrase along with three senior tenured professors is set off parenthetically and does not make the subject plural.
• Correct: The department chair, along with three senior tenured professors, has expressed reservations.

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Inverted Syntax & Expletive Constructions

In standard English declarative sentences, the subject precedes the verb (S-V). However, inverted syntax places the verb before the subject (V-S), creating fertile ground for agreement errors.

1. Expletive (Dummy Subject) Constructions: There is vs. There are

The words there and here are never grammatical subjects; they are expletives (placeholders). The actual subject appears after the verb.

• Singular Subject: There is a substantial discrepancy in the quarterly financial audit. (Subject: discrepancy [singular] → verb: is).
• Plural Subject: There are substantial discrepancies in the quarterly financial audit. (Subject: discrepancies [plural] → verb: are).
• Compound Subject Trap: There is a microscope and a centrifuge on the laboratory bench. (Incorrect: a microscope and a centrifuge is a compound plural subject joined by and → There are a microscope and a centrifuge on the laboratory bench.).

2. Fronted Prepositional Phrases & Inverted Word Order

When a sentence begins with a prepositional phrase describing location or direction, the subject often shifts to the end of the clause.

• Flawed: Beneath the ancient ruins of the acropolis lies the limestone foundations of an earlier temple.
• Diagnosis: The prepositional phrase Beneath the ancient ruins of the acropolis opens the sentence. The true subject is foundations (plural). The verb must agree with foundations, not acropolis.
• Correct: Beneath the ancient ruins of the acropolis lie the limestone foundations of an earlier temple.

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Compound Subjects: Coordination vs. Alternation

How subjects are joined determines whether the resulting compound construction takes a singular or plural verb.

1. Subjects Joined by And

Two or more subjects joined by the coordinating conjunction and almost always take a plural verb.

• The lead researcher and the field assistant have verified the coordinates.
• Exception (Singular Entities): When two nouns joined by and refer to a single unified object, dish, or person, the verb is singular:
  • Macaroni and cheese is the cafeteria's most popular offering. (A single dish).
  • The renowned scholar and author of the monograph has arrived. (One person fulfilling two roles).

2. Subjects Joined by Or / Nor (The Proximity Rule)

When subjects are connected by or, nor, either... or, or neither... nor, the verb does not automatically become plural. Instead, standard grammar enforces the Rule of Proximity: the verb must agree in number with the subject noun situated closest to it.

• Plural Subject Closer: Neither the senior editor nor the freelance proofreaders have detected the typographical error. (Subject closer to verb is proofreaders [plural] → have detected).
• Singular Subject Closer: Neither the freelance proofreaders nor the senior editor has detected the typographical error. (Subject closer to verb is editor [singular] → has detected).

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Indefinite Pronouns: Three Rigid Classes

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing. On the CLEP exam, mastering the three categories of indefinite pronouns is non-negotiable.

INDEFINITE PRONOUN CATEGORIES

1. ALWAYS SINGULAR
   - The '-one' words: everyone, someone, anyone, no one, one
   - The '-body' words: everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody
   - The '-thing' words: everything, something, anything, nothing
   - The distributive pronouns: each, either, neither

2. ALWAYS PLURAL
   - both, few, several, many

3. VARIABLE (SANAM PRONOUNS - Governed by Prepositional Object)
   - Some, Any, None, All, Most

The 'Always Singular' Indefinite Pronouns

Words such as each, either, neither, everyone, and everybody are grammatically singular, even though they may colloquially evoke a group of individuals.

• Flawed: Each of the newly admitted doctoral students have submitted their research prospectus.
• Diagnosis: Each is the grammatical subject and is strictly singular. The prepositional phrase of the newly admitted doctoral students does not alter this fact. Furthermore, the pronoun referring back to each must also be singular.
• Correct: Each of the newly admitted doctoral students has submitted his or her research prospectus.

The Variable 'SANAM' Pronouns

The acronym SANAM stands for Some, Any, None, All, and Most. Unlike standard subjects, SANAM pronouns take their grammatical number directly from the object of the following preposition:

• Uncountable Mass Noun (Singular):
  • All of the contaminated water was drained from the reservoir. (water is uncountable singular → was).
  • Most of the archived manuscript has been deciphered. (manuscript is singular → has been).
  • None of the counterfeit currency was recovered. (currency is singular mass noun → was).
• Countable Plural Nouns (Plural):
  • All of the contaminated samples were discarded. (samples is plural countable → were).
  • Most of the archived documents have been deciphered. (documents is plural → have been).
  • None of the counterfeit banknotes were recovered. (banknotes is plural countable → were).

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (committee, jury, team, faculty, orchestra, audience, family) refer to a group of individuals. In American English and on the CLEP exam:

• Treat as singular when the group acts as a cohesive, unanimous unit: The admissions committee has finalized its decision.
• Treat as plural only when individual members act with division or discord: The jury were divided in their deliberations. (Often better revised to: The members of the jury were divided in their deliberations.).

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Pronoun-Antecedent Concord & Case Mechanics

Pronouns substitute for nouns. The noun to which a pronoun refers is its antecedent. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number (singular/plural), person (first/second/third), and gender (masculine/feminine/neuter).

1. The Singular Antecedent Trap

• Flawed: Every student must present their digital identification badge upon entering the testing facility.
• Diagnosis: In formal Standard Written English assessed by CLEP, Every student is singular, whereas their is plural.
• Standard Revision: Every student must present his or her digital identification badge upon entering the testing facility. OR Students must present their digital identification badges upon entering the testing facility.

2. Vague, Broad, or Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

Pronouns must point to a specific, unambiguous noun antecedent. Vague uses of it, this, that, or which to refer to an entire clause or unstated idea are heavily penalized on the CLEP.

• Vague 'This': The legislative committee delayed the vote, cut funding, and ignored public testimony. This caused outrage.
• Revision: The legislative committee delayed the vote, cut funding, and ignored public testimony. This procedural obstruction caused outrage. (Adding a clarifying noun resolves the ambiguity).
• Ambiguous Reference: When Professor Davis introduced Dean Harris, he spoke about the university endowment. (Who spoke? Davis or Harris?).
• Revision: When introducing Dean Harris, Professor Davis spoke about the university endowment.

3. Pronoun Case: Who vs. Whom

Case identifies the grammatical function of a pronoun in a sentence:

• Subjective (Nominative) Case: who, whoever (acts as the subject of a finite verb: who wrote the paper).
• Objective Case: whom, whomever (acts as the object of a verb or preposition: to whom it was sent, whom the committee selected).

The Substitution Test: Isolate the clause containing the pronoun. Rephrase it using he/they (subject) or him/them (object):

• The scholar [who / whom] authored the historical monograph will lecture tonight. → He authored the monograph (Subject) → Use who.
• The scholar [who / whom] the provost appointed to the committee will lecture tonight. → The provost appointed him (Object) → Use whom.
• Intervening Parenthetical Trap: The candidate [who / whom] we believe will win the runoff election. → Remove we believe → who will win the election (who is the subject of will win) → Use who.

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Concord Decision Matrix