The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

Rule 1. To find the subject and verb, always find the verb first. Then ask who or what performed the verb.

Rule 2. Sentences can have more than one subject and more than one verb.

Rule 3. If a verb follows to, it is called an infinitive, and it is not the main verb. You will find the main verb either before or after the infinitive.

Rule 4. Any request or command, such as Stop! or Walk quickly, has the understood subject you, because if we ask who is to stop or walk quickly, the answer must be "you."

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT Basic rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.

;;Exceptions to the Basic rule:

Rule 1. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.

Rule 2. Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.

Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.

Rule 4. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.

Rule 5a. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.

Rule 5b. Parentheses are not part of the subject.

Rule 6. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.

Rule 7. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit.

Rule 8a. With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, percent, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Rule 8b. With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be either singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.

Rule 9. The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:

pronouns

Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject.

Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when who refers to a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.

Rule 4. In addition to subject pronouns, there are also object pronouns, known more specifically as direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition (for more detail, see the definition of a verb in the Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects section). Object pronouns include me, him, herself, us, them, themselves.

Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.