Sự hòa hợp giữa chủ ngữ và động từ
trong tiếng Anh – 16 nguyên tắc đặc biệt cần nhớ
Một nguyên tắc cơ bản trong chia động từ là động từ sẽ thay đổi
theo chủ ngữ và thì được sử dụng. Nếu chủ ngữ ở số nhiều thì động từ chia số
nhiều, và chủ ngữ ở số ít thì động từ ở dạng số ít. Tuy nhiên, trong tiếng Anh
có những cách sử dụng động từ không tuân theo nguyên tắc cơ bản trên. Hiểu được
những khó khăn đó, Thuancole muốn chia sẻ với các bạn những nguyên tắc đặc biệt trong sử
dụng động từ nhằm giúp các bạn nâng cao tính chính xác trong giao tiếp
tiếng Anh cũng như trong luyện thi IELTS, TOEIC…
1. Nếu các chủ ngữ nối nhau bằng “and” và diễn tả cùng một ý chung
thì động từ được chia ở số ít.
Example: Bread and butter is
my favorite food.
* Hai hay nhiều chủ ngữ
được nối kết với nhau bằng and, chỉ
2 người, 2 vật khác nhau thì động từ chia số nhiều
Example: Lan and Tam are classmates in this school
year.
2. Nếu các chủ ngữ nối với nhau bằng “or”, “nor”, “neither …. nor”,
“either …or”, “not only …but also” thì động từ chia theo chủ ngữ gần nhất.
Example:
It is you or I who am to go.
Neither John nor his friends have seen this movie before.
You or I am …(chia theo I)
Not only she but also they are…(chia theo they)
3. Các chủ ngữ nối với nhau bẳng “and” nhưng có “every, each,
many” thì động từ chia ở số ít.
Example: Each boy and each girl has their own story.
4. Trường hợp đồng chủ ngữ, các danh từ được nối với nhau bởi “as well
as”, “no less than”, “together with”, “along with” , “accompanied by” thì
động từ chia theo chủ ngữ chính.
Example: Mr Robbins, accompanied
by his wife and children, is
leaving tonight.
– She as well as I is going to university this year. (chia theo she)
– Mrs. Smith together with her sons is away for holiday. (chia theo Mrs. Smith)
5. None of , Any of , some of , all of, most , majority of,
enough of, minority of, half of, phân số …. có thể dùng cả ở động
từ số ít và số nhiều, tùy thuộc vào danh từ sau nó là danh từ đếm được hay
không đếm được.
Example: None of my friends
lives near my house.
– The study of how living things work is called philosophy. (chia
theo study)
– Some of the students are late for class.
– Most of the
water is polluted.
6. One of, Each of,
Every of, Either of thì động từ chia ở số ít.
Example: One of my family’s members is going to Singapore nest month.
Each of the
boys has a bicycle/ Each person is allowed 20kg luggage
7. The number + N: Động từ chia số ít (với ý
nghĩa là Số lượng những…….)
A number + N:
Động từ chia số nhiều (với ý nghĩa Một số những…….)
Example:
The number of bears decreases day by day.
A number of books in this library are really big.
8. Những chủ ngữ là những danh từ bộ phận (glasses, pants, trousers,
scissors,…) thì động từ luôn chia số nhiều.
Example: Her glassses are
really nice.
9. Những danh từ chỉ quốc tịch thì động từ luôn chia số nhiều.
Example: Vietnamese always
want to spend their time with family
in Tet Holiday.
10. Những chủ ngữ có “s” nhưng ý nghĩa là số ít thì động từ cũng chia
số ít.
Example:
– News, Mathematics,
Physics, Economics, Politics, Statistics,
Electronics, Linguistics, Electronics, …
– Measles, Mumps, Rabises, Diabetes, Rickets, …
– Atheletics, Aerobics, …
11. Chủ ngữ là những danh từ tập hợp (family, class, school, group, team,
government, …) thì động từ chia số ít nếu chỉ tổng thể, động từ chia số
nhiều nếu nhấn vào từng cá nhân trong tổng thế đó.
Example:
My family opens a coffee shop. (Cả nhà tôi cùng mở một tiệm
coffee.)
My family open a coffee shop. (Mỗi người trong gia đình đều mở một
tiệm coffee.)
12. Khi tính từ được dùng như một danh từ (để chỉ một tập hợp) thì
động từ luôn chia số nhiều.
(The poor, The rich, The blind,….)
Example: The vulnerable are
really poor. (Những người khốn khổ thực sự rất nghèo.)
The poor
living here need help
13. People, the police,
the human race, man (loài người) thì động từ luôn chia
số nhiều.
14. Các từ chỉ đo lường, tiền bạc, thời gian nhưng là số đơn thì động
từ luôn chia số ít.
– Two pounds is …..(2
cân)/ Ten miles is … (10 dặm)/ Ten years is … (10 năm)/ Ten dollars is … (10 đô
la)
Example: 8 hours of
sleeping is enough.
15. Nếu sử dụng chủ ngữ giả “It” động từ sẽ chia theo chủ ngữ chính.
Example: It is her dogs that often bite people.
(Her dogs là chủ ngữ chính)
16. Khi chủ ngữ là To + infinitive/V-ing/Mệnh đề danh từ/Tựa đề
Example: To jog/ Jogging everyday is good for your health./ What he said wasn’t true./ That you get high mark in
school is very good./ “Tom and
Jerry” is my son’s favourite
cartoon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Đề thi số 1 (phần sự hòa hợp giữa chủ
ngữ và động từ)
Exercise 1: USE THE RIGHT FORM OF THE VERB
1.
Three months (be).................
a long time to wait.
2.
Five dollars (be).................
too much to pay for that book.
3.
A number of books (be).................
on the table.
4.
The number of students in
this class (be)................. limited to thirty.
5.
It (be)................. my
two brothers who (be)................. hurt.
6.
It (be)................. the
children playing upstairs.
7.
Neither of the answers (be).................
correct.
8.
Neither (be).................
to blame.
9.
Everybody (have).................
a good time.
10.
Either your key or my key
(be)................. missing.
11.
John or his brothers (be).................
going to help me.
12.
Bread and butter (be).................
all he asked for.
13.
The author and lecturer (be).................
arriving today.
14.
My old friend and colleague,
George (be)................. in town.
15.
The pen and paper (be).................
on the desk.
16.
Jim and Joe (be).................
roommates.
17.
The boxes of candy (be).................
on the table.
18.
The package of cigarettes
(be)................. on the table.
19.
Oranges and cream (be).................
perishable and should be refrigerated.
20.
Oranges and tangerine (be).................
delicious.
21.
Most of the members (be).................
happy.
22.
Half of the students (be).................
looking out.
23.
Some of the sugar (was/were).................
spilt on the floor.
24.
There (be).................
plenty of time.
25.
There (be).................
a lot of lakes.
26.
I, your master, (command).................
you.
27.
My wife, not my friends, (
is waiting/are waiting)................. for me.
28.
Early to bed and early to
rise (make)................. a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
29.
Either the mayor or the
eldermen (be)................. to blame.
30.
Not John but his brothers
(be)................. to blame.
31.
A fever, a mutilation, a
cruel disappointment, a loss of wealth, a loss of friends (seem).................
at the moment untold loss.
32.
A cart and horse (was/were).................
seen at a distance.
33.
Her principal anxiety
(was/were)................. her children.
34.
Nobody not John and
William (was/were)................. there.
35.
Man, no less than the lower
forms of life (be)................. a product of the evolutionary process.
36.
The girl, as well as the
boys, (has/have)................. learnt to ride.
37.
The bat together with the
ball (was/were)................. stolen.
38.
The newspaper and the
dictionary (be)................. on the table.
39.
Here (be).................
bread and the dictionary.
40.
Here (be).................
bread and butter for breakfast.
41.
The ship with its load of
timer (be)................. leaving the port today.
42.
Noone (be).................
eager to be examined the first.
43.
It (be)................. her
lies that ( irritake)................. me so much.
44.
Three fourths of the wall
(be)................. painted.
45.
Two fifths of the members
(be)................. present.
46.
Two times two (make).................
four.
47.
Two 2’s (make ).................
four.
48.
Two plus two (be).................
four.
49.
How many (be).................
six and five?
50.
Nine from fourteen (be).................
five.
51.
Twenty years (be).................
not a long period of time in human history.
52.
Five dimes (make).................
fifty cents.
53.
Five dollars (be).................
a small sum.
54.
“ The three Musketeers” (be).................
written by Alexandre Dumas.
55.
You don’t have to say much ,
a word or two (be)................. sufficient.
56.
These (be).................
one or two things I’d like to talk over with you.
57.
The number of new books in
our library (be)................. ever growing.
58.
A number of new books in our
library (be)................. displayed at the book show.
59.
Our only guide ( be).................
stars.
60.
There (be).................
a lot of traffic on this road.
Exercise 2: Choose the corect answer in the parentheses
1. The weather in the southern states (
gets, get)................. very hot during the summer.
2. The result of Dr. Noll’s experiment ( was,were)................. published in a scientific journal.
3. Bob and his friends ( is,are)................. coming to the anniversary party tomorrow night.
4. Every man, woman, and child (is,are)................. protected under the law.
5. Washing the dishes (is, are)................. the children’ job
6. A lot of the students (is, are)................. already here.
7. Some of the furniture in our apartment (is, are)................. secondhand
8. Some of the desks in the classroom (is, are)................. broken.
9. At least three-quarters of that book on famous Americans (is, are)................. about people who lived in the 19th century
10. One of the coutries I would like to visit (is, are)................. Italy.
11. Some of the cities I would like to visit (is, are)................. Rome and Vience
12. Each student in the class (has, have)................. to have a book.
13. Each student in the class (has, have)................. to have a book.
14. None of the students ( was,were)................. late today.
15. the number of students in this room right now (is, are)................. twenty.
16. A number of students in the class ( speaks,speak)................. English well.
17. There (is, are)................. some interesting pictures in today paper.
18. There (is, are)................. an incorrect statement in that newspaper article.
19. The United States (is, are)................. lacated in North America.
20. Economics (is, are)................. Don’s favourite subjects.
21. Ten minutes (is, are)................. more than enough time to complete this exercise.
22. Most people (likes,like)................. to go to the zoo.
23. The police (is, are)................. coming. I’ve already called them.
24. Japanese (is, are)................. very difficult for English speakers to learn.
25. The Japanese (has, have)................. a long and interesting history.
26. The old in my country (is, are)................. cared for by their children and grandchildren.
27. This exercise on singular- plural agreement of subjects and verbs (is, are)................. easy.
28. The extent of Jane’s knowledge on various complex subjects ( astounds,astound)........... me.
29. The subjects you will be studying in this cource (is, are)................. listed in the syllabus.
30. Massachutes andConnecticut (is, are)................. located inNew England.
31. Only the black Widow spider, or all of the spiders in the United States, ( has,have) .............. caused death among human being.
32. The professor and the student ( agree, agrees)................. on that point.
33. Almost every professor and student at the Universary ( approves, approve)................. of the choice or Dr.Brown as the new president
34. Each girl and boy in the sixth- grade class( has,have)................. to do a science project.
35. Getting to know students from all over the world (is, are)................. one of the best parts of my job.
36. Annie had a hard time when she was coming home from the store because the bag of groceries ( was,were)................. too heavy for her to carry.
37. where ( do, does)................. your parents live?
38. Why ( was,were)................. Susan and Alex late the meeting?
39. (Is, are)................. having the respondsibility for taking care of pets good for young children?
40. Some of the fruit in this bowl (is, are)................. rotten
41. Some of the apples in that bowl (is, are)................. rotten
42. Half of the students in the class (is, are)................. from Arabic- speaking countries.
43. Half of this money ( belong, belongs)................. to you.
44. A lot of students in the class (is, are)................. from Southeast Asia.
45. A lot of clothing in those stores (is, are)................. on sale this week.
46. One of my best friends (is, are)................. coming to visit me next week.
47. Each boy in this class ( has,have)................. his own notebook.
2. The result of Dr. Noll’s experiment ( was,were)................. published in a scientific journal.
3. Bob and his friends ( is,are)................. coming to the anniversary party tomorrow night.
4. Every man, woman, and child (is,are)................. protected under the law.
5. Washing the dishes (is, are)................. the children’ job
6. A lot of the students (is, are)................. already here.
7. Some of the furniture in our apartment (is, are)................. secondhand
8. Some of the desks in the classroom (is, are)................. broken.
9. At least three-quarters of that book on famous Americans (is, are)................. about people who lived in the 19th century
10. One of the coutries I would like to visit (is, are)................. Italy.
11. Some of the cities I would like to visit (is, are)................. Rome and Vience
12. Each student in the class (has, have)................. to have a book.
13. Each student in the class (has, have)................. to have a book.
14. None of the students ( was,were)................. late today.
15. the number of students in this room right now (is, are)................. twenty.
16. A number of students in the class ( speaks,speak)................. English well.
17. There (is, are)................. some interesting pictures in today paper.
18. There (is, are)................. an incorrect statement in that newspaper article.
19. The United States (is, are)................. lacated in North America.
20. Economics (is, are)................. Don’s favourite subjects.
21. Ten minutes (is, are)................. more than enough time to complete this exercise.
22. Most people (likes,like)................. to go to the zoo.
23. The police (is, are)................. coming. I’ve already called them.
24. Japanese (is, are)................. very difficult for English speakers to learn.
25. The Japanese (has, have)................. a long and interesting history.
26. The old in my country (is, are)................. cared for by their children and grandchildren.
27. This exercise on singular- plural agreement of subjects and verbs (is, are)................. easy.
28. The extent of Jane’s knowledge on various complex subjects ( astounds,astound)........... me.
29. The subjects you will be studying in this cource (is, are)................. listed in the syllabus.
30. Massachutes andConnecticut (is, are)................. located inNew England.
31. Only the black Widow spider, or all of the spiders in the United States, ( has,have) .............. caused death among human being.
32. The professor and the student ( agree, agrees)................. on that point.
33. Almost every professor and student at the Universary ( approves, approve)................. of the choice or Dr.Brown as the new president
34. Each girl and boy in the sixth- grade class( has,have)................. to do a science project.
35. Getting to know students from all over the world (is, are)................. one of the best parts of my job.
36. Annie had a hard time when she was coming home from the store because the bag of groceries ( was,were)................. too heavy for her to carry.
37. where ( do, does)................. your parents live?
38. Why ( was,were)................. Susan and Alex late the meeting?
39. (Is, are)................. having the respondsibility for taking care of pets good for young children?
40. Some of the fruit in this bowl (is, are)................. rotten
41. Some of the apples in that bowl (is, are)................. rotten
42. Half of the students in the class (is, are)................. from Arabic- speaking countries.
43. Half of this money ( belong, belongs)................. to you.
44. A lot of students in the class (is, are)................. from Southeast Asia.
45. A lot of clothing in those stores (is, are)................. on sale this week.
46. One of my best friends (is, are)................. coming to visit me next week.
47. Each boy in this class ( has,have)................. his own notebook.
Exercise 3: Choose the corect answer
in the parentheses
1.
Every one of the students (is, are)................. required to take the final
test.
2.
None of animals at the zoo (is, are)......... .. free. All of them (is, are)......
...... in enclosures
3. A numbers of students at the university (is, are)................. approximately 10,000.
4. One of the chief materials in bones and teeths (is, are)................. calcium.
5. ( Do, does)................. all of the children have their books?
6. ( Do, does)................. all of this homework have to finished by tomorrow?
7. Why ( was,were)................. some of the students excutes from the examination?
8. Why ( was,were)................. one of the students excutes from the examination?
9. What percentage of the earth’s surface (is, are)................. covered by water?
10. What percentage of the people in the world (is, are)................. illiterate?
11. ( Do, does)................. any of you know the answer to that question?
12. There (isn’t, aren’t)................. any letters in the mail for you today.
13. There (isn’t, aren’t)................. any mail for you today
14. There (is, are)................. a lot of problem in the world
15. There (is, are)................. a fly in this room. Where’s the flyswatter?
16. There (is, are)................. over 600,000 kinds of insects in the world.
17. How many kinds of birds (is, are)................. there in the world?
18. Why (isn’t, aren’t)................. there a hospital close to those villages?
19. There (is, are)................. a green pen on Tim’s desk.
20. There (is, are)................. a blue pen and a yellow notebook on Sue’s book.
21. There (is, are)................. some pens and a notebook on Jack’s desk
22. The United States ( has,have)................. a population of 250 million
23. The new about Mr. Hogan (is, are)................. surprising
24. Massachutts (is, are)................. a state in the Northeastern part of the UnitedState.
25. Physics(seek,seeks)................. to understand the mysteries of the physical world.
26. Statistics (is, are)................. a branch of mathematics
27. The Statistics in that report on oil production (is, are)................. incorrect
28. Fifteen minutes (is, are)................. maximum length of time allowed for the exam.
29. Twenty dollars (is, are)................. an unreasonable price for the necklace.
30. Many people in the world (do,does)................. not have enough to eat.
31. The police (is, are)................. prepared in case there is a riot.
32. The English (is, are)................. proud, independent people.
33. English (is, are)................. not my native language.
34. Many Japanese ( commutes, commute)................. to their places of work.
35. Portugues (is, are)................. somewhat similar to Spainish, (isn’t, aren’t)................. it?
36. The poor (is, are)................. helped by government program
37. John, along with twenty friends (is, are)................. planning a party.
38. The picture of the soldiers (bring, brings)................. back many memories.
39. The quality of these recordings (is, are)................. not very good.
40. If the duties of these officers (isn’t, aren’t)................. reduced, there will not be enough time to finish the project.
41. The effects of ciggarette smoking ( has,have)................. been proven( chung minh)................. to be extremely harmful.
42. “ The use of credit card in place of cash ( has,have)........ . increased rapidly in recent years.
3. A numbers of students at the university (is, are)................. approximately 10,000.
4. One of the chief materials in bones and teeths (is, are)................. calcium.
5. ( Do, does)................. all of the children have their books?
6. ( Do, does)................. all of this homework have to finished by tomorrow?
7. Why ( was,were)................. some of the students excutes from the examination?
8. Why ( was,were)................. one of the students excutes from the examination?
9. What percentage of the earth’s surface (is, are)................. covered by water?
10. What percentage of the people in the world (is, are)................. illiterate?
11. ( Do, does)................. any of you know the answer to that question?
12. There (isn’t, aren’t)................. any letters in the mail for you today.
13. There (isn’t, aren’t)................. any mail for you today
14. There (is, are)................. a lot of problem in the world
15. There (is, are)................. a fly in this room. Where’s the flyswatter?
16. There (is, are)................. over 600,000 kinds of insects in the world.
17. How many kinds of birds (is, are)................. there in the world?
18. Why (isn’t, aren’t)................. there a hospital close to those villages?
19. There (is, are)................. a green pen on Tim’s desk.
20. There (is, are)................. a blue pen and a yellow notebook on Sue’s book.
21. There (is, are)................. some pens and a notebook on Jack’s desk
22. The United States ( has,have)................. a population of 250 million
23. The new about Mr. Hogan (is, are)................. surprising
24. Massachutts (is, are)................. a state in the Northeastern part of the UnitedState.
25. Physics(seek,seeks)................. to understand the mysteries of the physical world.
26. Statistics (is, are)................. a branch of mathematics
27. The Statistics in that report on oil production (is, are)................. incorrect
28. Fifteen minutes (is, are)................. maximum length of time allowed for the exam.
29. Twenty dollars (is, are)................. an unreasonable price for the necklace.
30. Many people in the world (do,does)................. not have enough to eat.
31. The police (is, are)................. prepared in case there is a riot.
32. The English (is, are)................. proud, independent people.
33. English (is, are)................. not my native language.
34. Many Japanese ( commutes, commute)................. to their places of work.
35. Portugues (is, are)................. somewhat similar to Spainish, (isn’t, aren’t)................. it?
36. The poor (is, are)................. helped by government program
37. John, along with twenty friends (is, are)................. planning a party.
38. The picture of the soldiers (bring, brings)................. back many memories.
39. The quality of these recordings (is, are)................. not very good.
40. If the duties of these officers (isn’t, aren’t)................. reduced, there will not be enough time to finish the project.
41. The effects of ciggarette smoking ( has,have)................. been proven( chung minh)................. to be extremely harmful.
42. “ The use of credit card in place of cash ( has,have)........ . increased rapidly in recent years.
43. living expenses
in this country, as well as in many others, (is, are)....... .. at an all
time high.
44. Mr. Jones,
accompanied(cung voi)...... ... by several members of the committee, ( has,have)
................. proposed some changes of the rules.
45. The levels of intoxication (vary, varies)................. from the subject to subject.
46. neither Bill nor Mary (is, are)................. going to play tonight.
47. Anything (is, are)................. better than going to another movie tonight.
45. The levels of intoxication (vary, varies)................. from the subject to subject.
46. neither Bill nor Mary (is, are)................. going to play tonight.
47. Anything (is, are)................. better than going to another movie tonight.
Exercise 4: Choose the correct answer.
1: Each of you………a share
in the work.
A. to have
B. have
C. having
D. has
2: We need more sugar.
There is…………sugar in the pot.
A.
little B. much
C. any
D. many
3: His pronunciation causes
me a lot of _____.
A. difficult
B. difficultly
C. difficulties
D. difficulty
4.There are
small……………………….between British and American English.
A. differences
B. difference
C. differently
D. different
5: Each
student ………………. the lesson very well.
A. understand
B. understands
C. understanding
D. to understand
6. Can you see anybody in
that classroom? – Yes. There ___ a
teacher and fifty students there.
A. have
been
B. has
been C. is
D. are
7. ________ students in
this class have trouble finding time to work out.
A. Many
of
B. A great deal
of
C. Mostly
all D. Few
8: I'd like to go on
a holiday, but I haven't
got many money.
A
B C
D
9: There is _____ water
in the bottle.
A. many
B. a number of
C. few
D. a little
10: He felt very sad
because he had ______ friends in the village.
A. a few
B. few
C. little
D. a little
11: Peter earned a large number of money last year.
A
B
C
D
12: "Would you like
to have ______ coffee?”
A. little
B.
many
C. some
D. few
13. When I came in, everyone were watching a film.
A B
C
D
Exercise 5: Choose the correct form of the verb, singular or
plural.
1.
The results of Dr. Noll’s experiment was/were published in a scientific journal.
2.
One of your children has/have lost a
shoe.
3.
A number of police officers here works/work with
dogs.
4.
There is /are some
interesting pictures in today’s paper.
5.
No two teams wear the same. Each team wears/wear a diffirent color.
6.
Every man, woman, and child is/are protected
under the law.
7.
The cattle is/are going to
be sold with the farm.
8.
An officer and his dog has/have to
work closely together.
9.
My cat as well as may dogs likes / like cat
food.
10.
Gymnastics is/are an easy
lesson at school.
11.
The trousers you bought for me doesn’t / don’t fit
me.
12.
Where do /does your
family live?
13.
Three days isn’t / aren’t long
enough for a good holiday.
14.
My cousin, along with my aunt and uncle, works / work in my grandpa’s hardware store.
15.
Measles is/are cured
without much difficulty nowadays.
16.
The United Nations has/have its
headquarters in New York.
17.
Neither the moon nor stars is/are visible
in this dark night.
18.
Why isn’t/aren’t there a hospital
close to those villages?
19.
The staff at the school wasn’t/weren’t happy
with their working condition.
20.
The news on the radio and TV stations confirms/confirm that a serious storm ia
approaching our city.
Exercise 6: Supply the correct form (singular or plural) of the
verb in brackets.
1.
The Philippines _____ (have) signed the new human rights
agreement.
2.
_____ (Be) bacon and eggs what you usually eat?
3.
The police _____ (think) that more than one person _____ (be) in
the stolen car.
4.
The majority of childrent’s parents _____ (be) unemployed.
5.
Everyone _____ (be) pleased with her answer.
6.
None of my brothers _____ (remember) my mother’s birthday.
7.
Both of these shirts _____ (be) dirty.
8.
Fifty minutes _____ (be) the maximum length of time allowed for
the exam.
9.
Some of my friends _____ (live) abroad.
10.
Ann, along with her friends _____ (be) playing volleyball.
11.
I wonder if either of those alternatives _____ (be) a good idea.
12.
A lot of the students in the class _____ (be) from Southeast Asia.
13.
Alex, as well as his two older brothers, _____ (have) a good
full-time job.
14.
Two – thirds of the money _____ (be) mine.
15.
The Chinese _____ (have) an interesting history.
