1.某些集体名词如果作为一个整体来看待,谓语动词用单数形式,如果表示集体中的个体成员,谓语动词就要用复数形式。
这类集体名词包括:audience(观众),class(班级),club(俱乐部),company(公司),crowd(人群),government(政府),group(团队),team(队伍)等。如:My family is a small one with three people.
但people,police,cattle等,只能按照复数对待,谓语动词必须用复数。
如:The people around us are all friendly and helpful.
如:Ten years for them was so long because they led a working but hard life.
3.由“a pair(a kind,a bottle…)+of+复数名词”作为主语时,谓语动词要用单数形式,但由“pairs( kinds,bottles…)+of+复数名词”作为主语时,谓语动词要用复数形式。
如:This pair of shoes is very nice but expensive.
4.不定代词each,every,no所修饰的名词即使以and或逗号连接成多主语时,谓语动词仍用单数形式。
如:Each boy and each girl was given a new book.
5.某些只有复数形式的名词(glasses,clothes,trousers,shoes,chopsticks,scissors等),谓语动词用复数形式。
如:Those shoes are put under the desk.
6.and或both…and连接并列主语,谓语动词通常用复数形式。如:Walking and riding are good exercises.
但并列主语如果指的是同一个人、同一事物或同一概念,谓语动词用单数形式。
如:A knife and fork is on the table.
7.当主语中含有as well as,in addition to,(along)with,together with,except,besides,including等引导的词组时,其谓语动词的单、复数依据他们前面的主语而定。
如:Jack as well as his parents has been to China before.
但either…or,neither…nor, not only…but also和There be出现在句中时,谓语动词的单复数就要采用就近原则。
如:There is a photo and two maps on the wall.
Neither her sisters nor Mary is going to the party tomorrow.
如:Ten percent of the water is polluted there.
9.由a number of+名词复数做主语时,谓语要用复数形式;由the number of+名词复数做主语时,谓语要用单数形式。
如:A number of people are waiting to be interviewed.
The number of students in our class is 50.
10.在“one of+复数名词+who/that/which”引导的定语从句中,从句中的动词应该是复数形式。但如果the only来修饰one时,从句的动词应是单数形式。如:This is one of the most interesting stories that have been told.