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Verbs & Subject-Verb Agreement

Transitive/intransitive verbs and subject-verb agreement rules essential for TOEFL.

Subject-Verb Agreement:

The verb must agree with its subject in number.

  • The manager is (not are) responsible.
  • The employees are (not is) required to attend.

    • Tricky Cases:

  • Each/Every + singular verb: Each employee *has* a badge.
  • Either/Neither...or/nor: The verb agrees with the nearest subject.
  • Collective nouns: The committee *has* decided. (as a unit)
  • There is/are: There *are* several options available.

    • Transitive vs Intransitive:

  • Transitive: needs an object → She *raised* the issue.
  • Intransitive: no object → Prices *rose* sharply.

    • Common pairs: raise/rise, lay/lie, affect/effect

    Examples

    TOEFL Tip:

    Find the real subject by ignoring prepositional phrases between subject and verb.