| Subject-Verb Agreement |
| Both and Each When the words both and each come before a noun, they are pronouns and act as the subject of the sentence. Both means 'this one and that one' or 'these ones and those ones'; it can also mean 'this one and those ones' or 'these ones and that one'. The word both can come before a plural subject or stand alone as the subject, and requires a plural verb. Take a look at the picture to the left. It shows two young parents with a baby. Both parents love the baby. In this sentence, the word both comes before a third-person plural noun, parents. The verb love is also third-person plural. Let's look at another sentence. Each parent loves the baby. Notice how replacing the word both with each changes the structure of the sentence. The word each means 'this one and that one', and that's all it can mean. Each always takes a singular or a collective (group) noun, or it can be the subject of the sentence. The word each requires a third-person singular verb. So, in the sentence Each parent loves the baby. we correctly find a third-person singular noun, parent, and loves, a third-person singular verb. Which form of the verb to be would you use in the following sentences? Both _____ tired. Each _____ tired. The subject of the first sentence is the plural adjective, both, which requires the plural form of to be: are. In the second sentence, the subject is singular, so the verb form must be singular as well; the verb in the second sentence should be is. So far so good? Translation: is everything fine up to this point in time? Both and each are frequently followed by prepositional phrases. In these instances, they are the subject of the sentence. Do you remember why? That's right! Because the subject of a sentence is almost never part of a prepositional phrase. So which form of the verb to feel would you use in the following sentences? Each of the parents _______ happy. Both of the parents _______ happy. If you chose feels for the first sentence, and feel for the second, you are correct. Even though the plural noun parents comes directly before the verb in each sentence, it is part of a prepositional phrase. The subject of the first sentence is each, and the subject of the second is both. Are you ready for an expert level question? Which form of the verb to be would you use in this sentence? Each of the parents, regardless of how tired they are, __ happy. There are many words separating the verb from the subject in this sentence. This sometimes make it difficult to choose the proper verb form. Did you pick is? Then you are absolutely correct. You're a both and each expert! |
| What Person? Singular 1st person: I love 2nd person: you love 3rd person: he, it or she loves Plural: 1st person: we love 2nd person: you love 3rd person: they love |
| Both parents have full-time jobs. |
| Prepositional Phrase A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or adjective. |
| Each parent has a full-time job. |
| Some Common Propositions about, at, beside, by, for, from, of, over, to, under, with |
| Be Careful! When both and each come after a noun, they are adjectives. Example: The parents each love the baby. Notice that the third-person plural form of the verb is used because the subject of the sentence is parents. |
| Why does the sentence 'Each of the parents feels happy' sound so strange? Because many native English speakers would mistakenly use the verb feel instead! These types of questions are included on Praxis I because they are such a common problem. |
| Remember! The subject of a sentence is almost never part of a prepositional phrase. |
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