Academic English for International Exams

Course Book

  • Theory
  • A
  • B

In general every English sentence has the same core pattern:
Subject-Verb (Predicate)-Object
The subject is the person, place or thing that the sentence is about. The predicate describes the subject or describes the action of the subject. The verb must 'agree' with the subject in number and in person (I/you/he/she/it etc.).

Things to remember about subject-verb agreement:

  1. If an 'expression of quantity' (most/some/none/all + of the) is used as the subject, the noun after the 'the' is the subject and the verb must agree with it:
    For example: Some of the rice is gone.
    but Most of the people are gone.
  2. If the paired conjunctions 'either… or…' or 'neither… nor…' introduce the subject, the one closer to the verb affects the verb:
    For example: Either the students or the teacher is going to be there.
  3. If the word 'and' is part of the subject, the subject is always plural and must take a plural verb even when both of the items in the subject are non-count:
    For example: The game and the celebration are finished.
    However, when the subject is one unit, even when there is an 'and', it is considered singular.
    For example: The macaroni and cheese was good. (Together they mean one dish.)
  4. Words like 'someone', 'something', 'nothing', 'nobody', 'everything', 'everybody' and expressions with each are always considered singular - however, if words like some are used as adjectives, then they don't affect the verb:
    For example: Somebody is at the door. but Some people are waiting.
    Nothing is left.
  5. In a command, there is no subject - it is understood to be you. Therefore, the verb must always be in the second person singular form.

'have' vs. 'There is / are'

'I have' is used in the following situations:

  1. to emphasize ownership or possession of an object.
    For example: I have a dog. The dog has big teeth.
  2. to talk about one specific thing, rather than an idea.
    For example: I have 2 children.

'There is' is usually used

  1. When the subject is invisible to the listener
    For example: There is an extra set of clubs in the trunk. There is a big black spider crawling up your back.
  2. To talk about general thing
    For example: There are lots of children in my family. There are many people in the store.
  3. When there is no obvious owner
    For example: There is lots of water in the canoe. There are many hybrid cars on the market these days.
  4. To emphasize something to the listener
    For example: There are three mistakes in this report. There is someone waiting for you.

In each sentence, underline the subject once and the verb twice. Fix any mistakes you find.

1. Bob is coming home.
2. California is the most populous state in the U.S.
3. Theoretical mathematics are difficult.
4. I saw the sports news on TV last night.
5. Did he call yet.
6. There is people waiting for you outside.
7. It is going to rain tomorrow.
8. Frank and Yoko was studying for the test all night.
9. The pencils you gave me is very nice.
10. The book on the shelf at the top of the Stairs are on sale.
11. My new computer looks nice, but really it's nothing special.
12. Yesterday I bought some new CDs.
13. Before transistors, radios used to were much bigger.
14. Some people like fishing, and some don't.
15. There are, in the room upstairs, many noises.
16. There have been fire all over upstate New York in the last few weeks.
17. He, in the past four months, have taken 5 exams and written.
18. The children in the backyard has not yet brushed their teeth today.
19. There are many geography book on the shelf at the top of the stairs.
20. Stop saying that!
21. In the box on the shelf at the top of the stairs.
22. The test have 200 questions.
23. There have 3 children.
24. There is, in the library, over 800 new books.
25. In the family there are over 25 children.
26. Sit down!
27. Under the lid.
28. Please hand me the papers.
29. He turned on the computer and left.

In the following sentences, underline the subject once and the verb twice. Then, rewrite those sentences which are incorrect.

1. There are three cats in my house.
2. There are five people in my family.
3. In my house there are 8 rooms.
4. There is a nice view from my house.
5. The university has no cheap apartments near it.
6. There is a big party next week at the Student Centre.
7. The university bookstore has many books.
8. There is much memory in my computer.
9. There is a camera on my cell-phone.
10. There are many off-campus activities throughout the year.
11. Toronto usually has nice weather in June.
12. Canada has many mountains in the west.
13. There is a lot of smog in many Canadian cities in summer.