主谓一致
是指谓语动词与主语在人称和数上要保持一致。常与时态联合考查。
一、谓语动词常用复数的情况
- 主语为复数名词或代词。
The teachers are respected in the world. - 当people, police, cattle等集合名词作主语，形式上为单数而意义却是复数。谓语动词用复数。
The police are looking for the missing child.
The cattle are kept in his farm. - 山脉、群岛、瀑布、运动会等s结尾的复数名词作主语。
The Olympic Games are held once every four year.
The Rocky mountains stand in the west of the north America. - the+adj.表示一类人或物作主语时，如the +blind, deaf, living, dead, wounded, poor, rich, old, young等
The dead are soon forgotten.
The rich are not always happy.
Generally speaking, the young are eager for success. - the+姓的复数形式表示一类人。
The Whites are going to make a trip to London.
The Greens were watching TV when a fire broke out.
二、谓语动词常用单数的情况
- 可数名词单数及不可数名词作主语时。
- 表示时间，距离，长度，重量等复数名词作主语，表示一个整体概念时。
Twenty years is only a short time in human history. - 主语从句、动词不定式、动名词形式作主语时，谓语动词用单数。
Looking after the children is my full time job.
To die for the people is a worthy death.
When and where to hold the meeting is unknown.
Whatever was left was taken away. - 以-s结尾的单数名词，形式为复数而意义为单数，如表示学科、国家、机构、书籍、报刊等名称作主语（news, physics, maths, politics），谓语用单数
The United States is made up of 50 states.
The Times is a newspaper for the British Government.
Great Expectations was written by Charles Dickens in 1860. - clothing, furniture, traffic, jewellery, baggage, equitment, luggage等无生命的集合名词作主语。
Clothing is badly needed in this flooded area. - each/either/neither +of+the+复数名词或代词。
Each of us has a dictionary.
Either of the books on the table belongs to me.
Neither of them is fit for the job. - many a/each/every/either/neither/more than one+单数名词。
Many a student has seen the film.
Neither story is true.
More than one student has seen the film.
More students than one have seen the film.
当each 放在主语后作同位语时，不决定谓语单复数。
They each have a dictionary. = Each of them has a dictionary. - every/each/no/many a +名词单数+and+ every/each/no/many a +名词单数作主语时，谓语动词用单数。
Every desk and every chair is made of wood.
Many a boy and girl has made a mistake. - 由some/any/no/every+one/thing/body所构成的复合不定代词作主语时，谓语用单数。
Nobody wants to go there.
Something has been done to end the strike. - man（人类）和the world（世人）作主语时。
Man has created many useful things.
The world knows that the Earth is round.
三、其他情况
- 用and或both...and连接的两个名词作主语时，谓语动词用复数形式。但是如果and连接的两个名词作主语指同一个人或事或整体概念，谓语动词用单数（如果是可数名词的单数这时and后面的名词一般没有冠词）
English and Chinese are quite different languages.
Water and air are both important.
A young man and a girl are to go there.
The singer and the writer are famous to many young people.
The manager and secretary is as busy as a bee all day.
The singer and writer is famous to everyone.
War and peace is a constant theme in history.
A knife and fork is needed for a western meal.
Bread and butter is served for breakfast.
Early to bed and early to rise is a good habit.
iron and steel 钢铁 law and order 治安
a watch and chain 一块带链的表
a needle and thread 针线
a coat and tie 配有领带的上衣 - 单复数同形的名词作主语时，按意义一致的原则，作单数意义时，谓语动词用单数，反之谓语动词用复数。这类名词有：sheep, fish, deer, means（方法）, species（种类）, works（工厂）, Chinese, Japanese等
Every means has been tried without much result.
All means have been tried without much result.
This shoe works was set up in 1980.
Those shoe works were all set up in 1980. - 表示成双成套的名词如chopsticks, compasses, clothes, glasses, jeans, scissors, shoes, socks, trousers, gloves, shorts等作主语时，谓语动词通常用复数形式形式，但如与a kind of, a pair of, the pair of, a series of连用作主语时谓语动词用单数形式
This kind of book is useful. = Books of this kind are useful. - 某些集体名词如family, teams等作主语时如果作为一个整体看待谓语动词用单数形式，如果就其中一个个成员而言谓语动词用复数类似动词还有class, club, company, crowd, enemy, government, group, party, public, team等
His family is a big family.
His family were listening to music when he came back.
The population in China is very large and 80% of the population live in rural areas. - 就近原则。下列连词在连接2个主语时，及there be句型有多个并列主语，谓语应与最靠近的主语保持一致。
A or B; either A or B; neither A or B; not only A but also B; there be A, B, and C; not A but B...
Either the boy or the girl is in Canada.
Neither he nor I know the answer.
Not only I but also Jean and Mary are tried of having one examination after another.
You, he or I am right.
You or he is to blame.
Are you or he to blame?
Is either he or you right?
Either you or the headmaster is to hand out the prize to those gifted students at the meeting. - 就前原则。当主语后面跟有as well as, as much as, no less than, along with, with, like, rather than, together with, but, except, besides, including, in addition to等词组时，其谓语动词的单复数按主语的单复数而定。
The teacher, with 6 girls and 8 boys of class, was visiting a museum when the earthquake struck.
Nobody but John and Helen was absent.
I, rather than you, am responsible for the accident. - None of+可数名词复数作主语，谓语动词用单数或复数均可；None of+不可数名词作主语，谓语动词用单数。
None of the cars was/were damaged.
None of the food has gone bad. - a number of+名词复数作主语，谓语动词用复数；the number of+名词复数作主语，谓语动词用单数；
The number of the people invited was fifty,but a number of them were absent for different reasons.
a large quantity of+可数名词复数/不可数名词，谓语动词用单数；large quantities of+可数名词复数/不可数名词，谓语动词用复数；
A large quantity of people is needed here.
Large quantities of food have rotten away.
a great deal of/a large amount of+不可数名词作主语，谓语动词用单数；large amounts of+不可数名词作主语，谓语动词用复数。 - 关系代词作主语，定语从句谓语动词的形式取决于其先行词的单复数。
He is one of the few persons who have a good knowledge of Italian.
当one之前有the only修饰时，one是who的先行词，从句谓语动词用单数。
He is the only one of the boys who was given a prize. - 倒装句中必须认准哪是主语。
Between the two buildings stands a monument.
On the ship were over 2200 people.
More than 1500 people lost their lives. Among those was the young woman. - such, the same 起指示代词作用，应根据其所指的内容来确定单复数。
Such is our plan.
Such are my hopes. - all作主语表示人时，谓语动词用复数；若表物，谓语动词用单数。
All's well that ends well.
All are eager to reach an agreement. - part of/half of/... percent of/one third of +n. 谓语动词要与of后面的名词保持一致。