走出“主谓一致”三大误区

误区一 误认主语

1. 倒装句

①Between the two buildings are a big tree. （×）

②Between the two buildings is a big tree. （√）

【解析】第①句谓语动词使用are，错误地认为the two buildings是该句的主语，但实际上是介词between的宾语，一起构成介词短语，而介词短语不能充当主语。该句是一个倒装句，真正主语是a big tree。因此第②句正确。

特别提醒倒装句的常见结构：副词/介词短语+谓语+主语

2. 主语之后带有介词短语

①The fruit like apples , oranges are good for our health. （×）

②The fruit like apples , oranges is good for our health. （√）

【解析】第①句误认为apples , oranges是主语，因此谓语动词用are，而实际上the fruit才是该句的主语，like apples , oranges是介词短语作后置定语修饰the fruit。该句译为“像苹果、桔子之类的水果对我们的身体是有好处的”。因此第②句是正确的。

特别提醒类似的结构有：主语+with / like / except / but / together with / as well as . . . ，谓语动词应与主语一致，而与介词短语之后的名词无关。

3. one of . . . + 名词复数或复数代词

①There are twenty boys in our class. One of the boys are from Canada. （×）

②There are twenty boys in our class. One of the boys is from Canada. （√）

【解析】one of the boys的中心词是one，因此谓语动词用单数，造成第①句错误的原因主要是把the boys当成了该句的主语。

4. 定语从句

①I like the photos which was taken in Beijing. （×）

②I like the photos which were taken in Beijing. （√）

【解析】which were taken in Beijing是一个定语从句，用于修饰先行词the photos，而which本身就代替先行词the photos。因此谓语动词要用复数，造成第①句错误的原因是没有弄清楚关系词which的实质，只是从形式上看它是单数。

特别提醒定语从句中的谓语动词应该与先行词保持一致。

误区二 被主语的表象迷惑

1. 看似复数却表单数概念

①Maths are my favourite subject. （×）

②Maths is my favourite subject. （√）

【解析】maths本身是一个以“s”结尾的单词，而不是一个复数名词，表示单数概念“数学”这一学科，因此第②句正确。

类似的有：physics , news , politics . . .

2. 看似单数却表复数概念

①The police is searching for the robbers. （×）

②The police are searching for the robbers. （√）

【解析】the police译为“警方”，表示复数概念，而不是表示“那个警察”，因此第②句正确，类似的词有：people , the + 形容词，the + 姓 + family等均表复数概念。

3. 名词的单复数同形

①There are a little sheep eating grass on the hill. Can you see it? （×）

②There is a little sheep eating grass on the hill. Can you see it? （√）

【解析】sheep是一个单复数形式相同的名词，由于sheep之前用的a little修饰，加上Can you see it中的it指代单数，因此a little sheep译为“一只小绵羊”，因此第②句正确。如果将原题改为：There ________ （be） a few sheep eating grass on the hill. Can you see them?那又会怎么样呢。

特别提醒类似的单复数形式相同的词还有fish, Chinese, Japanese等，要根据句子的含义和结构暗示来判断其单复数。

4. 集合名词

①Their family is very happy. Now their family is watching TV. （×）

②Their family is very happy. Now their family are watching TV. （√）

【解析】family是一个集合名词，表示整体概念时谓语用单数，表示个体概念时谓语用复数。该句译为“他们全家很幸福，现在全家人正在看电视”。因此第一个family表示整体概念，译为“家庭”，第二个family表示个体概念，译为“家人”，第②句正确。

特别提醒类似的还有group, class, team等既可表单数也可表复数。

误区三 误用语言规则

1. 表示时间、距离、金钱、重量、数量等名词作主语

①Ten years are quite a long time. （×）

②Ten years is quite a long time. （√）

【解析】表示时间、距离、金钱、重量、数量等名词的复数作主语时看作一个整体，谓语动词要用单数，容易错误理解为复数而出现第①句的错误。

2. 由and连接的并列主语

①The twentieth lesson and last lesson are very easy for students. （×）

②The twentieth lesson and last lesson is very easy for students. （√）

【解析】the twentieth lesson and last lesson是表示同一概念，译为“第20课即最后一课”，因此谓语动词应该用单数。同学们容易错误理解“第20课和最后一课”，如果表示两课，应该表达为“the twentieth lesson and the last lesson”。

特别提醒由and连接的并列主语表示同一概念时，谓语动词用单数，表示不同的概念时谓语动词用复数。

3. 就近原则

①Neither you nor he have been to Beijing. （×）

②Neither you nor he has been to Beijing. （√）

【解析】neither . . . nor连接的并列主语（you , he）虽然表示两个人，但根据语言规则，当它连接并列主语的时候，谓语动词根据就近原则，该由he决定，因此第②句正确。

特别提醒类似的还有either . . . or, not only . . . but also, not . . . but, 以及there be之后的并列主语，谓语动词的确定都根据“就近原则”。

4. this kind of, a piece of, this pair of等短语作主语

①This pair of trousers are very new, but Tom’s trousers are very old. （×）

②This pair of trousers is very new, but Tom’s trousers are very old. （√）

【解析】trousers作主语时，谓语动词用复数，但当它被this pair of修饰时谓语动词由pair的单复数确定。因此第②句正确。

特别提醒this kind of, a piece of, a bag of, a box of等，这类短语作主语时谓语动词的单复数由这些短语中的名词决定，而与它们所修饰的名词无关。

5. the rest of，half of等短语作主语

①Half of the students have finished most of the work. The rest of it are very difficult. （×）

②Half of the students have finished most of the work. The rest of it is very difficult. （√）

【解析】根据句意和句子结构可以判断the rest of it中的it，指the work，而work是不可数名词，因此第②句正确。

特别提醒all of, most of, half of, the rest of，以及a lot of, some, any+名词作主语时，要根据后面的名词确定谓语动词的单复数。

6. 一句话提示

①合成不定代词（如something，anybody等）作主语，谓语动词用单数；

②动名词、不定式、从句作主语时，谓语动词用单数；

③a number of + 名词（复）作主语，谓语用复数，the number of + 名词（复）作主语，谓语用单数；

④none of . . . 作主语时，谓语动词可用单数，也可用复数。

金题精练

根据句意，从所给出的选项中选出最佳答案。

1. The news _____ very worth listening to.

A. beB. isC. areD. am

2. —_____ this pair of glasses yours?

—No. My glasses _____ on the desk.

A. Is, isB. Are, isC. Is, areD. Are, are

3. The old _____ taken good care of in China now.

A. wasB. are C. is D. were

4. Nobody except the twins ___ to Hongkong before.

A. have beenB. have gone

C. has been D. has gone

5. —What’s on the plate?

—There _____ some rice on it.

A. is B. are C. has D. have

6. Five years _____ since we met last.

A. have passedB. has past

C. has passed D. have pasted

7. Here _____ some flowers for you.

A. is B. are C. hasD. have

8. There __________ a number of teachers, but the number of women teachers ________ only thirty.

A. are, are B. are, is C. is, are D. is, is

9. Not only my uncle but also my parents _______ I am right.

A. think B. thank C. thinks D. are thinking

10. Doing morning exercises _____ good for our health.

A. beB. are C. isD. am

11. Everyone likes people who _____ ready to help others.

A. isB. areC. beingD. was

12. The Smith family _____ making dumplings in the kitchen.

A. isB. are C. has beenD. can

13. One third of the population in our city ______ farmers in the past.

A. are B. wereC. isD. was

14. The headmaster and the teacher ______ coming to us now.

A. areB. is C. willD. am

15. Tom as well as his friends _____ skating every Saturday.

A. are B. isC. goD. goes

（Keys： 1. B2. C3. B4. C5. A6. C7. B8. B9. A10. C11. B12. B13. B14. A15. D）