主谓一致
解决主谓一致主要遵循三个原则：
语法一致原则
就近一致原则
意义一致原则
应该综合利用这三个原则来处理主谓一致，在不同情况下可能应用三个原则中的不同原则，具体应用哪种原则应该视具体情况而定。总结如下：
一．谓语动词用单数的情况
1．动名词短语、不定式短语、名词性从句做主语，谓语用单数。如：
Buying clothes is often a time-consuming job because those clothes that a person likes are rarely the cones that fit him or her. To understand the situation completely requires more thought than has been given thus far.
2．表示时间、距离、金额、重量、面积、体积、容积等度量的名词短语做主语时，谓语用单数。
Two weeks was too long
Five times five makes twenty five
3．一般用and连接的两个单词或短语做主语时候，谓语用复数，但是下面用and连接的主语表示一个概念，谓语用单数：
law and order 法制 soap and water 肥皂水 a cup and saucer 茶杯碟子 fork and knife 刀叉
the needle and thread 针线 trial and error 反复尝试，不断摸索 horse and carriage 马车 time and tide 岁月
bread and butter 奶油面包 the ebb and flow 盛衰，潮涨潮落
如： If law and order not preserved, neither the citizen nor his property is safe.
A.is B.are C.was d.were
答案：A。
4．表示学科和某些疾病名称的名词是复数形式，作主语时候谓语动词用单数形式
Linguistics is a branch of study on human language.
5．有些名词形式上是复数，意义上是单数，根据意义一致原则动词用单数
The chaos was stopped by the police The news is a great encouragement to us
A series of debates between the lectures was scheduled for the next weekend. 6．在下列情况下，谓语动词一般用单数
①each (every, many a, more than one, no) + 单数名词，谓语动词用单数。
Every boy and girl likes playing ball games.男孩、女孩都喜欢球类活动。Many a students is preparing the final exams.许多学生都在准备期终考试。
②数学运算的数字作主语谓语用单数。
Three plus four is equal to seven.三加四等于七。
③a portion of ( a series of, a family of, a body of, a kind of, a pile of, a great deal of ) + 复数名词，谓语动词用单数。例如：A series of foreign films has been on these days.这些天来，正在上演一系列的外国影片。
④不定代词one, every, each, everybody, everyone, one of, no one, nothing, nobody, someone, somebody, either, neither, many a, more than one 等作主语或是修饰主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
Neither of my sisters likes sports .我的妹妹中没人喜欢运动。Many a student takes a walk on campus after dinner.许多学生晚饭后常在校园里散步。
Every boy and girl shows great interest in extra-curriculum activities.每个男孩和女孩对课外活动都表现出很大的兴趣。
但由more than… of 作主语时，动词应与其后的名词或代词保持一致。例如：
More than 60 percent of the students are from the city.百分之六十多的学生都来自这个城市。
⑤表示国家、机构、事件、作品等名称的专有名词作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
One Thousand And One Nights tells people lots of mysterious bits of folklore. 《一千零一夜》给人们讲了许多神秘的民间传说。
The United States is leading the world in science and technology .美国常在世界科技方面领先。
The United Nations plays an important role in the international affairs.联合国在国际事务中起着重要作用。 ⑥a portion, a series of, a kind of, the number of等与名词构成名词短语作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如： A series of high technology products has been laid out in the exhibition. 一系列高科技产品已在展览上展出。
The number of printing mistakes in some recent books often surprises people even to death.近来一些书籍里印刷错误的数量让人吃惊得要命。
A substantial portion of the reports is miing .这些报告都没有提及实质问题。
A kind of rose in the garden smells very pleasant.这座花园里有一种玫瑰香气怡人。 ⑦身兼两种身份的人名作主语，谓语动词用单数。例如： The profeor and author is well-known at home and abroad.那位教授兼作家在国内外都很有名。 二． 谓语用复数情况
1． 由and, both …and, 连接的并列主语，和both ,a few, many ,several 等修饰语后面谓语动词通常用复数形式。
Few people know he and I were clamates when we were at college.
2．集体名词police, public, militia, cattle ,cla ,youth后常用复数形式的动词
The Chinese people are brave and hardworking The cattle are grazing in the sunshine
3．当表示民族的词与冠词合用当主语，谓语动词用复数形式
The Japanese were once very aggreive 4．某些形容词前面加定冠词表示一类人，做主语时候，谓语动词用复数
The young, on the one hand, often think of the old conservative.On the other hand, the old always consider the young inexperience.一方面，青年人常认为老年人保守；另一方面，老年人总是认为青年人没有经验。In many stories, the good are well rewarded and the bad are doomed to unfortunate.
在许多故事里，好人总是有好报；坏人注定要倒霉。
5．不可数名词作主语，其前有表示数量的复数名词修饰时，谓语动词用复数
Three million tons of coal were exported that year 三．谓语动词可用单数，也可以用复数的情况
1． 就近一致原则
这种情况下，谓语动词使用单数还是复数取决于最靠近该动词的主语的单复数，存在这种情况的主要由以下几种可能：
1） 由连词 either…or…; neither…nor…; whether… or…;not only…but (also) ;or 等连接的并列主语
Neither money nor fame has influence on me Not only you but also he is wrong
2) 在倒装结构中，谓语动词与后面的第一个主语一致
Blocking the open-sided porch, framed by the enveloping fog, stands a tall grave-faced policeman. Just outside the ruins is a magnificent building surrounded by tall trees.
3）there be 句型的主语是一系列事物时，谓语应与最邻近的主语保持一致。 There is a pen, a knife and several books on the desk..There are twenty boy-students and twenty-three girl-students in the cla.2． 主语带有（together/along）with, such as, accompanied by, as well as, no le than, except, besides, with, combined with, in addition to , including, as much as, more than, rather than, in company with, like, but等等附加成分，谓语的数不受附加成分的影响仍然与主语保持一致
Profeor Taylor , with six of his students ,is attending a conference in Boston organized to compare current practice in the United States with those of other nations.
The president of the college, together with the deans, is planning a conference for the purpose of laying down certain regulations. 3．关系代词做主语的定语从句中，谓语的数要与先行词一致。如：
Despite much research, there are still certain elements in the life cycle of the insect that are not fully understood.
There are many valuable services which the public are willing to pay for, but which do not bring a return in money to the community. 4．一些表示数量的短语与名词连用时候，谓语动词的数取决于名词的数，名词是复数，谓语动词用复数，反之就用单数。这些短语包括：a lot of /lots of; plenty of/heaps of; half of; two-third (three-fourth…) of; eighty(ten, twenty…) percent; part of; rest of ; none of 等等
Two-thirds of people present are women Lots of damage was caused by the fire
5．集体名词作主语时，谓语动词的数取决于主语表示的意思和数，当表示整体时候，谓语动词就用单数，当强调集体中的个体时候，谓语动词就用复数。这些集体名词如：audience, board, cla, committee, crowd, crew, enemy,family,government,army,band,government,group ,flock, police, public ,staff ,team ,troop.Crowd, firm, family 等等
The family is the basic unit of our society The family were watching the TV The audience was enormous
The audience were greatly moved at the words 6．某些固定结构中主语与谓语的数： 第一组：
a great many + 可数名词复数 谓语用复数
a number of + 可数名词复数 谓语用复数
the majority of + 可数名词复数 谓语用复数
第二组；
the number of + 可数名词复数 谓语用单数 each/every + 可数名词复数 谓语用单数
neither/either of + 可数名词复数 谓语用单数
one and a half + 可数名词复数 谓语用单数
第三组；
more than one + 可数名词单数 谓语用单数
many a + 可数名词单数 谓语用单数
第四组；
the greater part of a large proportion of 50% of one third of plenty of the rest of
谓语的数与of 后面的名词一致
第五组；
(n)either…(n)or….
not only…..but also …… not …..but ……
谓语的数与主语的第二部分（即(n)or/ but also/ but引导的后面部分）一致. 注意比较：
More students than one have been referred to More than one student is going to buy this book 重点加强：
意义一致( Notional Concord )
这一原则是指，从意义着眼来解决主谓一致问题。有时主语形式上为单数，但意义上却是复数，那么谓语依意义也用复数形式；而有时主语形式上为复数，但意义上却是单数，那么谓语依意义亦用单数形式。
1) 表示时间、金钱、距离、体积、重量、面积、数字等词语作主语时，其意义若是指总量应看作单数，谓语动词用单数；但如果其意义是指\"有多少数量\"则应该看作是复数，那么谓语动词也应该用复数。考试的时候多考察前者。例如： Four weeks are often approximately regarded as one month.人们常大约地将四个星期看成一个月。 Twenty years stands for a long period in one\'s life.二十年在人的一生里意味着一个很长的时期。
2）某些常以复数形式出现的名词如：clothes, trousers, pants, glaes, stairs, socks, stockings, shorts, sciors, arms, wages, goods等作主语时，谓语动词常用复数，例如：The clothes I bought yesterday look very nice on my daughter.我昨天买的衣服穿在女儿身上很好看。
The trousers are two inches too long for me.这条裤子我穿长了两英寸。
但是，如果以上名词有a kind of(this kind of), a pair of(this pair of)等类似于汉语的量词来修饰时，谓语动词的单复数要和量词保持一致。例如：This kind of sports cars is very expensive.这种赛车很昂贵。
Those three pairs of sports shoes fit his son very well.那三双运动鞋他儿子穿很合脚。
3）在定语从句中，如果先行词在从句中作主语，那么定语从句中谓语动词的形式应当和先行词保持一致。例如：Those who want to go outing please sign your names here.想去参加郊游的人请在这儿签名。
注意：如果先行词为one of the +名词复数，此时定语从句中的谓语动词应当用复数；如果先行词为the only one of the +名词复数，此时定语从句中的谓语动词应当用单数。例如：Mr.Brown is the only one of the ten foreigners who knows Chinese.Mr.Brown is one of the ten foreigners who know Chinese.4)a number of与the number of，两者都可以用来修饰名词，前者表示很多，等于many，谓语动词应该用复数，后者表示。。。的数量，谓语动词应该用单数。例如：
A number of visitors will not come back tonight and the real number of them is ten.5）姓氏前加the，姓氏后加s，表示一家人，此时谓语动词应该用复数。例如： The Smiths are planning to leave for Shanghai the day after tomorrow.
