浅谈主谓一致

吴元培

“主谓一致”是中学英语中一个学习难点也是高考热点之一，因此掌握该语法项目，对句子、篇章的理解以及写作是非常重要的。主谓一致是指在英语句子中的谓语动词在人称和数上必须和主语保持一致。这种一致关系主要体现在：语法一致原则、意义一致原则和邻近原则。

(一) 语法一致原则：是指谓语动词的单、复数形式取决于主语中心名词的单、复数形式，也就是形式上一致。

1．以单数名词、不可数名词以及代替它们的代词作主语时，谓语动词用单数形式；主语为复数形式时，谓语动词用复数形式。

(1) We live day by day, but in the great things, the time of days and weeks _________ so small that a day is unimportant. (07'湖南卷)

A. is B. areC. has beenD. have been

Key:[A]

(2) Books of this kind ________ well. (99'上海卷)

A. sellB. sells C. are sold D. is sold

Key:[A]

2．用and 或both …and 连接两个或两个以上做主语的单数名词，谓语用复数。

Mary and Catherine are close friends.

3．由"名词＋and＋名词"结构作主语，表示一个整体、同一种事物或同一人时，谓语动词常用单数。

A poet and artist _______ coming to speak to us about Chinese literature and painting tomorrow afternoon. (06'江苏卷)

A. isB. are C. was D. were

Key:[A]

类似的还有：a needle and thread; a horse and cart; a watch and chain; a coat and tie; a knife and fork; truth and honesty; medical help and cure ;bread and butter ; iron and steel等。

4．用 and 连接的两个名词若被 no; each; every; many a 修饰，则谓语动词用单数。

(1) Each boy and each girl ______ to serve the people in the future .

A. wantB. have wanted

C. are wantingD. wantsKey:[D]

(2) Many a boy and many a girl has made such a funny experiment.

有时可将第二个every ／each ／no省略。

Each book and paper can be found in this room .

5．如果 and 后面加 no 或 not, 谓语也应与and 前面的主语保持一致。

My friend, and not hers, is chosen to join the army.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

6．表示“时间、距离、金钱、重量”等复数名词作主语时，常被看作一个整体，谓语动词用单数。

(1) A survey of the opinions of experts ______that three hours of outdoor exercise a week________good for ones health.(07'江西卷)

A. show; are B. shows; is

C. show; is D. shows; are Key:[B]

(2) One hundred dollars is a large sum for the poor.

如果将以上复数名词作为个体看待时，谓语动词常用复数。

Ten years have passed since I came to work in this school.

7．有些只有复数形式的名词，如：chop-sticks ; trousers; shoes; gloves; glasses; scissors; compasses等名词作主语时，其谓语动词用复数形式；但是，当这些名词前有pair时，谓语动词则要与pair的数保持一致。

My glasses are old . I think this pair of glasses is better than mine .

Those two pairs of gloves were bought in Beijing .

8．主语后有as well as ; rather than ; including ; like ; with; together with; along with ; but ; except ;besides ; including ; no less than 等介词短语时，谓语应与前面主语保持一致 。

(1) The father as well as his three children _______ skating on the frozen river every Sunday afternoon in winter.(06'辽宁卷)

A. is going B. go C. goes D. are going

Key:[C]

(2) All the employees except the manager ________ to work online at home. （04'广东卷）

A. encouragesB. encourage

C. is encouragedD. are encouraged

Key:[D]

(3) The teacher, including his students, wants to have a picnic .

9．either, neither, each, every 或no + 单数名词和由some, any, no, every 构成的复合不定代词都作单数看待。

Each of the children has a new book.

No student and no teacher has ever heard of such a thing.

10．由“a lot of ; lots of; plenty of; the rest of; a large quantity of +名词”构成的短语以及由“分数或百分数＋名词”构成的短语作主语时，其谓语动词的数要根据短语后面名词的数而定。

(1) ______ of the land in that district _______ covered with trees and grass. （00'上海卷）

A. Two fifth; is B. Two fifth; are

C. Two fifths; isD. Two fifths; are

Key :[ C]

(2) As a result of destroying the forests , a large _______of desert _______ covered the land .(01'上海卷)

A. number; hasB. quantity; has

C. number; haveD. quantity; have

Key:[B]

(3) The manager entered the office and was happy to learn that four-fifths of the tickets ______ . (00'上海卷)

A. was booked B. had been booked

C. were bookedD. have been booked

Key:［B］

[注意] “quantities of +名词”构成的短语作主语时，谓语动词与quantities保持一致，其谓语动词均用复数形式.

With more forests being destroyed, huge quantities of good earth ________ each year.（05'山东卷）

A. is washing away

B. is being washed away

C. are washing away

D. are being washed awayKey:[D]

11．由"few ; a few ; both; both of; a(large/ great) number of ; a good / great many ;one or two ; more than; the majority of +复数名词"构成的短语作主语时，其谓语动词的数要用复数形式。

但the quantity of +可数名词复数或不可数名词，the number of +可数名词复数，the amount of +不可数名词等构成的短语作主语，谓语动词用单数，表示“……的数量/值”。

The number of people invited _______ fifty, but a number of them ________ absent for different reasons. (96'NMET)

A. were; was B. was; was

C. was; were D. were; were.Key:[C]

12．由“much; a little; a bit of ; a great/good deal of; a(large/ great/small) amount of +不可数数名词”构成的短语作主语时，其谓语动词的数要用单数形式。

A great amount of money has been spent on the projects .

13．在倒装句中，谓语动词应与后面的主语保持一致。

At the foot of the mountain ________ . (06'四川卷)

A. a village lieB .lies a village

C. does a village lie D. lying a village

Key:[B]

(二) 意义一致原则，指谓语动词的数在意义上或意念上与主语保持一致。

1．以-ics结尾的学科名词，如mathematics; politics; physics; economics 以及news等，形式上为复数，但它们作主语时，其谓语动词要用单数形式。

Mathematics is my favourite subject.

2．复数名词用作书，电影、戏剧、报刊、国家等名称时，谓语动词用单数。

The selected Poems of Li Bai was published long ago.

3．Means; cattle; aircraft; crossroads; works（工厂）; sheep; species ; Chinese; Japanese等单复数同形的名词作主语时，其谓语动词应视具体情况而定 。

(1) Every possible means ______ to prevent the air pollution, but the sky is still not clear.（00'上海春）

A. is usedB. are used

C. has been used D. have been used

Key :[ C]

(2) There is ______ at the foot of the hill.

A. a dangerous crossroad

B. dangerous crossroad

C. dangerous crossroads

D. a dangerous crossroadsKey :[ D]

4．含有算术运算的句子中，谓语多用单数，也可用复数。

Eight plus four is twelve.

Sixteen divided by four makes / is four.

5．定冠词the + 形容词或过去分词, 表示一类人，常用有：rich; poor; living; dead; young; old; blind; sick; wounded; aged; disabled等，谓语动词应用复数形式。

What a life the poor were living!

The wounded have been sent to hospital.

如果该形容词指抽象概念，谓语动词常用单数形式。

The true is to be distinguished from the false.

The unexpected has happened.

6．当动名词短语、不定式短语和从句作主语时，谓语动词用单数。如果用 and 连接两个从句或短语作主语，则需看是表示一个整体还是不同的两件事；从句作主语时有时则需根据表语来判定。

When and where to build the new factory________ yet. (91'NMET)

A. is not decided B. are not decided

C. has not decided D. have not decided

Key:[A]

Who has broken the window is still unknown.

Making friends with different kinds of people is not easy work.

当what引导主语从句或由 and连接两个动词不定式或动名词作主语时，谓语动词的数应根据意义一致的原则来决定。

Most of what has been said about the Simiths _______also true of the Johnsons . (06'安徽卷)

A. areB. isC. beingD. to be Key:[B]

What we need now calls for money and skilled workers .

7．who, which, that 作定语从句的主语时，其谓语取决于先行词。

He is the only one of the students who ____ a winner of scholarship for three years. (02上海春)

A. is B. areC. have been D. has been

Key:[D]

8．All; some ; any ; most ;part ; half ; the rest ; the last 等作主语，谓语动词的数要随主语所表示的意思来确定。

All that can be done has been done .

All are eager to reach the agreement .

9．国名、地名、组织机构名称、书刊和杂志名等名词作主语时，谓语动词常用单数。

The United Ｎations is an international organization .

Great Expectations has been translated into Chinese .

注意：The Olympic Games are usually held every four years .

10．equipment ;furniture; clothing ;luggage; advice; information等不可数集合名词作主语时，谓语动词用单数；但army（军队；士兵）; committee（委员会；委员; team（队；队员）; family ; group ; government ; class; population; audience; public等集合名词作主语时，如说话者强调名词的整体概念，则谓语用单数形式；若说话者强调名词的个体组成部分，则谓语动词用复数形式。

The audience were very excited.

The audience consisted almost entirely of students.

The police are trying to catch the thief.

The public is the best judge because the public always express their thoughts correctly .

(三)就近原则：即谓语动词的数与最靠近它的那部分主语一致。就近原则体现了语言的灵活性和适用性，一般用于下列常见搭配之中：以连词or ; either…or ; neither …nor ; not only…but also; not…but; there be 连接的复合主语，其谓语与其相邻的那个名词的数保持一致。

(1) Not only I but also Jane and Mary ______ tired of having one examination after another.

A. is B. are C. amD. be Key:[B]

(2) Not his sister but his two cousins have gone to Qindao, never to be seen again .

(3)There is a dictionary and some magazines on the desk.

(4) Are either you or I wrong？

(5) You or he is to blame.

巩固练习：请从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

1．The Olympic Games in the year 2008 _______ in Beijing of China, which _______ known to us all.

A. is to hold; is B. is to be held; was

C. are to hold; is D. are to be held; is

2．The poor woman as well as her two children in a street corner_______.

A. was seen begB. were seen beg

C. was seen begging D. were seen begging

3．______ of the grass-belt in this neigh-borhood ________ covered with flowers and grass.

A. Two third; is B. Two fifth; are

C. Two thirds; is D. Two thirds; are

4．Its Tom who _______ the Christmas gift to you.

A. has sentB. have sent

C. is going to fetchD. are going to fetch

5．Not the teacher but the students ________ looking forward to seeing the film.

A. is B. are C. amD. be

6．Between the two rows of trees _______ the teaching building.

A. haveB. has C. standsD. are

7．Every boy and every girl_______that each day and each hour _______brings duty.

A. know; their B. knows; their

C. knows; its D. know; its

8．_______ either of your parents come to see you recently?

A. Have B. HadC. Has D. Is

9．One and a half apples _______ on the table

A. is left B. has left

C. are left D. have left

10．All but one ________ in the traffic accident.

A. was killed B. were killed

C. will be killed D. are killed

11．This kind of stories ______ instructive while stories of that kind_______ harm to children.

A. is; does B. are; do

C. is; do D. are; does

12．A great many people_______ present at the meeting, but many a man ________ late for the meeting because of the traffic jam.

A. are; are B. is; is

C. were; was D. was; are

13．He is the only one of the children who often ________ ill of others behind their backs.

A. have spoken B. were speaking

C. speak D. speaks

14．The office staff _______ gathered to hear the president address on the TV.

A. isB. areC. beD. will

15．To shut your eyes to facts, as many of you do, ________ foolish.

A. amB. is C. areD. were

Keys for reference： 1—5 DCCAB 6—10 CCCCB 11—15 CCDBB