Affirmative and Negative Agreement

Affirmative and Negative Agreement

Affirmative and negative agreement refers to the consistency or agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. In English, the subject and verb must agree in terms of their number (singular or plural) and negation (positive or negative). Understanding and applying affirmative and negative agreement rules is important for constructing grammatically correct sentences and conveying your intended meaning. It is also relevant for success in the TOEFL exam.

Here are some key points to keep in mind regarding affirmative and negative agreement:

1- Affirmative Agreement:

– In affirmative sentences, the subject and the verb agree in terms of number.

– For a singular subject, a singular verb is used. For example: “He plays the guitar.”

– For a plural subject, a plural verb is used. For example: “They play the guitar.”

2- Negative Agreement:

– In negative sentences, the subject and the auxiliary verb “do” or “does” agree in terms of negation.

– The auxiliary verb “do” is used for plural subjects and the pronouns “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they.” For example: “They do not like coffee.”

– The auxiliary verb “does” is used for singular subjects, such as “he,” “she,” and “it.” For example: “She does not like coffee.”

3- Subject-Verb Agreement with Modifiers:

– When a sentence contains modifiers, such as phrases or clauses, the subject-verb agreement is determined by the subject of the main clause. For example: “The book that I bought is interesting.” (The verb “is” agrees with the singular subject “book,” not the plural “I.”)

4- Collective Nouns:

– Collective nouns, which refer to groups or collections of people or things, can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the emphasis is on the group as a whole or the individuals within the group.

– When the collective noun is seen as a single unit, a singular verb is used. For example: “The team is practicing.”

– When the emphasis is on the individual members of the group, a plural verb is used. For example: “The team are arguing among themselves.”

5- Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns:

– Indefinite pronouns, such as “everyone,” “someone,” or “no one,” are considered singular, and the verb should agree with them accordingly. For example: “Everyone is here.”

Understanding and applying the rules of affirmative and negative agreement will help you construct grammatically accurate sentences and effectively convey your intended meaning. It is important to pay attention to subject-verb agreement, both in terms of number and negation.

By practicing and familiarizing yourself with affirmative and negative agreement, you can enhance your overall language proficiency and improve your performance in the TOEFL exam. Remember to review and apply these rules consistently in your writing and speech to ensure clarity and accuracy.

Exercise-1

Use So … ? Neither … in the following sentences.
Example: I’m feeling tired. — So am I.
I don’t like eggs. — Neither do I.

1. I need a holiday.

2. I don’t like milk.

3. I couldn’t get up this morning.

4. I’d love a cup of tea.

5. I’ve never been to Africa.

6.I was ill yesterday.

7. I should smoke less.

8. I spent the whole evening watching television.

9. I didn’t know that Ann was in hospital.

Answers :

1. So do I.

2. Neither do I.

3. Neither could I.

4. So would I.

5. Neither have I.

6. So was I.

7. So should I.

8. So did I.

9. Neither did I.

Affirmative and negative agreement

Exercise-2

Correct mistakes in these sentences.

1. We are going to the concert, and so do they.

2. She hasn’t finished the assignment yet, and neither I have.

3. He likes to travel, and so is she.

4. I didn’t know the answer, and he didn’t neither.

5. I am worried about it, and also is he.

6. If Jane won’t go to the party, either will he.

7. Mary wants to go home, and so want we.

8. She is not in agreement, and neither do I.

9. She took pictures, and I did so.

10. He won’t be here today, and either his sister will.

11. California relies heavily on income from fruit crops, and Florida is as well.

12. This table is not sturdy enough to support a television, and that one probably isn’t
neither.

13. Harvey seldom pays his bills on time, and his brother does too.

14.They are going to leave soon, and so do we.

15. They are planning on attending the convention next month, and so I am.

16. Pioneer men and women endured terrible hardships, and neither did the children.

Answers :

1. so are they / they are too

2. neither have I/I haven’t either won’t either

3. so does she/she does too

4. neither did he / he didn’t either

5. so is he / he is too

6. neither will he / he won’t either

7. so do we / we do too

8. neither am I / I’m not either

9. so did I / I did too

10. neither will his sister / his sister

11. so does Florida / Florida does too

12. isn’t either

13. doesn’t either

14. so are we / we are too

15. so am I /1 am too

16. so did the children

Affirmative and negative agreement

Affirmative & Negative Agreement, Negation, Commands

Affirmative Agreement

When indicating that one person pr thing does something and then adding that another does the same. Use the word so or too. To avoid needless repetition of words from the affirmative statement, use the conjunction and followed by a simple statement using so or too. The order of this statement will depend on whether so or too is used.

When a form of the verb be is used in the main clause, the same tense of the verb be is used in the simple statement that follows.

affirmative statement (be) + and + subject + verb (be) + too

so + verb (be) + subject

e.g. I am happy. You are happy

– I am happy and you are too

– I am happy and so are you

When a compound verb (auxiliary + verb), for example, will go, should do, has done, have written, must examine, etc. occurs in the main clause, the auxiliary of the main verb is used in the simple statement, and the subject and verb must agree.

Affirmative statement + and + subject + auxiliary only + too

so + auxiliary only + subject

e.g. They will work in the lab tomorrow. You will work in the lab tomorrow.

– They will work in the lab tomorrow and you will too

– They will work in the lab tomorrow and so will you

When any verb except be appears without any auxiliaries in the main clause, the auxiliary do, does, or did is used in simple statement. The subject and verb must agree and the tense must be the same.

Affirmative statement + and + subject + do, does, or did + too

(single verb except be) so + do, does, or did + subject

e.g. Jane goes to that school. My sister goes to school

– Jane goes to school and my sister does too

– Jane goes to school and so does my sister

Negative Agreement

Either and Neither function in simple statements much like so and too in affirmative sentences. However, either and neither are used to indicate negative agreement. The same rules for auxiliaries, be and do, does, or did apply.

Negative statement + and + subject + negative auxiliary or be + either

neither + positive auxiliary + subject

e.g. I didn’t see Mary this morning. John didn’t see Mary this morning.

– I didn’t see Mary this morning and John didn’t either

– I didn’t see Mary this morning and neither did John

She hasn’t seen the movie yet. I haven’t seen the movie yet.

– she hasn’t seen the movie yet and I haven’t either

– she hasn’t seen the movie yet and neither have .

Negation

To make a sentence negative, add the negative particle not after the auxiliary or verb be. If there is no auxiliary or be, add the appropriate form of do, does, or did and place in word not after that.

e.g.

John is rich John is not rich

Mark has seen Bill Mark has not seen Bill

The following examples contain no auxiliary and thus use do, does, or did.

e.g.

Marvin likes spinach Marvin does not like spinach

They went to class They did not go to class

Some/any

If there is a noun in the complement of a negative sentence, one should add the particle any before the noun.

Some affirmative sentences

Any negative sentences and question

e.g. John has some money

John doesn’t have any money

Hardly, barely, rarely, seldom, etc.

Remember that in an English sentence it is usually incorrect to have two negatives together. This is called a double negative and is not acceptable in standard English. The following words have a negative meaning and, thus, must be used with a positive verb

Hardly almost nothing

Barely mean or

Scarcely almost not at all

Rarely

Seldom mean almost never

Hardly ever

e.g.

She scarcely remembers the accident (she almost doesn’t remember the accident)

We seldom see phone of these animals (we almost never see photos of these animals)

Commands

A command is an imperative statement. One person orders another to do something. It can be preceded by please. The understood subject is you. Use the simple form of the verb.

Close the door leave the room

Please turn off the light Open your book

Negative commands: A negative command is formed by adding the word don’t before the verb.

Don’t close the door

Please don’t turn off the light

Indirect commands: Usually the verbs order, ask, tell, or say are used to indicate an indirect command. They are followed by the infinitive (to + verb).

Jack asked Jill to turn off the light

The policeman ordered the suspect to be quite

Negative Indirect commands: to make an indirect command negative, add the particle not before the infinitive.

Subject + verb + complement + not + (verb in infinitive)

e.g.

The teacher told Christopher not to open the window

Please tell Jeime not to leave the room.

Questions and Answers:

Rose likes to fly, and her brother does too.

They will leave at noon, and I will too.

He has an early appointment, and so do I.

She has already written her composition, and so have her friends.

Their plane is arriving at nine o’clock, and so is mine.

The children shouldn’t take that medicine, and neither should she.

We don’t plan to attend the concert, and neither do they.

I don’t like tennis, and he doesn’t either.

They won’t have to work on weekends, and we won’t either.

That scientist isn’t too happy with the project, and neither are her supervisors.

Affirmative and Negative Agreement

In daily-life language use, there is a lot of work that is done by one person and repeated the same action by another person. In this case, we need to use particular words or formula to express the words in most appropriate and precise way. So, we use different words and rules to avoid unnecessary repetition of words which is known as Affirmative and Negative Agreement.

Affirmative Agreement:

When mentioning that one person or thing does something and again that another does the same, we use the word so or too. By using conjunction and, followed by a simple statement using so or too we can avoid unnecessary repetition of words from the affirmative sentences. The array of this statement will rely on whether so or too is used.

1. In the main clause, if a form of the verb be is used then the same tense of the verb be will be used in the simple statement that follows.

Affirmative statement + and + _ subject + verb (be) + too

(be) __ so + verb (be) + subject

Examples:

– I am happy. You are happy.

– I am happy, and you are too.

– I am happy, and so are you.

2. In the main clause, when a compound verb (auxiliary + verb), for example, will go, should do, has done, have written, must examine, etc. comes, the auxiliary of the main verb is used in the simple statement, and the subject and verb must agree.

Affirmative statement (compound verb) + and +	subject + only auxiliary + too
	so + only auxiliary + subject

Examples:

– They will work in the lab tomorrow. You will work in the lab tomorrow.

– They will work in the lab tomorrow, and you will too.

– They will work in the lab tomorrow, and so will you.

3. In the main clause, when any verb except be comes without any auxiliaries, the auxiliary do, does, or did is used in the simple statement. The tense must be the same and the subject and verb must agree.

Affirmative statement + and +	subject + do, does, or did + too
(single verb except be)	so + do, does, or did + subject

Examples:

– Jane goes to that school. My sister goes to school.

– Jane goes to school and my sister does too.

– Jane goes to school and so does my sister.

Affirmative and negative agreement

AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE AGREEMENT