The compound verbal modal predicate

It consists of a modal verb (or a modal expression) and a non-finite form of the verb (an infinitive or a gerund). It expresses the action as possible, impossible, obligatory, necessary, desirable, planned, certain, permissible, etc.

Modal Verbs: can, may, must, should, would, need, dare, have to, be to

Modal Expressions: to be able, to be allowed, to be willing, to be anxious, to be capable, to be going, to be bound, to be obliged

I can’t remember who I am.

They are willing and able to help.

How dare you say so?

We are going to strike a bargain.

He may have to return.

She must be willing to come here again.

That remark is capable of being misunderstood.

The double predicate

It combines two different types of the predicate. It has the features of the simple predicate and of the compound nominal predicate.

The moon rose red. (=The moon rose (simple) and it was red. (compound nominal))

There are a number of verbs that most often occur in this type of predicate, performing the double function of denoting a process and serving as a link verb at the same time: live, die, marry, return, lie, rise, sit, stand, shine, etc

She sat silent.

She married young and died a hero.

The moon was shining cold and bright.

They met friends and parted enemies.

But: He went mad. (compound nominal, because “went” is only a link verb here.)

Mixed types of the predicate

They combine elements of different types of predicate:

1. The Compound Modal Nominal Predicate

It has a modal verb and a link verb:

She couldn’t be happy.

Jane must feel better pleased than ever.

2. The Compound Aspect Nominal Predicate

It has an aspect verb and a link verb:

He was beginning to look desperate.

George stopped being ashamed.

3. The Compound Modal Aspect Predicate

It has a modal verb and an aspect verb:

You ought to stop doing nothing.

He can’t continue training.

4. The Compound Modal Aspect Nominal Predicate

It has a modal verb, an aspect verb and a link verb:

You must stop being lazy.

Agreement of the predicate with the subject

In the English language the predicate agrees with the subject in person and number. Below are some rules of agreement:

1. When two or more singular subjects are connected by the conjunction and or asyndetically, the verb is plural.

Mary and Helen like cheese.

a) But the verb is singular if the two nouns express one person or thing, or is considered to be a unit.

Bread and butter is wholesome food.

This bomber and its cargo probably weighs over a hundred tons.

The sum and substance of all she says has no effect.

The painter and decorator has fallen off the fence.

b) There is a strong tendency to use the verb in the singular when the verb precedes a number of homogeneous subjects and the first is in the singular:

There is a bottle and three glasses on the table.

Here is Tom and Jerry.

In the distance was heard the applause and the shouts of people.

There was a concert and dancing in the hall.

c) The verb is in the singular if the subjects are expressed by infinitives:

To do homework and to eat sandwiches is very interesting.

d) If two attributes characterize one subject in the singular but denote two persons or things, the plural verb is used.

Vertical and sloping writing are both allowed.

In modern hotels hot and cold water are supplied.

American and Dutch beer are both lighter than British.

A black and white kitten were playing on the table. (2 kittens)

e) The singular is required when “and” introduces something in parenthesis:

The Prime Minister, and perhaps the President, is coming.

2. Agreement depends on the conjunctions the subjects are joined by:

a) If the subjects are connected by the conjunctions as well as, rather than, as much as, more than, together with, with, the predicate agrees with the first subject.

The teacher as well as the students is present.

I as much as they am ready.

b) If the subjects are connected by the conjunctions not only … but, also, either … or, neither … nor, the predicate agrees with the nearest subject.

Either you or I am right.

Neither the teacher nor the students were present.

There was not only the teacher but also some students at the lesson.

3. If the subject is expressed by the pronoun, the agreement is as follows:

a) The pronouns somebody, someone, anybody, everybody, everyone, everything, each, either, nobody, no one, neither, etc. have a singular predicate.

Somebody has come.

However, we often use plural pronouns (they, them, their) to refer to these words, especially in a conversational style.

If anybody calls, tell them I’m out.

Nobody came, didn’t they?

Someone left their umbrella yesterday.

Everyone thinks they are the centre of the universe.

Whoever comes, tell them to go away.

The plural pronouns are used instead of he, she, him, her, as a way of purposely not specifying the sex of the person referred to. In a more formal style he, him and his (not necessarily referring to a male person) are generally used instead of they, etc.

b) The pronoun none may have a plural or singular predicative.

c) The interrogative pronouns who, what have a singular predicate. But if the pronoun denotes more than one person or thing a plural predicate may be used.

Who has come?

Who are walking on the grass?

d) With relative pronouns the form of the verb depends on the noun or pronoun which is its antecedent.

Do you know the girl who lives next door?

Do you know the girls who live next door?

But: It’s me who is right.

e) If the subject is expressed by the formal emphatic pronoun “it”, the predicate is in the singular, no matter what follows.

It was my friends who suddenly arrived.

It’s they who are responsible.

NOTE: The predicate also agrees with the subject when the subject and the predicate are of different numbers.

The only guide was the stars.

The stars were our only guide.

f) Linked subjects introduced by each or every require a singular verb. The reason is that each and every focus on the individual units separately.

Each room and corridor has been painted in the same colour.

4. With quantifiers the predicate agrees in the following way:

a) The number of the predicate with the quantifiers part of, plenty of, half (of), quarter of, remainder, per cent of, percentage of, a lot of, lots of, heaps of, bags of, loads of depends on the noun it refers to, whether it is countable or uncountable.

There is a lot of snow this years.

There are a lot of mistakes in the test paper.

There is lots of snow this year.

There are lots of mistakes in the test paper.

It seems like half the articles in this magazine are just filler.

There’s heaps/bags/loads of time yet, slow down.

There was absolutely tons of food at the party.

There are tons of apples this year.

The remainder of the food is for tomorrow.

Two students in our group know English well, the remainder are very good people.

b) The group many a + noun agrees with a singular verb.

Many a lie has been told.

c) The expression more than one is followed by a singular noun and verb.

More than one student is present.

d) The expressions a number of …, a variety of …, a group of … are normally used with plural verb.

A number of students have attended the lecture.

e) The expressions the number of …, the variety of … retain their concrete meaning (количество, разнообразие) are used with the definite article and have a singular verb.

The number of the students present is small.

f) The expression the majority of … , the minority of … can be used with both a singular and plural verb.

5. The number of the predicate can depend on the lexical meaning of the subject.

a) Some collective nouns, though singular in form, always have a plural predicate: police, cattle, livestock, poultry, vermin, infantry, clergy, gentry, jury, memorabilia These are the so-called “nouns of multitude”

I don’t know what the police are doing.

b) Some collective nouns, though singular in form, can be used in the plural or in the singular depending on their meaning (the idea of oneness or plurality): family, committee, board, army, chorus, band, corps de ballet, part, team, squad, crew, crowd, orchestra, cast, group, judiciary, navy, intelligentsia, think tank, fair sex, coterie, The General Assembly, government, public, couple, pair, folk, the KGB, etc.

The family were sitting round the table. (considered separately)

My family is small. (considered as a whole)

c) The words data, media, although plural in their Latin forms, are now coming to be used as uncountable nouns. Some people still do not like this uncountable use of the words.

d) Names of sports teams in British English are used in the plural.

Chester City were relegated from Division 3 in 2000.

England are playing tomorrow.

e) Subjects expressed by invariable singular nouns ending in –s have a singular verb: news, measles, mumps, rabies, billiards, dominoes.

f) Nouns in –ics which are names if sciences and other abstract notions have a singular agreement when used in their abstract sense, but may have a plural predicate when denoting qualities, practical applications, different activities, etc. Politics, economics, linguistics, logistics, tactics, acoustics, optics, ceramics, ethics, etc.

Tactics is one of the subjects studied in the academy.

Your tactics are obvious.

g) Names of countries, territories, cities or organizations ending in –s or connected by the conjunction and are usually used in the singular.

The United Arab Emirates is a highly developed country.

The Netherlands is the country I have never been to.

The United States strongly objects to this decision.

São Tomé and Príncipe has the population of 160,000.

Debenhams is a group of large shops in Britain.

Nantes is not far from Bordeaux.

h) Titles of books, films, plays, etc. are used in the singular even if they are plural in form.

Gulliver’s Travels is full of satire.

(The plural is possible if a collection of stories is meant: The Canterbury Tales)

6. Subjects expressed by nouns denoting measure, weight, time, etc. have a singular verb when the statement is made about the whole amount.

Ten years is a long time.

Another five minutes has gone by.

A million kwanzas is a lot of money.

Twenty miles is a long way to walk.

8 degrees C is always better than 9 degrees C.

7. In arithmetical calculations the singular verb is usually used.

4672 minus 1143 equals 3529, doesn’t it?

261 divided by 9 is 29.

(However, multiplication admits of two variants: Twice two is/are four.)

8. If an expression is used as a quotation, the verb is singular.

‘My apologies’ was all he could say.

‘Mice’ is an irregular plural.

9. No rules can be observed in the stylistic device called ENALLAGE [ə’nælədʒi:] – substitution of one grammatical form for another, an effective grammatical mistake.

We was (wuz) robbed! (a phrase typically said by supporters of a sports team who feel that their team lost a match unfairly)

But see where Somerset and Clarence comes! (Shakespeare)

The posture of your blows are yet unknown. (Shakespeare)

I takes my man Friday with me. (Defoe)

My patience are exhausted. (James Joyce)

She don’t care. (The Beatles)

NOTE: Students should not use enallage at their exams.