Pronouns as Subjects1. Indefinite pronouns (somebody, someone, anybody, something, anything); universal pronouns (everybody, everyone, everything, each); negative pronouns (nobody, no one, neither, etc.) have a singular predicate: Everyone thinks he has the answer. There was nothing to attract our attention. Nobody has come except him. However the negative pronoun none may have a singular or a plural verb-predicate, it depends whether one person is meant or more than one: None of us understands/understand it. 2. Interrogative pronouns who, what have a singular verb-predicate: Who is this man? What is there? If the question refers to more than one person, a plural predicate may be used: Who are with him? Who have agreed to act? 3. If the subject is expressed by a relative pronoun (who, which, that) the verb-predicate agrees with its antecedent: It is I who am wrong. It is you who are wrong. You are the one who is wrong. I don’t know the boys who live next door. Shish Kebab is one of those dishes, which have to be cooked outdoors. 4. The universal pronoun both has a plural predicate: Which of the books are yours? Both are mine. 5. The pronoun all in the sense “всё” has a singular verb, while all in the sense все has a plural verb: All is well that ends well. All were ready by that time.
|
