1）语法一致原则（AGREement in Grammar）
（1）短语或从句作主语时,谓语用单数。例如:
Reading aloud is important in learning a foreign language.
Whether he comes or not is of no matter.
（2）主语是单数,尽管后面跟有but，except，along with，like，in-cluding，as well as等词语,谓语用单数。例如:
My sister with her children has gone to Hongkong.
The teacher as well as his students likes music.
（3）用and或both...and连接并列主语,谓语用复数。例如:
Plastics and rubber never rot.
Both bread and butter were sold out.
[注意]
a.并列主语指的是同一个人、同一个事物或同一概念,谓语用单数,这时and后面的名词无冠词。例如:
A singer and dancer was present at the party.
b.由and连接的并列单数主语前面分别有each，every，no或many a修饰时,谓语用单数。例如:
In our country，every boy and every girl has the right to receive education.
c.用and连接起来的两种不同物质作主语,这两种物质被看作是一种混合体时,谓语用单数。例如:
Mud and sand is already prepared.
（4）一些只有复数形式的名词,如clothes，trousers，glasses等作主语时,谓语用复数。例如:
My trousers are now being washed by my mother.
[注意]
如果这些表示“成双”的东西前面有a pair of时,谓语就要用单数。例如:
This pair of shoes belongs to me.
（5）“more than+数词+名词（复）”作主语时,谓语用复数。例如:
More than 300 people have attended the lecture.
（6）由“a lot of，lots of，a quantity of，one third of，（60）percent of，half of，the rest of等+名词”作主语时,谓语的单数或复数要由of后面的名词的数来确定。例如:
GREat quantities of coal was shipped to the south.
One third of the workers in this factory are women.
（7）由“a number of+名词（复）”作主语时,谓语用复数;而由“the number of+名词（复）作主语时,谓语用单数。例如:
A number of Young Pioneers are playing games near the lake.
The number of the teachers in this school is over 200.
（8）关系代词在定语从句中作主语,从句中的谓语应和从句所修饰的先行词一致。在“one of+名词复数+定语从句”结构中,one前有the,定语从句中谓语动词用单词;one前没有the,则从句中谓语动词用复数。例如:
He is one of the boys who are often late for school.
She was the only one of the women who was given the chance to go abroad.
（9）由“a/the/this pair（form，kind，type）of或either （neither） of+名词复数”作主语时,谓语动词用单数。例如:
There is a pair of shoes left on the shelf.
Is either of your parents an engineer
（10）当“主语+as well as （as much as，no less than，along with，to-gether with，rather than，like，unlike，but，except，besides，including”时,其谓语单复数与主语保持一致。例如:
Nothing but stamps and envelopes is for sale.
The teacher with a number of students is in the classroom.
2）意义上的一致（AGREement in Meaning）
（1）表示时间、距离、价格、度量衡等复数名词或短语作主语时,谓语用单数。例如:
Fifty years is not a short time.
Four thousand dollars is more than she can afford.
（2）在数学概念中,表示数目的主语通常按单数看待。例如:
How much is fifty－six divided by seven
（3）news，means，works（工厂）以及以－cs结尾的学科名称都属于形复意单的名词,作主语时,谓语用单数。例如:
South of the city lies an iron works.
Physics seems to be difficult to me.
（4）书、报、戏剧、电影、国名等名称的专有名词,当其中的主要名词为复数时,谓语用单数。例如:
The New York Times is published every day.
The United States is one of the developed countries in the world.
（5）有些集合名词,如public，government，family，class，team，group等作主语时,如果被看成一个整体,谓语用单数;如果就其中一个个成员而言,谓语用复数。例如:
A team full of courage is likely to win.
The whole class are listening to the teacher attentively.
（6）“the+形容词”结构表示一类人作主语时,谓语通常用复数。例如:
The old are well looked after in China.
The wounded have been sent to the hospital nearby.
（7）表示总称意义形单意复的名词,如people,police，cattle等作主语时,只当作复数看待,谓语用复数。例如:
Cattle are one cause of the problem.
（8）复数形式的单、复同形名词作主语时,依照意义一致的原则,表示单数意义时,谓语用单数;反之,谓语则用复数形式。这类词有:means（方法,手段），works（工厂），species（种类），Chinese，Japanese等。如:
The glass works was built in July，1979.
Many means have been tried.
3）就近一致（AGREement of Nearness）
（1）在倒装句中,谓语通常和其后边的第一个名词保持一致。例如:
Here is an orange and two apples for you.
Where is（are） your mother and your sisters
（2）用连词or，either...or，neither...nor，whether...or，not only ...but also等连接的两个并列主语,谓语要与最近的主语保持一致。例如:
He didn't say whether English novels or an English dictionary was wanted.
Are either you or he right
