主谓一致
指导原则：
以-s结尾的名词作主语的主谓一致问题
⑴疾病名称和游戏名称（-s）
●如arthritis（关节炎），bronchitis（支气管炎），rickets（软骨病），mumps （腮腺炎），diabetes（糖尿病）等——通常单数.
Mumps is a kind of infectious disease.
●也有一些既可作单数也可做复数
e.g. Generally, measles(麻疹) occurs in children.
●表示游戏名称的名词——通常单数
Darts is essentially a free and easy game.
Marbles is one of the oldest of games and was not confined to children.
●也有个别游戏名称作复数
Cards are not allowed here.
●当darts，marbles等用于做这些游戏所用的镖或子弹等意义时，其复数形式仍作复数用。
Three darts are thrown at each turn.
Marbles vary in kind and quality.
⑵学科名称（-ics）(如physics，mathematics，mechanics，optics，acoustics，politics，statistics，economics，linguistics，athletics，tactics等
●通常作单数用
Physics is an important subject in middle schools.
●但若这类名词表示除“学科”以外的其他意义，便可作复数用
My mathematics is/are rather sharky.
⑶地理名称（-s）
●国名（the United States, the United Nations等）——单数
The United States is a country of people with varied origins.
●群岛、山脉、海峡、瀑布等-复数
The Niagara Falls are perhaps the most famous waterfall in the world.
⑷其他
●一些由两个部分组成的物体名词通常是以-s结尾（scissors，pincers，glasses，shorts，trousers，suspenders等），这类词如果不带“一把”、“一副”、“一条”等单位而单独使用，通常作复数。
The sugar-tongs are not in the sugar bowl.
Joe’s new trousers are black and white.
●如果带有单位词，则由单位词的单、复数形式决定
One pair of scissors is n’t enough.
Two pairs of pliers, one large and one small, are missing from my tool box.
●archives（档案）, arms（武器）, clothes（衣服）, contents（内容，目录）, eaves（屋檐）, fireworks（烟火）, goods（货物）, minutes（记录）, morals（道德，品行）, remains（遗体）, stairs（楼梯）, suburbs（郊区）, thanks（谢意）, wages（工资）等，通常作复数。
●但也有少数这类词作单、复数均可
His whereabouts were/was known only to his personal staff.
●凡是由-ings结尾的名词，如clippings（剪下来的东西），diggings（掘出来的东西），earnings（收入），filings（銼屑），lodgings（租住的房间）, surroundings（环境），sweepings（扫拢的垃圾）等，通常作复数
●tidings（消息）既可作复数也可做单数
Good tidings have cheered them up.
The tidings has come a little too late.
●还有一些以-s结尾的单复数同形的名词，如barracks(营房)，headquarters （总部），means（方法、手段），series（系列），species（种类），works（工厂）等，随后动词的单、复数形式取决于这些名词时用作单数，还是用作复数。
A barracks was stormed by the enemy troops.
Two barracks in the suburbs have been surrounded.
●但有少数这类词的名词用作单数何用作复数意义不同
What’s the odds?
The odds are against us.
●如remains用作“遗体”意义时——复数
His remains lie in the churchyard.
●但作遗迹或剩余物解释时，可作单数或复数用
Here is the remains of a temple.
The remains of the meals were/was fed to the dog.
以集体名词作主语的主谓一致问题(语法和意义一致)
a．通常作复数的(police, cattle, militia, poultry(家禽)，vermin(害虫)等)，动词用复
