英語語法順口溜：主謂一致
主語謂語數一致，就近語法和意義
就近一致
故事：就近有一隻貓和三百隻老鼠在玩耍，在我看來，或者貓或者老鼠是要死的，可實際上，貓既沒有把老鼠吃掉，老鼠也沒有把貓整死，在長期的進化中，不僅是貓而且老鼠也知道了友善，他們彼此和諧相處了。不是貓，而是老鼠認為世界該變一變了。
譯文：There is a cat and three mice playing in the yard.
解析：there be 句子是倒裝結構，其中be的數的變化取決於最臨近的一個主語。例如：
Is there a banana and seven apples on the table?
譯文：In my view, either cat or mice are to die in the stuggle.
解析：either…or…或者…或者…,連線兩個主語時，謂語動詞的.數隨就近的一個。例如：
Either he or I am to be responsible for the accident.
譯文：But , to my surprise, neither mice nor cat dies.
解析：neither…nor…既不…也不…,連線兩個主語時，謂語動詞的數隨就近的一個。例如：
Neither his parents nor he is interested in swimming.
譯文：In the long run, they have become friendly to each other. Not cat but mice believe the world should change.
解析：not…but….不是…而是…. ,連線兩個主語時，謂語動詞的數隨就近的一個。例如：
Neither the students nor the teacher runs away in the earthquake.
(符合就近原則的結構有there be, not…but…, not only…but also…, or…or…, neither…nor…)
記憶：
就近有個人在叫賣，不是老頭而是老太;
不僅賣瓜而且賣菜，或者現錢或者放債，
既沒有車也不用秤，只要你笑她就白送。
語法一致
故事：三國時候有一套馬車金壁輝煌，它的美吸引了每一個國王，每一個國王，還有他的大臣們不止一次地想擁有這套馬車，很多種方法都被他們嘗試過了，但艱苦努力都是徒勞，當時有99%的人口都反對把車讓給國王，因為只有勇士張飛，才是唯一有資格擁有這輛馬車的人。只要這輛馬車一跑，就會趟起大量的塵土。
譯文：There was a cart and horse in the Three Kingdom Period, which was very splendid.
解析：
由and連線兩個名詞做主語，不是指同一個人、同一物或同一概念時，謂語動詞一般用複數。當and連線兩個表示同一個人，同一物或同一概念時，謂語動詞常用單數形式，如果名詞前要加冠詞，往往在第一個名詞前才用，第二個名詞前不用冠詞修飾。常見的有bread and butter, war and peace, a knife and fork， a cart and horse等。如：
(1)Fire and water don’t agree.
(2) The singer and dancer is popular with the young people.
(3) Bread and butter is what they usually have for breakfast.
譯文：Every king was attracted by its beauty.
解析：
兩個並列名詞分別由every，each, many a, no等修飾，做主語時，謂語動詞用第三人稱單數。如：
(4)Each boy and each girl has an English dictionary.
(5) Many a boy and many girl made thesame mistake in the exercise.
(6) No man and no animal is on the moon.
譯文：The king, together with his ministers wanted more than once to own the horse and cart.
解析：
主語後面接有with, along with, together with, as well as, rather than, in addition to, like , except, but, including, besides等詞構成的短語修飾時，謂語動詞的數與前面的主語保持一致。如：
(7)Professor Brown with a group of students was doing experiments at that time.
(8)Our head teacher, along with his students is going to play football this weekend.
譯文：Many a way was tried by them.
解析：
“more than one + 單數名詞(不止一個……)”，“many a(許多)”雖然表示複數含義，但謂語動詞與單數名詞保持一致，習慣上用單數。如：
(9)More than one person was present at the meeting.
(10)Many a student has passed the exam.
譯文：But hard working was in vain.
解析：
不定式(短語)、動名詞(短語)或從句做主語，謂語動詞用單數。
(11)Seeing is believing. =To see is to believe.
(12)When we’ll go out for an outing has been decided.
譯文：99% of the population were against the king’s ownership of the cart and horse.
解析：
百分數(或分數) + of + 可數名詞單數(或不可數名詞)，謂語用單數;百分數 (或分數) + of +名詞複數，謂語用複數。
(13)Twenty percent of the workers in the factory are women.
(14) More than 70 percent of the surface of the earth is covered by water.
譯文：Zhang Fei was the only one of the people who had the right to own the cart and horse.
解析：
在定語從句中關係代詞做主語時，從句謂語動詞要與先行詞的數保持一致。在先行詞前有one of修飾時，從句謂語動詞與複數名詞保持一致;在先行詞前有the only one of, the very one of 等修飾時，從句謂語動詞與one保持一致，用第三人稱單數形式。如：
(15)The man who wants to see you is waiting for you at the gate.
(16)He was one of the men in the office who were invited to the ball.
(17)He was the only one of the men in the office who was invited to the ball.
譯文：Huge quantities of dirt were raised by the cart as long as the horse ran.
large amounts of 和 huge quantities of 後即使跟的是不可數名詞，謂語動詞也要用複數形式。
(18)Huge quantities of good earth has been blown away in this area.
意義一致
故事：受傷的人們都戴著眼鏡，正在看《一千零一夜》的故事，這時，從遠處來了一群牛，牛背上馱著傢俱，這些傢俱值3萬美元，這可是一大筆錢啊。
譯文：The wounded were wearing glasses.
解析：
“the + 形容詞或過去分詞”，如：the rich, the poor, the blind, the old, the injured, the wounded做主語時，表示具體的某類人或事，謂語動詞常常用複數形式。如：
The rich make the poor slaves.
The wounded were sent to the hospital at once.
.表示由兩部分構成的東西，如：glasses (眼鏡) trousers, clothes，pincers, tongs 夾鉗 shears，sessiors 剪子。使用這些詞做主語時，謂語應該用複數。
若表達具體數目，要藉助數量詞 pair(對，雙); suit(套); a pair of glasses; two pairs of trousers，這時，謂語動詞應該用單數。
A pair of glasses is necessary to the near-sighted.眼鏡對近視眼患者很有必要。
譯文：They are reading “the Arabian Nights”.
解析：
以s結尾，仍為單數的名詞，用在句子中做主語時，謂語動詞用單數。如：
a. maths，politics，physics等學科名詞，為不可數名詞，是單數。
b. news 是不可數名詞。
c.國家名稱the United States，the United Nations，應視為單數。
The United Nations was organized in 1945. 聯合國是1945年組建起來的。
d. 以複數形式出現的書名，劇名，報紙，雜誌名，也可視為單數。
"The Arabian Nights" is a very interesting story-book.
<<一千零一夜>>是一本非常有趣的故事書。
“New York Times” is a very influencial paper.紐約時報是一份很有影響的報紙。
譯文：Just then, a herd of cattle came from the distance, with furniture on their backs, which was worth 30’000 dollars.
解析：
集體名詞，以單數形式出現，但實為複數。
如：people police cattle audience jewellery clothing
等本身就是複數，不能說 a people，a police，a cattle，
英文中還有些單詞，可以看作是一個整體，這時是單數，也可以看作是很多個體，這時表複數的概念。例如：class(班;全班同學), team(隊;全體隊員), family(家庭;全家人)等。
My class often wins first in the competition.
My class are all girl students.
The family lives happily.
The family all like potatoes and tomatoes.
以下一些詞是不可數名詞，在句子中當單數處理。furniture equipment
譯文：30’000 dollars is a big sum of money.
解析：
表示時間、距離、金錢、重量等的複數名詞或短語做主語時，常常看作一個整體，謂語動詞用第三人稱單。如
(1)Another three years has passed.
(2) Thirty-six thousand francs is a big sum for the couple to pay off.
