雅思考官在评估作文时，没有一个不去搜寻主谓不一的，这是他们的职业病 ---找机会扣分。所以，一个7分选手，要学习电影Catch me if you can里的人物，练就一身高超本领，最后FBI都要聘请他来帮助破案。

     最主要的是，一个7段高手是不能犯如此不可饶恕的错误的。因此，一个力求4个7的考生，学习一些这方面的规则是在所不辞的，否则就是难以辞咎、与目标无缘。

     何谓主谓一致？一句话，单数主语需要单数动词，而复数主语需要复数的动词。例如： My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.

不定代词作主语时，anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody ，一般都视为单数主语，谓语也就是单数。如：

• Everyone has done his or her homework.
• Somebody has left her purse.

    然而，某些不定代词，如 all, some ，则视其所代指的可数还是不可数名词来定谓语，所以，要谨慎选择正确的谓语动词形式。如：

• Some of the beads are missing.
• Some of the water is gone.

   另外，有个代词none,它则是一个‘双料’的，即可为单数，亦可为复数，因此动词用起来方便。因为有时可以理解为 not any, 但大多数意指not one。

• None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
• None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
• None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.

像 Everyone, everybody这样的不定代词似乎是麻烦，因为它常给学生的感觉就是‘所有’，学生在选动词时就不小心选了复数的动词。其实，它是强调所有中的‘每一个’。 

还有留心短语 together with, as well as, along with，它们不同于并列连词 and。前者们只是去修饰前面的名词，而不是像后者那样‘附加’与其并列的名词，产生复数效果。请比较下列例句：

• The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
• The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

带否定的代词 neither（一个都不），either（其中有一个）视为单数，尽管他们常指代复数名词，如：

• Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
• Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
  Either is fine with me.

并列连词 or 不同于 and，前者有’排他性，且需要遵守‘靠近’原则: 与它最靠近的名词是否单数决定了动词的形式。

• Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
• Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
• Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
• Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

再看否定代词的例子，Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house" 该句看上去有点牵强附会，我们实际处理起来可以把brothers 与father调换位置，恐怕会好些。

出现在存在句式里的代词there，here，它们不为主语，实际主语是在后面的名词，也需遵守‘靠近’原则。

• There are two reasons [复数主语] for this.
• There is no reason for this.
• Here are two apples.

V动词为一般现在时，且它的主语时第三人称单数形式，动词必须加复数，跟名词一样的变法。主语为其他的人称和数都无需改变动词形式。

有时候，主谓之间有其他的修饰语，这并不影响上述规则。但雅思考生往往因句子太长，或换行换页造成首尾不能相顾，犯下‘滔天’罪行。如：

有时候有些名词在作弄我们考生，如 glasses, pants, pliers, scissors都是复数，但跟 pair of 短语连用时，考生又忘记了of前面的名词是关键。

• My glasses were on the bed.
• My pants were torn.
• A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

天生长有 -s 尾巴的名词，实为单数。

• The news from the front is bad.
• Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

还有些同类，看上去复数，实则指代单数，这还是要从其形式判断。

• My assets were wiped out in the depression.
• The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
• Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

分数名词短语，如： half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of ，有时为单数，有时为复数，要取决于表达的意思。数学运算中的表达，常用到单数动词："More than one student has tried this."

• Some of the voters are still angry.
• A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
• Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
• Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
• Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.
• Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.
• Two and two is four.
• Four times four divided by two is eight.

注意这种现象 --句子里既有肯定也有否定，请遵守肯定方的主谓一致，如：

• The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.
• It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
• It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

最后，当一个动作或句子作主语时，动词要变复数：

• Doing some exercise regularly is necessary for those office employees.
• School leavers should be involved in communities, which is essential for them to develop their responsibility.