它在句子中作主语时，句子的谓语也只用单数形式。例如：
Water is a liquid .水是液体。
Wealth doesn't mean happiness .富有并不意味幸福。
（二）
上面提到的可数名词和不可数名词并不是一尘不变的。英文中的很多词都是一词多义，名词也不例外，同是一个词在一种情况下是可数名词，而在另一种场合却是不可数名词：
可数名词: a tin 一只锌罐 a relation 亲属 an iron 一把熨斗
a democracy民主国家 a glass 一只玻璃杯 a beauty美人，美的东西
a wood 一片树林 a power大国
不可数名词: tin 锡 relation 关系 Iron 铁 democracy民主 glass 玻璃
beauty 美 Wood 木头 power威力，电力
另外，在很多情况下抽象名词可变成可数名词( A )；而可数名词在一定情况下也可以抽象化，变成不可数名词( B )：
Would you like some coffee ? （不可数） 喝点咖啡好吗？
Let me have a coffee . （可数） 给我一杯咖啡吧。
Translation is an art . （不可数）翻译是一门艺术。
I've made an English translation of the book . （可数）
我已将那本书译成了英文。
He got in difficulty again . （不可数） 他又有困难了。
They met with many difficulties .（可数） 他们遇到很多困难。
我们讨论名词的落脚点在,当名词充当主语时,谓语动词在人称、数等方面必须与其保持一致--即"主谓一致性"的问题。
#不定式、动名词、以及从句作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
Reading often means learning .读书常意味是学习。
To read English aloud every morning does you a lot of good.每天早晨朗读英语有许多好处。
What he said has been recorded .他说的话已被录音了。
## 不定代词one, every, each, everybody, everyone, one of, no one, nothing, nobody, someone, somebody, either, neither, many a 等作主语或是修饰主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
Neither of my sisters likes sports .我的妹妹中没人喜欢运动。
Many a student takes a walk on campus after dinner.许多学生晚饭后常在校园里散步。
Every boy and girl shows great interest in extra-curriculum activities .每个男孩和女孩对课外活动都表现出很大的兴趣。
### 表示国家、机构、事件、作品等名称的专有名词作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
One Thousand And One Nights tells people lots of mysterious bits of folklore .
《一千零一夜》给人们讲了许多神秘的民间传说。
The United States is leading the world in science and technology .
美国常在世界科技方面领先。
The United Nations play an important role in the international affairs .
联合国在国际事务中起着重要作用。
#### a portion, a series of, a kind of, the number of等与名词构成名词短语作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数。例如：
A series of high technology products has been laid out in the exhibition. 一系列高科技产品已在展览上展出。
The number of printing mistakes in some recent books often surprises people even to death.
近来一些书籍里印刷错误的数量让人吃惊得要命。
A substantial portion of the reports is missing .这些报告都没有提及实质问题。
A kind of rose in the garden smells very pleasant.这座花园里有一种玫瑰香气怡人。
##### 由some, several, both, few, many, a number of 等词修饰主语、或是由它们自身作主语时应看作复数，谓语动词用复数。另外，由and连接两个主语时，谓语一般用复数。例如：
On the seashore, some people are playing volleyball and some are lying in the sun. 海边，有些人在打排球，有些人躺着晒太阳。
Both of us are fond of watching football games .我们俩都喜欢看足球赛。
A number of will-be graduates are voluntarily going to work in the West of China. 许多即将毕业的学生打算自愿去中国西部工作。
###### 有些短语，如：a lot of, most of, any of, half of , three fifths of, eighty percent of, some of, none of, the rest of , all of等后接不可数名词、或是单数形式的名词作主语时应看作单数，谓语动词用单数；但如果后接可数名词的复数形式作主语时应看作复数，谓语动词用复数。例如：
A lot of money in the shop was stolen yesterday when the electricity was suddenly cut off. 昨天突然断电时，那家商店丢失了许多钱。
A lot of books about Investment Fund have been published recently.
最近出版了许多关于投资基金的书籍。
意义一致( Notional Concord )
这一原则是指，从意义着眼来解决主谓一致问题。有时主语形式上为单数，但意义上却是复数，那么谓语依意义也用复数形式；而有时主语形式上为复数，但意义上却是单数，那么谓语依意义亦用单数形式。
1） 当主语后面接由as well as, as much as, accompanied by, including, in addition to, more than,no less than, rather than, together with等引导的词组时，其谓语动词的形式要依主语的单复数而定。在这样的句子里，这些词所引导的词组不影响主语自身的单、复数形式，它们在句子里其实是状语。也就是说，我们完全可以将这些词组搬到句首或是放到句末去。从表面上我们也可以看出，它们与主语之间有"，"隔开。例如：
Petroleum, along with fuel gas, has recently risen in price.
最近石油和燃料煤气的价格上涨了。
The teacher, with all his students, is going to have a picnic this weekend.老师打算这个周末与学生们一起去野炊。
The students, together with their teacher , are going to have a picnic this weekend.学生们打算这个周末与他们的老师一起去野炊。
The warehouse, with all its stockings, was burned last night.
昨晚，那个仓库连同其所有的货物一起被烧毁了。
我们完全可以将上面句子中的那些词组都分别搬到句首或是放到句末去，因为它们在句子里是状语：
Petroleum has recently risen in price, along with fuel gas.
Along with fuel gas, petroleum has recently risen in price.
The students are going to have a picnic this weekend together with their teacher.
As well as the suitcase, the missing things have been found and returned to the owner.
The missing things have been found and returned to the owner, as well as the suitcase.
2) 表示时间、金钱、距离、体积、重量、面积、数字等词语作主语时，其意义若是指总量应看作单数，谓语动词用单数；但如果其意义是指"有多少数量"则应该看作是复数，那么谓语动词也应该用复数。例如：
Four weeks are often approximately regarded as one month.
人们常大约地将四个星期看成一个月。
Twenty years stands for a long period in one's life.
二十年在人的一生里意味着一个很长的时期。
Eighty dollars are enough for a student to spend on food for one week.八十块钱给一个学生吃一个月的伙食是足够的了。
3) 形容词前加定冠词即"the + 形容词"作主语时，其意义若是指个人或是抽象概念应看作单数，谓语动词用单数；但如果其意义是指一类人则应该看作是复数，那么谓语动词 也应该用复数。例如：
The young, on the one hand, often think of the old conservative. On the other hand, the old always consider the young inexperience.
一方面，青年人常认为老年人保守；另一方面，老年人总是认为青年人没有经验。
In many stories, the good are well rewarded and the bad are doomed to unfortunate. 在许多故事里，好人总是有好报；坏人注定要倒霉。
4）当and连接两个并列主语在意义上指同一人、同一物、同一事或者同一概念时，应看作 单数，谓语动词用单数。另外，当and 连接两个形容词去修饰一个单数形式的主语时，其实是指两种不同的事物,主语则应该看作是复数， 那么谓语动词也应该用复数。例如：War and peace is a constant theme in history. 战争与和平是一个历史上的永恒的主题。
Chinese and Japanese silk are of good quality.
中国丝绸和日本丝绸质量都很好。
Different people respectively welcome White and black coffee.
加奶的咖啡与清咖啡都分别受到不同人们的喜爱。
5) 集体名词作主语时，谓语动词的数取决于主语的意义：主语表示整体时视为单数，谓语动词用单数；主语表示集体中的个体成员时视为复数，谓语动词用复数。这类集体名词常见的有：army, audience, cattle, class, club, committee, crowd, family, government, group, majority, minority, part, people, police, public, staff, team等等，其中cattle，people，police一般看成复数形式。例如：
The family are all fond of football. 那一家人都喜欢足球。
The family is the tiniest cell of the society. 家庭是社会的最小的细胞。
The public has every reason to be cautious of professional deception.
人民大众完全有理由谨防职业骗局。
The public now come to know the whole story.
人们现在越来越清楚那是怎么回事了。
就近原则( Principle of Proximity )
这一原则是指，谓语动词的人称和数常常与最近作主语的词语保持一致。常出现在这类句子中的连词有：or, either… or …, neither… nor … ,not only… but also …等。例如：
Either I or they are responsible for the result of the matter.
不是我，就是他们要对那件事的结局负责任。
Neither the unkind words nor the unfriendly attitude has caused me any distress.既不是那些不友好的话，也不是那不友好的态度让我沮丧。
Not only he but also all his family are keen on concerts.
不仅仅是他，而且是他全家人都很热衷于音乐会。
Neither his family nor he knows anything about it.
他全家人和他都不知道那件事。
| 问天词典 |
