In English, ‘everyone’ is often a source of confusion when it comes to verb conjugation. A common question is why we use a third-person singular verb, like ‘has’, even though ‘everyone’ refers to a group. In this article, we’ll explore the grammar rule behind this usage and provide some helpful tips for understanding when to use third-person singular verbs with collective terms like ‘everyone’.
1. Understanding ‘Everyone’ in English Grammar
The word ‘everyone’ is an indefinite pronoun, referring to all the people in a group or collective set. Although it refers to multiple people, ‘everyone’ is treated as a singular entity in grammar. This is why it is always followed by a singular verb form. In this case, ‘everyone in the class’ is considered as one unit, and the verb must agree with the singular subject.
Therefore, even though ‘everyone’ refers to multiple individuals, it behaves grammatically as a singular noun. For example, we say ‘Everyone is here’ or ‘Everyone needs to listen.’ The verb must align with the singular nature of the subject, which is why ‘has’ is used instead of ‘have’.
2. Why ‘Has’ Instead of ‘Have’?
In English, the verb ‘to have’ is conjugated as ‘have’ for plural subjects (e.g., ‘they have’, ‘we have’), and as ‘has’ for singular subjects (e.g., ‘he has’, ‘she has’). Since ‘everyone’ is considered singular, we use ‘has’ instead of ‘have’.
In the sentence ‘Everyone in the class has to give a speech’, the subject ‘everyone’ is treated as a singular entity, so the verb ‘has’ is the correct form. The sentence means that each individual person in the group is expected to give a speech, but grammatically, the subject is still singular.
3. Other Examples of Collective Pronouns with Singular Verbs
Similar to ‘everyone’, other collective pronouns in English also use singular verbs. For instance:
- ‘Someone is knocking at the door.’
- ‘Anybody can do this task.’
- ‘Nobody has called yet.’
In each of these examples, the subject refers to a person or group of people in a general sense, but the verb remains singular.
4. Summary: Key Takeaways
To sum up, ‘everyone’ is grammatically treated as a singular subject, even though it refers to multiple people. This is why we use a singular verb like ‘has’ in sentences such as ‘Everyone in the class has to give a speech.’ It’s important to remember that collective pronouns like ‘everyone’, ‘someone’, and ‘anyone’ always take singular verbs in English grammar.
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