Subject-verb Concord of Nouns with Latin Plural Endings in Philippine English

This study investigates the subject-verb (SV) concord of nouns with Latin plural endings in Philippine English. Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of SV agreement, it poses challenges for first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) English learners. Data from the GloWbe and NOW corpora were analyzed to identify the nouns’ SV concord frequency patterns in Philippine, American, and British English. The findings show that the nouns can be categorized into three groups based on agreement patterns. Some, like "agenda," favor a singular interpretation, while others, such as "criteria," are treated as plural. A third group demonstrates ambivalent agreement. These findings emphasize the tension and confusion between the notional and grammatical agreement. By analyzing agreement patterns, this study sheds light on learning complexities and language acquisition and education, and encourages a normative rule evaluation surrounding subject-verb concord. This also highlights the importance of recognizing and understanding usage variations in usage as vital language learning components.