Subject Verb Agreement - Somebody
Please help me understand if I could say the following sentence in two ways: 1. Somebody boards the plane. Which I know is correct. However, what if I'm commanding people in the crowd. 2. Somebody board the plane. Would I be able to say it either way and have them both be grammatically correct? What is the difference in sentence structure? How can I explain pairing "board" with "somebody?" Or is that just not right? Would I need to say, "One of you, board the plane."? I'm guessing this is just a common mistake. Such as, "Someone tell me the difference between ___ and ___." When addressing a room full of people.
Top answer
In most cases the subject of an imperative (a command) is 'you', and it is not stated. ( Close the door! ) However, if you want an imperative with a subject other than 'you', you must state it explicitly.
- In most cases the subject of an imperative (a command) is 'you', and it is not stated.
- ( Close the door!
- ) However, if you want an imperative with a subject other than 'you', you must state it explicitly.
- There are only a few possibilities for an explicit subject of an imperative.
- As you mention, 'someone' and 'one of you' are possible.
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In most cases the subject of an imperative (a command) is 'you', and it is not stated. (Close the door!) However, if you want an imperative with a subject other than 'you', you must state it explicitly.
There are only a few possibilities for an explicit subject of an imperative. As you mention, 'someone' and 'one of you' are possible. You can also have 'nobody': Nobody move
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