Subject-Verb Agreement (Comprehensive

Understanding)

Usage - Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in number (singular
or plural). Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is
plural, its verb must also be plural.

In present tenses, nouns and verbs form plurals in opposite ways:

nouns ADD an s to the singular form,

BUT

verbs REMOVE an s from the singular form.

Here are nine subject-verb agreement rules.

1. A phrase or clause between subject and verb does not change the number of the
subject.

Examples:
2. Indefinite pronouns as subjects

 Singular indefinite pronoun subjects take singular verbs.

 Plural indefinite pronoun subjects take plural verbs.

PLURAL: several, few, both, many

  Some indefinite pronouns may be either singular or plural:
with uncountable, use singular; with countable, use plural.

EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL: some, any, none, all, most

Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular verb.

Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural verb.

3. Compound subjects joined by and are always plural.

4. With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer
to it.
 In the above example, the plural verb are agrees with the nearer
subject actors.

In this example, the singular verb is agrees with the nearer

subject director.

5. Inverted Subjects must agree with the verb.

6. Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural,
depending on meaning.
 In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the verb is singular.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
verb is plural.

7. Titles of single entities (books, organizations, countries, etc.) are always singular.

8. Plural form subjects

 Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular verb. (e.g. news,
measles, mumps, physics, etc.)

 Plural form subjects with singular or plural meaning take a singular or plural
verb, depending on meaning. (e.g. politics, economics, etc.)
 In this example, politics is a single topic; therefore, the sentence has a singular verb.

In this example, politics refers to the many aspects of the situation; therefore, the
sentence has a plural verb.

 Plural form subjects with a plural meaning take a plural

verb. (e.g. scissors, trousers)

Note: In this example, the subject of the sentence is pair; therefore, the verb
must agree with it. (Because scissors is the object of the preposition, scissorsdoes not
affect the number of the verb.)

9. With subject and subjective complement of different number, the verb always
agrees with the subject.
10-A. With one of those ________ who, use a plural verb.

The above example implies that others besides Hannah like to read comic
books. Therefore, the plural verb is the correct form to use.

10-B. With the only one of those ________who, use a singular verb.

The above example implies that no one else except for Hannah likes to read comic
books. Therefore, the singular verb is the correct for to use.

11-A. With the number of _______, use a singular verb.

11-B. With a number of _______, use a plural verb.

12. With every ______ and many a ________, use a singular verb.
 NOTE
We will use the standard of underlining subjects once and verbs twice.
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of subject-verb
agreement.
Basic Rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines),
whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Example: The list of items is/are on the desk.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.
Rule 1. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for
understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb
mistakes.

Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake
in the following sentence:
Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)
Rule 2. Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a
singular verb.
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or
pronoun closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if I is one of two (or more)
subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence:
Awkward: Neither she, my friends, nor I am going to the festival.
If possible, it's best to reword such grammatically correct but awkward sentences.
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.
Rule 4. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are
connected by and.
Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast are compound
nouns.
Rule 5. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with,
as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject.
Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
Rule 6. With words that indicate portions—a lot, a majority, some, all, etc.—Rule 1
given earlier is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is
singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.