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Subject Verb Agreement
What is subject verb agreement?
Subject Verb Agreement
20 Rules About Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject Verb Agreement
What is subject-verb agreement?
When I write a sentence, how can I make sure the subject agrees with the verb?
Since the verb is usually right next to the subject, why would anyone make a subject-verb agreement error?
Verb Tense and Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject and Verb Agreement
Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.

Verbs change depending on the subject you are writing about. The subject verb agreement occurs when the subject and verb endings agree in number and person. The subject of every sentence is either singular or plural and that determines the ending of the verb.

If you want to write proper English, you have to follow a rule called “subject-verb agreement.” That means that if the subject is plural (ducks), then the verb needs to be plural (quack). If the subject is singular (duck) then the verb needs to be singular (quacks).

Notice that English verbs, unlike nouns, usually don’t become plural by adding s. In fact, many singular, present-tense verbs end with s, while many plural verbs don’t – exactly the opposite of nouns.

More than anything else, sentences that begin with several nouns tend to fool people. Here are some rules to guide you into what you should do with them:

1. Two singular subjects connected with and are plural, and need a plural verb. For example, which is correct: “My mother and my father are visiting me” or “My mother and my father is visiting me?” After all, it’s correct to say “My father is visiting me.” But two parents together are plural, not singular, so you need to use are. Of course, a plural subject combined with a singular subject is still plural, and you would use a plural verb. For example, this is correct: “The general and his advisers are responsible for the decision.” To make it less confusing, we put the plural subject last, closest to the verb.

2. Two singular subjects connected with the conjunctions or or nor need a singular verb. For example, “My mother or my father is going to call me today” is correct, because only one of them will be calling. It works the same way with and…or and neither…nor: “Neither my mother nor my father is going to call me today.” If one of the subjects is plural, use a plural verb: “The general or his advisers are responsible for the decision.” Again, we put the plural subject last, closest to the verb.

3. Don’t get distracted if there’s another phrase between the subject and the verb. For example, you should say “My sister, along with her children, is visiting me next month;” even though you would say “My sister and her daughters are visiting me next month.” The verb needs to agree with the subject, not with other nouns that happen to precede the verb.

4. Words such as either, neither, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, none or each, are singular and need a singular verb. As we just said, don’t be fooled if a singular subject is followed by plural nouns. For example, when you write “each of my daughters,” make sure the verb agrees with the singular subject each instead of the plural noun daughters. And the singular subject “everyone who knows my daughters” should be followed by the singular predicate “is impressed by them,” not “are impressed by them.”

5. On the other hand, fractions or portions of a plural noun are still plural. Often these are expressed with prepositional phrases: “most of the students” or “half of the campus.” Use a singular verb if the object of the preposition is singular, but a plural verb if it’s plural. For example, write “Some of the students are wealthy,” and “Half of the campus is covered with trees.”

6. Time and __________ are singular. Yes, five is plural, and the word yards is plural, but you would write “Five yards is all I need to finish my sewing project.”

This handout gives you several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree.

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

She and her friends are at the fair.

2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.

The book or the pen is in the drawer.

3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.

The boy or his friends run every day.
His friends or the boy runs every day.

4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.

He doesn't like it.
They don't like it.

5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.

One of the boxes is open
The people who listen to that music are few.
The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.

6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.

Each of these hot dogs is juicy.
Everybody knows Mr. Jones.
Either is correct.

7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.

The news is on at six.

Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.

Five dollars is a lot of money.
Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

These scissors are dull.
Those trousers are made of wool.

9. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

There are many questions.
There is a question.

10. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.

The team runs during practice.
The committee decides how to proceed.
The family has a long history.
My family has never been able to agree.

In some cases, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun.

The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member. The Gregg Reference Manual provides excellent explanations of subject-verb agreement (section 10: 1001).

11. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.

What Is a Compound Subject?

The subject of a sentence is generally defined as the noun or pronoun engaging in the activity of the verb. For example, study the following sentences:

* Beth reads very slowly.
* She reads very slowly.

In the first sentence, “Beth” is the subject. In the second sentence, “She” is the subject. In both sentences, the subject is engaged in the activity of reading.

When a sentence has two or more subjects, that’s called a “compound subject.” The individual subjects in a compound subject are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, or, neither/nor). When the subjects are joined by “and,” the verb agrees with the pronoun “they.”

* Joanie and Chachi love each other. (NOT Joanie and Chachi loves each other.)

When the subjects are joined by “or” or “neither/nor,” the verb agrees with the subject that is closest to the verb.

* The piano or the book case has to go.
* The piano or the tables have to go.
* Neither the pillows nor the curtains match the couch.
* Neither the pillows nor the blanket looks good in this room.

What Is a Compound Verb?

A compound verb, or compound predicate, is used when the subject does more than one thing. You could write separate sentences for each verb, but if the subject is the same, that’s just not necessary. For example:

* John paints beautifully. + John sells his work from time to time. = John paints beautifully and sells his work from time to time.

Compound verbs, like compound subjects, are also combined with a coordinating conjunction. The above example used “and,” but you can also use other conjunctions.

* Mike either lies all the time or has the most extraordinary life I’ve ever seen.
* Alice neither likes the water nor has any plans to get in it.

The following 15 sentences use compound subjects:

1. Potato chips and cupcakes are bad for you.
2. Uncle Jim, Aunt Sue and my cousin Jake went to Jamaica on vacation.
3. Beth and Kendra read very slowly.
4. The boots by the door and the flip-flops in the living room need to be put away.
5. Neither the boots by the door nor the flip-flops in the living room will be here any more if you don’t put them away.
6. Neither a tall man nor a short man lives in that house.
7. Neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor hail can stop the US Postal Service from delivering the mail.
8. Neither the rugs downstairs nor the carpet upstairs has been vacuumed.
9. Either you or your brother is going to be punished.
10. Either the chicken or the beef in the freezer needs to be thawed for dinner tonight.
11. Either the matches or the candles caused the fire.
12. Either a rat or the gerbil keeps chewing up all my socks!
13. Everything on the bed and everything in the closet was organized in under an hour.
14. Nobody in the bank and nobody in the store saw the accident.
15. Anyone soccer team and anybody on the basketball team is eligible for the scholarship.

The following 15 sentences use compound verbs:

1. The “victim” sprayed her assailant with pepper spray, punched him in the nose, kicked him in the groin, and ripped out his nipple ring.
2. Last night, we drank a bottle of wine and watched a movie.
3. Every Sunday, Sherri goes to the store and buys food for the week.
4. My cats lie around all day and run around all night.
5. Her husband fixes things that break around the house, irons better than she does, and bakes the best apple crisp you’ve ever tasted.
6. I either get a lot done during the day or do nothing at all.
7. The weekend either flies by or drags on forever, depending on what you’re doing.
8. The rain here either mists or drenches.
9. Someone either hit my car with a shopping basket or backed into it as they were leaving.
10. Stay or go; I don’t care which.
11. He neither wants nor needs to take a vacation.
12. They neither have the money nor want to give it to him.
13. Carol neither likes nor dislikes the wall color.
14. She neither eats nor drinks nor sleeps nor talks to anyone since he left.
15. We have neither seen each other nor spoken since our first date.
Subject and Verb Agreement

The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural. Problems occur in the present tense because one must add an -s or -es at the end of the verb when the subjects or the entity performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or words for which these pronouns could substitute.

Notice the difference between singular and plural forms in the following examples:

Singular
Plural
The student sings. (He or she sings) Your children sing. (They sing)
The bird does migrate. (It does) Those birds do migrate. (They do)

In order to find out if your subject and verb agree, you need to be able to identify the subject of your sentence. Here are some helpful hints that will help you to decipher where your subject is and where it is not.

Where is my subject?

  • When the subject follows the verb
  • When the expletive "it" is the subject
  • When words like "each" are the subject
  • When words like "none" are the subject
  • When the subjects are joined by "and"
  • When singular subjects are joined by words like "or"
  • When one subject is singular and one plural
  • When a linking verb is used
  • When a collective noun is used
  • When a relative pronoun is used as a subject of an adjective clause

    When to check for subject-verb agreement

    Watch subject-verb agreement: Reason Examples

    When the subject follows the verb

    When the subject follows the verb (especially in sentences beginning with the expletives "there is" or "there are"), special care is needed to determine the subject and to make certain that the verb agrees with it.

    On the wall were several posters.

    There are many possible candidates.

    There is only one good candidate.

    When the expletive "it" is the subject

    The expletive "it" is always followed by a singular verb.

    It is my car which stalls.

    It is their cars which stall.

    When words like "each" are the subject

    When used as subjects, words such as

    • each, either, neither
    • another
    • anyone, anybody, anything
    • someone, somebody, something
    • one, everyone
    • everybody, everything
    • no one, nobody, nothing

    take singular verbs.

    Do not be confused by prepositional phrases which come between a subject and its verb. They do not change the number of the subject.

    Each takes her turn at rowing.

    Neither likes the friends of the other.

    Everyone in the fraternity has his own set of prejudices.

    Each of the rowers takes her turn at rowing.

    Every one of the fraternity members has his own set of prejudices.

    top

    When words like "none" are the subject

    Other words such as

    • none, any, all
    • more, most, some

    may take either singular or plural verbs, depending on the context.

    Some of the dollar was spent.

    Some of the dollars were spent.

    [Note: here the prepositional phrase does affect the subject. It tells you whether you are talking about a part of one thing (singular) or about a number of things (plural).]

    When the subjects are joined by "and"

    Subjects joined by "and" take plural verbs.

    Be aware: phrases such as "in addition to," "as well as," and "along with" do not mean the same thing as "and." When inserted between the subject and the verb, these phrases do not change the number of the subject.

    Both Tom and Jane have English 167 papers due on Tuesday.

    Tom, as well as Jane, has an English 207 paper due Tuesday.

    When singular subjects are joined by words like "or"

    Singular subjects joined by "or," "nor," "either . . . or," or "neither. . . nor" take a singular verb.

    Either the man or his wife knows the truth of the matter.

    Neither money nor power was important any longer.
    When one subject is singular and one plural If one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

    Neither the television nor the radios work.

    Neither the radios nor the television works.

    top

    When a linking verb is used

    A linking verb ("is," "are," "was," "were," "seem" and others) agrees with its subject, not its complement.

    Joe's favorite dessert is blueberry muffins.

    Blueberry muffins are Joe's favorite dessert.

    When a collective noun is used

    When regarded as a unit, collective nouns, as well as noun phrases denoting quantity, take singular verbs.

    The whole family is active.

    (Family is a collective noun regarded as a unit.)

    The family have met their various obligations.

    (The individuals of the family are regarded separately.)

    A thousand bushels is a good yield.

    (a quantity or unit)

    A thousand bushels were crated.

    (individual bushels)

    top

    When a relative pronoun is used as a subject of an adjective clause

    A relative pronoun ("who," "which," or "that") used as a subject of an adjective clause takes either a singular or plural verb in order to agree with its antecedent.

    A vegetable that contains DDT can be harmful.

    (Adjective clause modifying the singular noun "vegetable.")

    Vegetables that contain DDT can be harmful.

    (Adjective clause modifying the plural noun "vegetables.")

    Mary is one of the students who have done honor to the college.

    (Adjective clause modifies the plural noun "students." "Students" is the antecedent of "who."

    In the above sentence Mary is just one of the students. So at least two students have done honor to the college.

    Compare that to:

    Mary is the only one of our students who has achieved national recognition.

    In this case, "one," not "students," is the antecedent of "who."

    Compare to the sentence above:

    Of all our students, ____ is the only one who has achieved __________ recognition.
    Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.

    1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
    2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
    3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
    4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
    5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
    6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
    7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
    8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
    9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
    10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
    11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
    12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
    13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
    14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
    15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
    16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
    17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
    18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
    19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
    20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
    21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
    22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
    23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

    Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.

    1. Annie and her brothers are at school.
    2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.
    3. The dog or the cats are outside.
    4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.
    5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.
    6. Benito doesn't know the answer.
    7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.
    8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.
    9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.
    10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.
    11. Either answer is acceptable.
    12. Every one of those books is fiction.
    13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
    14. Is the news on at five or six?
    15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite subject.
    16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
    17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?
    18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.
    19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!
    20. The committee debates these questions carefully.
    21. The committee lead very different lives in private.
    22. The __________, together with his __________, greets the press cordially.
    23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.

    Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

    Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Graphics for this handout were produced by Michelle Hansard. 1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.
    She and her friends are at the fair.
    Subject:She
    her friends
    Verb:are

    2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
    The book or the pen is in the drawer.
    Subject:The book
    the pen
    Verb:is

    3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. The boy or his friends run every day.
    Subject:The boy
    his friends
    Verb:run
    His friends or the boy runs every day.
    Subject:His friends
    the boy
    Verb:runs

    4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.
    He doesn't like it.
    Subject:He
    Verb:doesn't
    They don't like it.
    Subject:They
    Verb:don't

    5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.
    One of the boxes is open.
    Subject:One
    Verb:is
    The people who listen to that music are few.
    Subject:The people
    Verb:are
    The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
    Subject:The team captain
    Verb:is
    The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
    Subject:The book
    Verb:is
    The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.
    Subject:The woman
    Verb:walks

    6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
    Each of these hot dogs is juicy.
    Everybody knows Mr. Jones.
    Subject:Everybody
    Verb:knows
    Either is correct.
    Subject:Either
    Verb:is

    7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.
    The news is on at six.
    Subject:The news
    Verb:is
    Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.

    _____ _____ is a lot of ______.
    Subject:_____ _____
    Verb:is
    Dollars are often used instead of __________ in ______.
    Subject:_________
    Verb:are

    8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

    These scissors are dull.
    Subject:These scissors
    Verb:are
    Those trousers are made of wool.
    Subject:Those trousers
    Verb:are

    9. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.
    There are many questions.
    Subject:are
    Verb:many questions
    There is a question.
    Subject:is
    Verb:a question

    10. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.

    In very few cases, the plural verb is used if the individuals in the group are thought of and specifically referred to.
    The team runs during practice.
    Subject:The team
    Verb:runs
    The committee decides how to proceed.
    Subject:The committee
    Verb:decides
    The family has a long history.
    Subject:The family
    Verb:has
    My family have never been able to agree.
    Subject:My family
    Verb:have

    11. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.

    The President, accompanied by his ________, is travelling to ________.
    Subject:The President
    Verb:is
    All of the books, including yours, are in that box.
    Subject:All of the books
    Verb:are


    http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm

    http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp

    http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_plural-singular.htm

    http://www.dailywritingtips.com/six-rules-for-making-subjects-and-verbs-agree/

    http://www.infoplease.com/cig/grammar-style/sentence-agreement.html

    http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/

    http://www.towson.edu/ows/moduleSVAGR.htm

    http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/SubjectVerb.html

    http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000026.htm

    http://www.helpingwithverbs.com/lessons/SubjectAgreement.htm

    http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/SubjectVerb.html