Subject–Verb Agreement Rules
When a compound subject contains both a singular
Key: subject = yellow, bold; verb = green, underline
Subjects and verbs must agree in number.
1. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular
too.
Example: She writes every day.
2. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.
Example: They write every day.
Sometimes, however, it seems a bit more complicated than
this.
3. When the subject of the sentence is composed of two
or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a
plural verb.
Example: The doctoral student and the committee
members write every day.
Example: The percentage of employees who
called in sick and the number of employees who
left their jobs within 2 years are are reflective of the
level of job satisfaction.
4. When there is one subject and more than one verb,
the verbs throughout the sentence must agree with
the subject.
Example: Interviews are one way to collect data
and allow researchers to gain an in-depth
understanding of participants.
Example: An assumption is something that is
generally accepted as true and is an important
consideration when conducting a doctoral study.
5. When a phrase comes between the subject and the
verb, remember that the verb still agrees with the
subject, not the noun or pronoun in the phrase
following the subject of the sentence.
Example: The student, as well as the committee
members, is excited.
Example: The student with all the Master’s
degrees is very motivated.
Example: Strategies that the teacher uses to
encourage classroom participation include using small
groups and clarifying expectations.
Example: The focus of the interviews was nine
purposively selected participants.
6. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are
connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
Example: The chairperson or the
CEO approves the proposal before proceeding.
7.
and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the
verb should agree with the part of the subject that is
closest to the verb. This is also called the rule of
proximity.
Example: The student or the committee
members write every day.
Example: The committee members or the
student writes every day.
8. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone,
everybody, anyone, anybody, nobody, somebody,
someone, and no one are singular and require a
singular verb.
Example: Each of the participants was willing to be
recorded.
Example: Neither alternative
hypothesis was accepted.
Example: I will offer a $5 gift card
to everybody who participates in the study.
Example: No one was available to meet with me at
the preferred times.
9. Noncount nouns take a singular verb.
Example: Education is the key to success.
Example: Diabetes affects many people around the
world.
Example: The information obtained from the
business owners was relevant to include in the study.
Example: The research I found on the
topic was limited.
10. Some countable nouns in English such as earnings,
goods, odds, surroundings, proceeds,
contents, and valuables only have a plural form and
take a plural verb.
Example: The earnings for this
quarter exceed expectations.
Example: The proceeds from the sale go to support
the homeless population in the city.
Example: Locally produced goods have the
advantage of shorter supply chains.
11. 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 the verb.
Example: There is little administrative support.
Example: There are many factors affecting teacher
retention.
12. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one
person but are considered singular and take a
 singular verb. Some examples are group, team, Verb Tense: Nothing a Little Prozac Wouldn't Cure
committee, family, and class.
Verb Tenses
Example: The group meets every week.
 Introduction
Example: The committee agrees on the quality of  Verb Tense: Nothing a Little Prozac Wouldn't Cure
the writing.
 All Tensed Up: Using Verb Tense Correctly

Like people, verbs show the passage of time by changing form.

However, the plural verb is used if the focus is on the
individuals in the group. This is much less common.
Example: The committee participate in various
volunteer activities in their private lives.
Over the years, some of us get a little thick around the middle
while the rest of us get a bit more blond. The tense of a verb
shows its time. Verbs add a final -ed or -d to the simple form,
use an auxiliary verb, or change their form completely to show
that time flies.

You Could Look It Up

Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles
The tense of a verb shows its time.
The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—
There are six verb tenses in English. Each of the six tenses
are formed from verbs, but are never used alone as action
has two forms: basic and progressive (also known as
words in sentences. Instead, verbals function as nouns,
“perfect”). The following table shows the six forms for the
adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important in phrases.
verb to talk.

The gerund ends in –ing and functions as a noun. I'm All Shook Up: Examples of the Six Verb Tenses

Tense Basic Form Progressive Form

Jumping is fun.
Present talk am talking
He liked skiing.
Past talked was talking
He had a unique way of whistling.
Future will talk will be talking
The infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. Usually it
functions as a noun, although it can also function as an Present perfecthave talked have been talking
adjective or adverb.
Past perfect had talked had been talking
To jump is fun. (noun; subject of the verb is)
Future perfect will have talkedwill have been talking
I like to ski. (noun; direct object of the verb like)

I Feel Your Pain: Principal Parts of Verbs

She had a suggestion to offer. (adjective
modifying suggestion) As the preceding table indicates, you form verb tense from
principal parts and helping verbs. Every English verb has four
He called to warn her. (adverb modifying the main parts, as the following table shows.
verb called)
Principal Verb Parts
A participle is a verb that ends in -ing (present participle) or -
PresentPresent ParticiplePast Past Participle
ed, -d, -t, -en, -n (past participle). Participles may function as
adjectives, describing or modifying nouns.
talk talking talked talked
The dancing parrots entertained the crowd. play playing playedplayed

The wrecked sailboat washed up on shore.

But participles have another function. When used with helping
verbs such as to be and to have, they are action verbs and
form several verb tenses.
She is thinking of the children.
The conference room had been cleaned before they
arrived.
Strictly Speaking
The simple form of the verb is also called the base form. The
simple form shows action, occurrence, or state of being that is
taking place right here and now (I pout). The simple form is
also the base for the future form (that is, I will pout, they will
pout).
  The present is used to form the present tense (I talk) bend bent bent
and the future (I will talk). Notice that you have to use
the helping verb will to show the future tense. bite bit bitten
 The present participle forms all six of the progressive
forms (I am talking, I was talking, and so on). blow blew blown
 The past forms only one tense—you guessed it, the
past (I talked). break broke broken
 The past participle forms the last three tenses: the
present perfect (I have talked), the past perfect (I had bring brought brought
talked), and the future perfect (I will have talked). To
form the past participle, start with a helping verb such burst burst burst
as is, are, was, or has been. Then add the principal
part of the verb. catch caught caught

A Class Act: Forming Past Tenses choose chose chosen

English verbs are traditionally divided into two classes, come came come
according to the ways they form their past tense and past
participles. creep crept crept

dig dug dug

You Could Look It Up
Regular verbs form the past tense and past participle by dive dived or dove dived
adding -d, -ed, or -t to the present form. They don't change
do did done
their vowel. Irregular verbs don't form the past by adding -
ed or -d. They form the past tense in many other ways.
draw drew drawn

Take My Word for It drink drank drunk

Over time, we have come to accept regular verbs as the
“normal” ones, so now we usually just add -ed or -d to new drive drove driven
verbs, as in televise, televised.
eat ate eaten

1. Some verbs are regular. This means they form the fall fell fallen
past tense and past participle by adding -d, -ed, or -
t to the present form but don't change their vowel, as fight fought fought
in walk, walked, walked.
2. Irregular verbs don't form the past by adding -ed or -d.
fly flew flown
The principal parts of irregular verbs are formed in
many different ways. This could be why they need
bran. forget forgot forgotten
o Sometimes, irregular verbs change tense
without changing their endings. Instead, they forgive forgave forgiven
usually travel in time by changing a vowel
and adding -n or -en, as in begin, began, freeze froze frozen
begun.
o Other times, they change their vowel and get got gotten or got
add -d or -t, as in lose, lost, lost.
o Or they may not change at all, such as set, give gave given
set, set, and put, put, put.
go went gone
The following chart shows the most common irregular verbs.
grow grew grown
Present TensePast Tense Past Participle
hang hung hung
arise arose arisen
hang (execute) hanged hanged
bear bore born or borne
hide hid hidden
beat beat beaten
hold held held
become became become
hurt hurt hurt
begin began begun
kneel knelt knelt Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

know knew known

Danger, Will Robinson
lay laid laid
The verb to be is the most irregular verb in English. Beware of
this quick-change artist. Its principal parts are: be, being, was,
lead led led
were, been, am, are, is.
lie (horizontal) lay lain
You Could Look It Up
lie (falsehood) lied lied When you conjugate a verb, you list the singular and plural
forms of the verb in a specific tense.
lose lost lost

prove proved proved or proven Quoth the Maven

Something must be laid, nothing can be lied.
ride rode ridden
You can argue whether men are from Mars and women are
ring rang rung from Venus, but everyone agrees that lie and lay are definitely
from another planet. These two verbs may be the most
rise rose risen commonly confused pair of words in English. Here's the
problem: They're just plain evil.
run ran run Seriously, lie is an irregular verb that conjugates lie, lay, lain.
Lay, in contrast, is a regular verb that conjugates lay, laid, laid.
say said said Because lay is both the present tense of to lay and the past
tense of lie, many speakers and writers use lay when they
see saw seen mean lie.

shake shook shaken To add to the confusion, lie and lay have different
meanings. Lie means “to repose”; lay means “to put.” It's
enough to make you learn Esperanto.
show showed showed or shown
Try these hints to sort out lie/lay:
shrink shrank shrunk
 Lie means “to repose”; lay means “to put.”
sing sang sung
 Lie is an intransitive verb. That means that it never
sink sank sunk takes a direct object. For example: “If you are tired,
you should lie down.”
speak spoke spoken  Lay is a transitive verb. That means that lay always
takes a direct object. For example: “Lay the book on
the table, please.”
spring sprang sprung

steal stole stolen Study the following table to further clarify lie and lay. Or have it
tattooed in your palm for ready reference.
strive strove striven The Various Forms of Lie and Lay

swear swore sworn VerbMeaning Examples

swim swam swum lie to repose flatPresent tense: Fido lies down.

take took taken Past tense: Fido lay down.

teach taught taught Future tense: Fido will lie down.

tear tore torn Perfect tense: Fido has lain down.

throw threw thrown lay to put down Present tense: Lay your cards down.

wake woke or wakedwoken or waked Past tense: He laid the cards down.

wear wore worn Future tense: He will lay his cards down.

write wrote written Perfect tense: He has laid his cards down.