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.

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Rule 6. With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, 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.
Example:
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Fifty percent 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.

NOTE
In recent years, the SAT testing service has considered none to be strictly singular. However,
according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "Clearly none has been both
singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of
unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a
singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are
acceptable beyond serious criticism." When none is clearly intended to mean "not one," it is
followed by a singular verb.
Rule 7. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.

NOTE:
The word there's, a contraction of there is, leads to bad habits in informal sentences likeThere's
a lot of people here today, because it's easier to say "there's" than "there are." Take care never
to use there's with a plural subject.

Rule 8. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when
considered as a unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Rule 9. Some collective nouns, such as family, couple, staff, audience, etc., may take either a
singular or a plural verb, depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit.
The couple disagree about disciplining their child.
The couple refers to two people who are acting as individuals.

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 NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a collective noun must take care to be accurate—and also
consistent. It must not be done carelessly. The following is the sort of flawed sentence one sees
and hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how they want to vote.
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular is and the plural they to staffin
the same sentence.
Consistent: The staff are deciding how they want to vote.
Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. The preceding sentence would
read even better as:
The staff members are deciding how they want to vote.

Rule 10. The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:
Example: If Joe were here, you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be followed by was, not were, given that Joe is singular? But Joe isn't actually
here, so we say were, not was. The sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood, which is
used to express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory. The
subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
In the first example, a wishful statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore, were, which
we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular subject I.

Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request
is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.

Note: The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in
formal speech and writing.

Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need
plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.

See the section on Plurals for additional help with subject-verb agreement.

The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are

always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.

 Everyone has done his or her homework.

 Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on
what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful
choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.

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  Some of the beads are missing.
 Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or
plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless
something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think
of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines
are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaningnot one, we
want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")

 None of you claims responsibility for this incident?

 None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
 None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the
word their precludes the use of the singular verb.

Some indefinite pronouns are particularly

troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like
more than one person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural
verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a
prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the
verb choice. Each,too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.

Everyone has finished his or her homework.

You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and
nothing will change that.

Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.

Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always
singular — Each is responsible.

Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same
as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the
earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as
the word and would do).

 The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.

 The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

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 The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even
though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.

 Neither of the two traffic lights is working.

 Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these
pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly
true of interrogative constructions: "Haveeither of you two clowns read the
assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash
between notional and actual agreement."*

The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used
the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether
the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't matter; the proximity
determines the number.

 Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.

 Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
 Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
 Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house"
sounds peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb
whenever that is possible.

The words there and here are never subjects.

 There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.

 There is no reason for this.
 Here are two apples.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb
but still determines the number of the verb.

Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and
anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not
add s-endings.

He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .

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 Sometimes modifiers will get betwen a subject and its verb, but these
modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.

The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on
four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several
political lives, is finally going to jail.

Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're
plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on
the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section onCollective Nouns for
additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are
regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair
of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).

 My glasses were on the bed.

 My pants were torn.
 A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and
require singular verbs.

 The news from the front is bad.

 Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless
plural and require a plural verb.

 My assets were wiped out in the depression.

 The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
 Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami
Heat have been looking … , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent … . See
the section on plurals for help with this problem.

Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority
of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning.
(The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as
subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as
singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough)
takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."

 Some of the voters are still angry.

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  A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
 Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
 Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
 Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.
 Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.
 Two and two is four.
 Four times four divided by two is eight.

If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is

plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

 The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on
Valentine's Day.
 It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
 It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

What Are the Rules?

1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone
rule that forms the background of the concept.

 The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they
are angry.

2. Don’t get confused by the words that come between the subject and
verb; they do not affect agreement.

 The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.

3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not

affect agreement.

 The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.

4. When sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always
be placed after the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it
correctly.

 There is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the

papers you requested.

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5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure
you accurately identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb
form to use.

 Does Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces of this
puzzle.

6. If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb
form.

 The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.

7. The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to

the same person or thing.

 Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.

8. If one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject,

the verb is singular.

 No smoking or drinking is allowed. Every man and woman

is required to check in.

9. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or,
nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.

 Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.

10. The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the
decision of plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun
subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a
prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the
preposition determines the form of the verb.

 All of the chicken is gone. All of the chickens are gone.

11. The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or
time.

 Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running.

8
12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or,
nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.

 Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.

13. If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are
connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, andnot only/but
also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb.

 Either the bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo. Neither
the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.

14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs. *

 Everybody wants to be loved.

15. * Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some)
that always take the plural form.

 Few were left alive after the flood.

16. If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of
the verb.

 To walk and to chew gum require great skill.

17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they take
the singular verb form of the verb; but, when they are linked by and,
they take the plural form.

 Standing in the water was a bad idea. Swimming in the ocean

and playing drums are my hobbies.

18. Collective nouns like herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a
singular verb form.

 The herd is stampeding.

19. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and
take a singular verb.

 The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.

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20. Final Rule – Remember, only the subject affects the verb!

 For more examples, check out Examples of Subject Verb

Agreement.

Challenges of Grammar Rules

 The problem with some grammar rules from the perspective of
modern linguistics is that there is not one absolute grammar in
the English language. Most American native English speakers
equate standard English with being correct and any non-standard
variation of English with being incorrect.

 In reality, however, the concept of standard American English is

really the privileging of a particular dialect of English that
originates from the Ohio River Valley. This is the dialect of
English that the anchors of the nightly news speak and that we
base our notions of correct and incorrect grammar on. It is
important to recognize that no grammar is any more correct or
incorrect than any other on a functional level, and our notions
of correct and incorrect are culturally constructed.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

The subject and the verb must agree in number: both must be
singular or both must be plural. Students have problems with
subject verb agreement when the verb is a form of be or have, or
when the verb is in present tense.
Rules for subject verb agreement
1. When words like the following are used as subjects, they take singular verb.

10
 Everybody Anybody Somebody Nobody Each

Everyone Anyone Someone No one Either

Everything Anything Something Nothing Neither

Everybody knows the answer.

Nobody speaks German here.
Somebody was in the room.
2. When every and each come before a singular subject joined by and, the verb
is singular.

Every man and woman has the right to vote.

Each student and teacher was aware of the difficulty.
3. Prepositional phrases that come between the subject and the verb do not
change the number of the subject.

The teacher as well as the students was working on the

problem.
The mother together with her children is waiting.
Some examples of prepositional phrases that function like that
are:
As well as
In addition to
Together with
Along with
Except

4. When the verb comes before the subject as in there or here sentences, it
agrees with the subject that immediately follows the verb.

11
 There is a tree in the garden.
There are many trees in the garden.
There is a pine tree and some oaks in the garden.

There goes the cat.

There seems to be a relationship.
There arise problems.
There arises a problem.

5. “Introductory it” is always singular.

It is my sister who works in the hospital.

It is my cats which cause the trouble.

6. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb (except for number 2).

My sister and brother live in Berlin.

Both the teacher and the student were surprised.
7. Several, many, both, few are plural words and take a plural verb.

Both are happy with the grades they got.

Many were lost on the way.
Few have done their homework.
8. Some nouns are always plural and always take a plural verb.

 Trousers, pants, slacks, shorts, briefs, jeans

 Glasses, sunglasses
 Scissors, pliers, tweezers

My jeans are old.

This year shorts are in fashion.

12
 Where are my scissors?

9. Some words such as none, any, all, more, most, some, majority, half may
take either singular or plural verbs depending on the meaning.

All the money has been spent.

All of the students know the answer.

10. When subjects are joined by words such as neither, either, not only the verb
must agree with the closer subject.

Either the man or his wife knows the answer.

Either the man or his friends know the answer.
Either the children or the man knows the answer.

11. Collective nouns are usually singular when regarded as a unit.

My family lives in Ankara.

Our team has won every game this year.
Sometimes when the members are seen as functioning
independently, these collective nouns may be plural.
My family have a lot of money. (members of my family)
Our team are working hard to win every game they play.
(team members)
 Some collective nouns in this group are:
Family, team, crew, class, government, committee
12. Some nouns have the same singular and plural form. They take singular or
plural verb depending on the meaning.

This species of monkeys lives only in India.

There are many species of monkeys.

13
  Some nouns in this group are:
Species, series, deer, fish, sheep
13. Expressions stating amount of time, money, weight, volume are plural in
form but take a singular verb as in:

Three weeks is a long time.

Two hundred dollars is a lot of money.
14. Some nouns look plural with –s but they take a singular verb.

Sciences Abstract nouns Diseases

Physics News Measles

Mathematics Politics Mumps

Statistics Ethics

Economics

Maths is found difficult by many students.

Statistics requires complicated methods.
15. Generic references with the require plural verb.

The rich are not always happy.

The young like to listen to loud music.
The old hate loud music.
The English are distant and the French are humorous.
16. Note the use of foreign plurals.

Singular Plural

Analysis Analyses

14
 Thesis Theses

Crisis Crises

Basis Bases

Parenthesis Parentheses

Curriculum Curricula

Memorandum Memoranda

Datum Data

Bacterium Bacteria

Medium Media

Criterion Criteria

Phenomenon Phenomena

Stimulus Stimuli

Radius Radii

Syllabus Syllabi

17. Don’t forget that some common English words have irregular plurals.

Plural Singular

Child Children

Person People

18. A relative pronoun takes a singular or plural verb depending on which noun it
modifies.

15
 Lisa is one of the students who have passed with an A. (Many
students passed with an A, Lisa is one of them.)
Lisa is the only one of my students who has passed with an
A. (Only Lisa passed with an A.)
Some of the rules for subject verb agreement in this paper
have been adapted from “Building Skills for the TOEFL” by C.
King and N. Stanley, Nelson, 1989
Written by Zeliha Gulcat, July 2004

Is, or are? Go, or goes? Whether a verb is singular or plural depends on any one of a
complicated set of factors. Here is a roster of rules for subject-verb agreement (or “Here are
some rules . . .”):

1. Use verbs that agree with a subject, not with a noun that is part of a modifying
phrase or clause between verb and subject:
“The pot of eggs is boiling on the stove.”

2. Use singular or plural verbs that agree with the subject, not with the
complement of the subject:
“My favorite type of movie is comedies,” but “Comedies are my favorite type of movie.”

3. Use singular verbs with singular indefinite pronouns — each, the “-bodies,” “-
ones,” and “-things” (anybody, everyone, nothing), and the like:
“Neither is correct.” (And, just as in rule number 1, the presence of a modifier is irrelevant:
“Neither of them is correct.”)

4. Use plural verbs with plural indefinite pronouns:

“Many outcomes are possible.”

5. Use singular verbs with uncountable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun:
“All the paint is dried up.”

6. Use plural verbs with countable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun:
“All the nails are spilled on the floor.”

7. Use plural verbs with compound subjects that include and:

“The dog and the cat are outside.”

16
8. Use plural verbs or singular verbs, depending on the form of the noun nearest
the verb, with compound subjects that include nor or or:
“Either the dog or the cats are responsible for the mess.” (“Either the cats or the
dog is responsible for the mess” is also technically correct but is awkward.)

9. Use singular verbs with inverted subjects that include singular nouns:
“Why is my hat outside in the rain?”

10. Use plural verbs with inverted subjects (those beginning with the
expletive there rather than the actual subject) that include plural nouns:
“There are several hats outside in the rain.”

11. Use singular or plural verbs with collective nouns depending on meaning:
“His staff is assembled,” but “Staff are asked to go to the conference room immediately.”
(In the first sentence, the emphasis is on the body of employees; in the second sentence,
the focus is on compliance by each individual in the body of employees.)

12. Use singular verbs for designations of entities, such as nations or

organizations, or compositions, such as books or films:
“The United Nations is headquartered in New York.”

13. Use singular verbs for subjects plural in form but singular in meaning:
“Physics is my favorite subject.”

14. Use singular or plural verbs for subjects plural in form but plural or singular in
meaning depending on the context:
“The economics of the situation are complicated,” but “Economics is a complicated topic.”

15. Use plural verbs for subjects plural in form and meaning:
“The tweezers are in the cupboard.”

16. Use plural verbs in constructions of the form “one of those (blank) who . . .”:
“I am one of those eccentrics who do not tweet.”

17. Use singular verbs in constructions of the form “the only one of those (blank)
who . . .”:
“I am the only one of my friends who does not tweet.”

18. Use singular verbs in constructions of the form “the number of (blank) . . .”:
“The number of people here boggles the mind.”

19. Use plural verbs in constructions of the form “a number of (blank) . . .”:
“A number of people here disagree.”

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20. Use singular verbs in construction of the forms “every (blank) . . .” and “many
a (blank) . . .”:
“Every good boy does fine”; “Many a true word is spoken in jest.”

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:

18
2. Indefinite pronouns as subjects

 Singular indefinite pronoun subjects take singular verbs.

 Plural indefinite pronoun subjects take plural verbs.

PLURAL: several, few, both, many

19
  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.
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 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.

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 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.)

22
 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, scissors does not
affect the number of the verb.)

9. With subject and subjective complement of different number, the verb always
agrees with the subject.

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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.

24
11-B. With a number of _______, use a plural verb.

12. With every ______ and many a ________, use a singular verb.

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26