Subject – Verb Agreement: Special Cases
Subjects that are ALWAYS SINGULAR
Percent/percentage: The percent of students in the room is 68. A
large percentage of the population is Italian.
United States: The US is over 240 years old.
Academic subjects like mathematics, economics, physics:
Mathematics is hard for me.
Any amount of time:
Ten minutes is all he needs to get dressed in the morning.
Language names like Japanese, Chinese
Gerund subjects: Washing dishes is not my favorite job.
The number: The number of people in the auditorium is 256.
Dish names: Chicken and rice is my favorite meal.
Mac and Cheese is popular in the US.
News/data: The news is good for tomorrow’s weather.
The data we have is not sufficient.
Pronouns: one, each, every, none, some- any- no- every- ending
with one, thing, body, place:
Everyone is going on the tour. Is anyone in the building?
Each of the students is qualified.
Subjects that are ALWAYS PLURAL
The elderly/the young/the rich/the famous
The police: The police are having a meeting about city security.
Cattle: The cattle are in the field.
A number: A number of students are going on this tour.
Ethnic groups: The Japanese are hardworking people.
Scissors, pliers, trousers, pants, slacks, overalls, shorts, glasses,
socks: My glasses are lost again. His pants are in the laundry.
Sometimes singular, Sometimes plural
Some: Some of the students are going on the tour.
Some of the cake is missing.
Any: Any of the students are qualified to go. Is any of the cake left?
All: All of the students are leaving. All of the class is leaving.
Most: Most of the students are qualified. Most of the cake is gone.
A lot: A lot of the students are going. A lot of the class is qualified.
Fractions: Two-thirds of the students are qualified. Two-thirds of the class
is absent.
Either/or; Neither/nor: verb agrees with the closest subject – Either the
students or the teacher is going on the tour. Either the teacher or the
students are going on the tour.
Compiled by Brenda Hussain