HPE1043

ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

 Subject Verb Agreement
● Subject (noun & pronoun) & verb must agree with
each other
● If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular
● If the subject is plural, the verb be must plural

Example:
A boy is here

Some boys are here

RULE 1
● Use singular verbs for singular
subjects
Example:
She is absent today
RULE 2
● Use plural verbs for plural subjects
Example
The girls are absent today
 RULE 3
● When and is used to join two more
subjects, the verb must be plural
Example
Green and blue are my favourite colours
RULE 4
● Each, every, everyone, no one, someone,
somebody, anybody, anyone, anything
which are singular in meaning are used
with singular verbs even when the
nouns following them are connected by
and

Example:
Every student is required to buy the
textbook
Every boy and girl needs attention from
his and her parents
RULE 5
● When as well as, together with or
accompanied by are used, the verb
agrees with the true subject
Example
Zila, accompanied by her parents, is at
the exhibition hall
The players, together with their coach,
are resting after the match
RULE 6
● A gerund (verb+ ing) used as a
subject of sentence takes a singular
verb
Example
Cycling is my favourite hobby
RULE 7
● When ‘there’ precedes a subject, the
verb must agree with the subject
Example
There is a cow grazing on the grass in
the field
There are a few books on the shelves
RULE 8
● ‘The number of’ takes singular verbs,
while a number of (means a lot) takes
plural verbs
Example
The number of participants is 20

A number of participants are not ready

for the competition
RULE 9
● Collective nouns can be singular or
plural depending on the context
● E.g staff, committee, audience,
crowd, family, public, class etc
Example
My class is noisy. They love to speak
loudly when the teacher is not in.
RULE 10
● Units of money, distance and time are
considered singular subject, so they
are followed by singular verbs
Example
Twenty kilometers is too far to cycle

One year is a long time to wait

RULE 11
● A fraction or percentage takes
singular or plural verbs depending on
the noun following it
Example
Thirty percent of the share belongs to
me

One – third of the teachers are male

RULE 12
● Certain nouns ending with –s are
singular, thus they take singular verbs
● E.g diseases: mumps, measles
sports : athletics
subjects : physics, mathematics
Example
Mathematics is easy
RULE 13
● When either..or, neither..nor and not
only..but also are used the verb must
agree with the noun closest to it
Example
Neither the boy nor the girls have done
their assignments

Neither the girls nor the boy has done his

assignments
RULE 14
● Expressions of quantity used with
plural nouns take plural verbs
E.g some, a few, many, a lot of, lots of,
all, most, both, several

Example
A few apples are rotten
RULE 15
● Nationality takes plural verbs, but
language takes singular verbs
Example
The French are friendly people

French is an interesting language to learn

THANK YOU