Language/English/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement in English

Welcome to our lesson on English Grammar → Subject Verb Agreement! As an experienced English language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to guide you through this essential aspect of English grammar. Subject-verb agreement is a crucial skill to master, as it ensures that your sentences are clear and grammatically correct. After completing this lesson, you may also find it helpful to explore other related topics, such as Noun Types: Countable and Uncountable, Mastering Irregular Verbs, and Understanding the Various Meanings of 'YET'.

Throughout this lesson, we will cover the basic rules of subject-verb agreement, provide examples, and offer tips to help you avoid common mistakes. So, let's dive in and start improving your English grammar skills! 📚✏️

Grammar Rules

Singular subjects go with singular verbs while plural subjects go with plural verbs.

Match your subject with the correct verb form.

Have you ever wondered why we say She looks very pretty and not She look very pretty? The answer lies in grammar rules on concord, or subject-verb agreement. The basic rule is that singular verbs must agree with singular nouns, while plural verbs must agree with plural nouns. What is a noun? It is a word to name people, places, events, things or ideas.

E.g.

• teacher, Orchard Road, party, basket, beauty.

How do you recognise a singular or plural verb?

A singular verb is one that has an s added to it in the present tense, such as writes, plays, runs, and uses forms such as is, was, has, does. A plural verb does not have an s added to it, such as write, play, run, and uses forms such as are, were, have and do.

E.g.

• Jack (singular noun) enjoys (singular verb) playing golf every Sunday.

• The men (plural noun) enjoy (plural verb) playing golf every Sunday.

In the case of pronouns, he, she and it take a singular verb while you, we and they take a plural verb.

We (plural pronoun) think (plural verb) that she (singular pronoun) is (singular verb) innocent

However, there are exceptions to the rules mentioned earlier.

If the two nouns are conjoined and represent a single idea, then the verb is singular.

E.g.

• Bread and butter is available on request.

• Fish and chips is my favourite meal.

• Law and order is the new government’s priority.

Problems also arise when the speaker or writer is faced with more than one noun or pronoun in the sentence.

E.g.

• The quality of our students’ essays has fallen drastically.

In this case, the verb has fallen agrees with the subject (first noun mentioned) or head noun of the noun phrase, quality.

E.g.

• The spokes of that wheel are broken. In this case, the subject of the sentence is spokes (plural head noun), hence the plural verb are.

When a singular and a plural noun or pronoun (subjects) are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject nearer the verb.

E.g.

• The girls or their father collects the newspapers every morning. In this example, the singular verb, collects, agrees with the noun closer to it, the singular noun, father.

People often get confused when deciding whether a singular or plural verb should agree with some collective nouns.

E.g.

Should we say

• The football team is (singular verb) ready to be photographed.

Or

• The football team are (plural verb) ready to be photographed.

Well, it all depends on whether we are thinking of the team as a single collective unit or as individuals. If it is the former, then the verb should be singular. However, if we are considering the team as comprising individual members who are not acting as a single unit, then we use the plural verb.

Other examples:

• My family (considered as a collective unit) comes from Kuala Lumpur.

• The audience (considered as individuals) were clamouring for more songs but the singer left the stage.

• The Committee is ready to present its findings this afternoon.

A point to note is that American English almost always treats collective nouns as singular, hence a singular verb is used with it.

Nouns which have two parts such as spectacles, scissors or pants require plural verbs.

E.g.

• My spectacles are missing.

• These scissors need sharpening

However, when regarded as a pair, a singular verb is used.

E.g.

• My pair of spectacles is missing.

• This pair of scissors needs sharpening.

There are some occasions when we should use singular verbs.

Expressions such as each of, one of, anybody, each, every and nobody must be followed by a singular verb.

E.g.

• Each of the ladies has a designer handbag.

• Anybody is allowed to enter this hall.

• Nobody is disappointed with the results.

A singular subject with attached phrases introduced by with or like or as well as is followed by a singular verb. E.g. • The boy, with several others, was late for school. • Meiling, like Johan, is tall for her age. • Tom, as well as Fred, is on the first shift.

Two singular nouns or pronouns separated by either ... or or neither ... nor take a singular verb.

E.g.

• Either he or she has eaten the cake.

• Neither Meera nor Gopal knows anything about the accident.

Amounts, even if plural, have a singular verb.

E.g.

• Sixty dollars is too much to pay for that dress.

• Ten kilometres is too long a distance for me to walk.

• Five kilogrammes of flour is all that I need for my baking.

There are some occasions when we should use plural verbs. When two or more plural subjects are connected by and, the verb is plural.

E.g.

• The officers and their men were patrolling the area.

• Domestic cats and dogs need adequate care and attention.

Plural subjects separated by either ... or or neither ... nor, both ... and, and all but take a plural verb.

E.g.

• Either the boys or the girls are to blame.

• Neither the contestants nor the audience were aware of the fire.

• All but Sam are going to the cinema.

• Both the twins and their parents are attending their graduation ceremony.

Another problem that users of English face is this: does the verb in a sentence agree with the noun (subject) before it or the noun or adjective after it (subject complement)?

The answer is that it should agree with the subject – the noun before it.

E.g.

• The thing (subject) we need at this moment is (verb) more eggs.

• The greatest benefit (subject) is (verb) the opportunities presented to our staf

I will summarize some basic rules that might help with achieving the Subject-Verb agreement.

Rule 1: A verb must agree with its subject in Number.

The verb has to agree with the 'number' of the subject or subjects. For example, The sentence 'Andrew goes to school.' is correct because Andrew is singular, and the form of the verb 'goes' agrees with the subject. If the writer were to use 'go' instead of 'goes', the sentence would be incorrect as Andrew is not plural.

Often, the verb is made to agree in number with the noun near it instead of its proper subject, and that is a mistake. The next example demonstrates this:

• The introduction of tea and coffee has not gone without some effect.
• The quality of the mangoes was not good.

In the sentence mentioned above, the verb is 'to be'. The tense used is Past, Simple Past in particular. The subject of the verb is not 'mangoes', which is plural, but the 'quality' of those mangoes and 'quality' is singular being an uncountable noun. It is as though the phrase 'the quality of the mangoes' is replaced with 'x'. This gives the sentence 'X was not good' in which 'x' is singular. Therefore, the verb must agree with the subject and the correct form is 'was' rather than 'were'. A few more examples of such nature can be:

• His knowledge of Physics is far beyond the common.

Rule 2: Two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by 'and' require a plural verb.

• Fire and water do not agree.
• Are your brother and sister at home?
• He and I were singing.

It may happen that the nouns, when joined, may suggest just one idea, or refer to the same person or thing, and then the verb is singular.

• Bread and butter is his only food.
• My friend and classmate has come.

Rule 3: Words joined to a singular subject by 'with', 'as well as', etc, require a singular verb.

• The house, with its contents, was insured.
• Peter, with his family, is to be present.
• The ship, along with its crew, was lost.
• Guidance, as well as love, was missing.

Rule 4: Two or more singular subjects connected by 'or' or 'nor' require a singular verb

• No nook or corner was left unexplored.
• Either the cat or the dog has to go.

Rule 5: If even one of the subjects joined by 'or, or 'nor' is plural, the verb must be plural and the plural should be placed nearest to the verb

• Neither the teacher, nor the students were present.
• Either his question or their answers are incorrect.

Rule 6: When the subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor' are of different persons, the verb agrees with the nearer

• Either he or I am mistaken.
• Either I or they are mistaken.
• Neither you nor he is to blame.

Rule 7: Either, neither, each, everyone, many a, any, one of the, etc, must be followed by a singular verb

• He asked me if either of the recipes was suitable.
• Everyone has to complete it.
• Neither of them was strong enough.
• Each student has to submit the report individually.
• One of the best Physicists was Albert Einstein.
• Many a man has made that mistake.
• Every boy and girl was given a packet of sweets.

Rule 8: 'None', though singular, usually takes a plural verb

• None of the students were there.
• Cows are one of the gentlest of creatures, none show more passionate tenderness to their young.

Rule 9: A collective noun requires a singular verb

• The committee has published their results.
• The public is united.

There are some more rules and generalizations for this topic, but the ones mentioned above, in my opinion, are the most common and basic ones.

Other Lessons

• After as an adverb
• Formation of Adjectives
• More Uses of the Dash
• Sentense Structure
• Positions of Pronouns in Sentences
• POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
• DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
• Double Object Verbs (Ditransitive verbs)
• Present Tense
• Abstract nouns and concrete nouns