Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

Rules for subject
verb agreement

In the present tense, nouns and verbs form
plurals in opposite ways: nouns ADD
an s to the singular form; verbs REMOVE
the s from the singular form.

These agreement rules do not
apply to verbs used in the simple
past tense without any helping
verbs.

The agreement rules do, however,
apply to the following helping verbs
when they are used with a main
verb: is-are, was-were, has-have, does-
do.
The agreement rules do not apply
to has-have when used as the SECOND
helping verb in a pair.

They do NOT apply to any other
helping verbs, such as can, could, shall,
should, may, might, will, would, must.

The subject-verb agreement rules
apply to all personal pronouns
except I and you, which, although
SINGULAR, require PLURAL forms of
verbs.

Compound Subject
The word “compound” means “made up of two or
more parts.”Two or more words can be compounded or
linked by joining them with any of three words:
and, or, and nor
Here are some examples of compounding:
Compound nouns can function as a “compound
subject.” In some instances, a compound subject poses
special problems for the subject-verb agreement rule
(+s, -s).

However, instead of using two sentences (as above),
we may choose to give the above information in one
sentence.
This sentence makes use of a compound subject (two subject
nouns joined by and), illustrating a new rule about subject-
verb agreement.
Although each part of the compound subject is singular
(ranger and camper), taken together (joined by and), each one
becomes a part of a plural structure and, therefore, must take
a plural verb (see) to agree in the sentence.

SUBJECT-VERB RULE #1 – Two or more singular
(or plural) subjects joined by and act as a plural
compound subject and take a plural verb (singular
+ singular = plural).
You can check the verb by substituting the
pronoun they for the compound subject.

Or and nor as joiners work somewhat differently
from and. While the word and seems to ADD things
together, or and nor do not. They suggest a CHOICE.
This sentence makes use of a compound subject (two
subject nouns joined together by or). Each part of the
compound subject (ranger, camper) is singular. Even
though both words function together as subject (joined
by or), the subject still remains SINGULAR
(ranger or camper) since a CHOICE is implied.
This compound subject, therefore, requires a singular verb
to agree with it.

SUBJECT-VERB RULE #2 – Two or more SINGULAR
subjects joined by or (or nor) act as a singular
compound subject and, therefore, take a singular
verb to agree.
Note: Two or more plural subjects joined
by or (or nor) would naturally take a plural verb to
agree.

However, or and nor can pose a more difficult problem.
Thus far we have been working with compound subjects
whose individual parts are both either singular or plural
What if one part of the compound subject
is singular and the other part is plural?
What form of a verb should be used in this case? Should
the verb be singular to agree with one word? Or should the
verb be plural to agree with the other?

Solution:
1.If the individual parts of the compound subject are
joined by and, always use a plural verb.

2.If the individual parts of the compound subject are
joined by or or nor, use the verb form (singular or
plural) which will agree with the subject closer to the
verb.

Group Nouns
Some nouns which name groups can be either
singular or plural depending upon their meaning
in individual sentences.
Because they can describe either the individuals
in the group (more than one – plural), or the
group as a single entity (one only – singular),
these nouns pose special problems.
However, there are some guidelines for deciding
which verb form (singular or plural) to use with
one of these nouns as the subject in a sentence

If we refer to the group as a whole and,
therefore, as a single unit, we consider the
noun singular. In this case, we use a singular
verb.
If, on the other hand, we are actually referring
to the individuals within the group, then we
consider the noun plural. In this case, we use a
plural verb.

Of course group nouns, like other
nouns, can also appear in plural forms
(with an s).

When used in the plural form, group nouns
mean MORE THAN ONE GROUP. Thus, it uses a
plural verb.
Thus, there are three important subject – verb
agreement rules to remember when a group noun is
used as the subject:
1.Group nouns can be considered as a single unit, and,
thus, take a singular verb.
2.Group nouns can be considered as individual
members within a single unit and, thus, take
a plural verb.
3.Group nouns can be given plural forms to mean two
or more units and, thus, take a plural verb.

Plural Form / Singular Meaning Nouns
Some nouns are regularly plural in form, but
singular in meaning.
Even though these nouns APPEAR to be plural
because they end in s, they actually refer to
only one thing made up of smaller, uncounted
parts. Therefore, they are considered singular

You can see that substituting that
pronoun it instead of they makes more
sense here.Another group of plural form
nouns end in –ics.
Similarly, it is a more suitable substitute for
any of these words than is they.

These nouns appear to be plural (end
in s), but generally refer to
only one thing and are,
therefore, generally considered
singular.

NOTE: Occasionally, however, the –ics nouns can have
a plural meaning: We can speak about individual parts
of these wholes. In this case, we apply the same rule as
applies to group nouns when we consider the individual
members within the group.We use a plural verb.
Note the difference in meaning and, therefore, in the
verb chosen (singular or plural) between the two uses
of the –ics noun, statistics.

Indefinite pronouns can pose special problems
in subject – verb agreement.
The difficulty is that some indefinite
pronouns sound plural when they are
really singular.
As subjects, the following indefinite pronouns
ALWAYS take singular verbs. Look at them
closely.

However, the following indefinite
pronouns ALWAYS take plural verbs.

EXCEPTIONS:
A third group of indefinite pronouns
takes either a singular or plural verb depending
on the pronoun’s meaning in the
sentence. Look at them closely.

So far we have considered subjects that can cause
subject-verb agreement
confusion: compound subjects, group
noun subjects, plural form – singular
meaning subjects, andindefinite subjects.
The remainder of this teaching unit examines
subject – verb agreement problems that can result
from word placement in sentences. There are four
main problems: prepositional
phrases, clauses beginning with who, that,
or which, sentences beginning with here or there,
and questions.

Here is a list of frequently used prepositions:

A prepositional phrase may be placed
between the subject and verb.
In the above example, the singular
verb is agrees with the singular subject boy.

Sometimes, however, a prepositional phrase
inserted between the subject and verb
makes agreement more difficult.
Car is the singular subject. Was is the
singular helping verb which agrees
with car. If we aren’t careful, however, we
may mistakenly label riders as the subject
since it is nearer to the verb than car is. If
we choose the plural noun, riders, we
will incorrectly select the plural verb were.

Solution to the Prepositional
Phrase Problem
1.Learn the major prepositions
2.Be alert for prepositional phrases placed
between the subject and verb, and identify the
noun in the phrase immediately as the object
of a preposition: An object of a preposition can
NEVER be a sentence subject.

3.Locate the true sentence subject and choose
a verb which agrees with it.
4. Remember the indefinite pronoun
EXCEPTIONS considered Some, Any, None, All,
and Most. The number of these subject words
IS affected by a prepositional phrase between
the subject and verb.

A clause beginning with who, that, or which and
coming BETWEEN the subject and verb can cause
agreement problems.
Like the prepositional phrase, the who / that /
which clause never contains the subject

TO AVOID SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT ERRORS
1.Identify who / that / which clauses immediately.
2. Locate the true sentence subject and choose a
verb that agrees with it.

When a sentence begins with there is – there are /
here is – here are, the subject and verb are
inverted. After all that you have learned already, you
will undoubtedly find this topic a relatively easy one!
The verb in such constructions is
obviously is or are. The subject, however,
does not come BEFORE the verb.

Instead, the subject in this kind of sentence comes AFTER the
verb, so you must look for it AFTER the verb.
In this example, because the subject, book, is singular, the verb
must also be singular.
If the subject is plural, however, then the verb must be plural.
In this example, because the subject, books, is plural, the verb
is also plural.

Remember: In here is – here are / there is – there
are constructions, look for the subject AFTER the verb
and choose a singular (is) or a plural (are) verb to
agree with the subject.
And finally, sometimes creating a question will cause
the subject to follow the verb as well. Here, identify
the subject and then choose the verb that agrees with
it (singular or plural).

1.<a.>The boys is thought
<b.>to be one of the most
<c.>gifted children <d.>in the
class.
ANSWER

2.The advent of <a.>low-cost, high-
speed <b.>data processing facilities
<c.>have provided school
administrators <d.>with resources not
available few years ago.
ANSWER

3.Fifty percent of the
pie ______ disappeared.
ANSWER

4.Treating them as hostages ______
criminal.{is , are}
ANSWER

5.Professor Janes has <a.>told the
class repeatedly that <b.>we has no
<c.>business in that room and
<d.>should never use it to study
ANSWER

6.Banks in economically <a.>depressed
areas <b.>has demonstrated their
reluctance to <c.>extend the loans of
<d.>borrowers who have not met
their monthly payments.
ANSWER

7.Boath man and woman ______
eligible to vote. { is , are}
ANSWER

8.I know only a few people who
________ had the same problem.
{ have, has }
ANSWER

9.Neither of them _____ available to
speak right now .{is , are}
ANSWER

10.The New York Time ______
a good newspaper.{is , are}
ANSWER

11.One of the first lessons in forest-
fire survival ______to try to reach
burned ground.{is , are }
ANSWER

12.Minerals <a.>in seawater <b.>exists
in the same <c.>proportion in all the
oceans <d.>of the world .
ANSWER

13.The scientific study of the motion
of bodies and the action of forces
that change or cause motion
__________ dynamics. {call , calls ,is
called, are called}
ANSWER

14.Geologists ______ forces that alter
the surface and appearance of the
Earth.{analyzing, analyzable , analyzes ,
analyze}
ANSWER

15.________ of pottery is dependent
on the durability
of clay after firing.{to make, the
making ,when to make,
it is making}
ANSWER

16.Jake was ________ in the pop art
movement in 1884.{that one of a
leading figure, a leading figure ,
leading figures, who leads figures}
ANSWER

17.Gas lamps using gas made from
local _______ to Sweden in 1802
.{introduced, to be introduced,
introducing, were introduced}
ANSWER

18.Traditionally,________ in New
England on Thanksgiving Day.{when
served is sweet cider, when sweet
cider is served, is served sweet cider,
sweet cider is served}
ANSWER

19.The force ______ bodies of matter
towards the Earth is gravity.{draws,
which it draws, that draws, it draws}
ANSWER

20.Albert Einstein was ______ to
make a major breakthrough in
physics.{on the first, physicist, the
first physicist ,a physicist the first}
ANSWER

21.______of Tanner’s paintings was
shown at the Smithsonian
Institution.{What a major collection,
That a major collection, A collection
was major, A major collection}
ANSWER

22._______ increasingly being
performed on calculators.
{Algebraic and arithmetic operations,
Arithmetic operations and also
algebraic, Now that algebraic and
arithmetic operations are, Arithmetic
and algebraic operations are}
ANSWER

23.Because it is durable and easy to
dye,_____ an important textile fiber
.{it is cotton, cotton is, which cotton
is ,that is cotton}
ANSWER

24.Nancy Heeds , _____, has run her
own record company for half a
century.{is the greatest contemporary
singer, one of the greatest
contemporary singers ,That the
greatest contemporary singers , The
contemporary singers were greatest }
ANSWER

25.The news ___ good today .
{is ,are}
ANSWER

26.The piano as well as the pipe organ
____________ to be tuned for the big
concert.{have , has}
ANSWER

27.The mayor together with his two
brothers ____________ going to be
indicted for accepting bribes. {is , are}
ANSWER

28.Neither of my two suitcases
____________ adequate for this
trip. {is , are}
ANSWER

29.There ____________ a list of
committee members on the head-table.
{is , are}
ANSWER

30.Everybody in the class ____________
done the homework well in advance.
{has , have}
ANSWER

31.The jury ____________ their
seats in the courtroom.
{take , takes}
ANSWER

32.Neither the teacher nor the students
____________ to understand this
assignment. {seem , seems}
ANSWER

33. ____________ either my father or
my brothers made a down-payment on
the house?
{have , has}
ANSWER

34.Hartford is one of those cities that
____________ working hard to reclaim
a riverfront. {is , are}
ANSWER

35.Some of the grain ____________
gone bad. {have , has}
ANSWER

36.John or his brother ____________
going to be responsible for this. {is ,are}
ANSWER

37.A few of the students ____________
doing so well they can skip the next
course. {is ,are}
ANSWER

38.Either the Committee on Course
Design or the Committee on College
Operations ____________ these
matters. {decide , decides}
ANSWER

39.One of my instructors ____________
written a letter of recommendation for
me. {have , has}
ANSWER

40.Dr. Ferndon <a>is one of those
professors <b>who <c>seems distracted
<d>most of the time.
ANSWER

41.___________ either Luis or his
parents written to Angela? {have , has}
ANSWER

42.Neither Luis nor his parents
___________ the least bit interested in
keeping in touch with her. {is , are}
ANSWER

43.Everybody <a>on this team <b>try
really hard <c>to please <d>the new
coach.
ANSWER

44.Because there ___________ so many
students in that class, I can sometimes
sleep in the back row. {is , are}
ANSWER

45.Neither traffic light--neither the one
on Asylum Avenue nor the one on
Farmington Avenue-- ___________
working after the storm.
{was , were}
ANSWER

46.Mr. Bradley, <a>along with his two
sisters, <b>have lived <c>in this town
<d>for thirty years.
ANSWER

47.There ___________ no reasons for
this horrible development that I can see.
{is , are}
ANSWER

48.Some of the water ___________
already gone bad. {have , has}
ANSWER

49.One of these students ___________
obviously cheated on the exam. {have ,
has}
ANSWER

50.Either the UConn Women's Team or
the UConn Men's Team ___________
going to be national champion this year.
{is , are}
ANSWER

KEY
1. a. The boy
2. c. has provided
3. has
4. is
5. b. their have
6. b. have depressed
7. are
8. have
9. is
10. is
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

KEY
11. is
12. b. exist
13. is called
14. analyze
15. The making
16. a leading figure
17. were introduced
18. sweet cider is served
19. that draws
20. the first physicist
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

KEY
21. A major collection
22. Arithmetic and algebraic operations are
23. cotton is
24. one of the greatest contemporary singers
25. is
26. has
27. is
28. is
29. is
30. has
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

KEY
31. take
32. seem
33. has
34. are
35. has
36. is
37. are
38. decides
39. has
40. c. seem
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

KEY
41. has
42. are
43. b. tries
44. are
45. was
46. has lived
47. are
48. has
49. has
50. is
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name Nattiya Mattanaputi
Class M.6/4 No.21

Name Sathima
Leewongvorakul
Class m.6/4 No.24

Name Juthamas
Boonklan
Class m.6/4 No.25

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

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