Subject verb agreement simply means the subject and verb must agree in number.

This means both need to be

singular or both need to be plural.

Subject/Verb Agreement Examples

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement (the subject is bolded and the verb underlined):
 My dog always growls at the postal carrier.
 Basketballs roll across the floor.
 I don't understand the assignment.
 These clothes are too small for me.
 Peter doesn't like vegetables.
Compound Subjects
Compound subjects (two subjects in the same sentence) usually take a plural verb, unless the combination is
treated as singular in popular usage or the two subjects refer to the same thing or person. Here are some
examples of subject verb agreement with compound subjects:
 Sugar and flour are needed for the recipe.
 Neither my dad nor my brothers know how to ski.
 Pepperoni and cheese are great on a pizza.
 Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional meal in Ireland. (popular usage)
 The creator and producer is arriving soon. (both refer to same person)
When using "or" or "nor" in a compound subject containing a singular and plural subject, the verb agrees with
the closest subject. Examples of compound subjects using or, neither-nor, or either-or include:
 My mom or dad is coming to the play. (singular)
 Neither gray nor white is my favorite color. (singular)
 Either Grandpa or my sisters are going to the park. (closest subject is plural)
 Either my sisters or Grandpa is going to the park. (closest subject is singular)
 Neither she nor I am going to college. (closest subject is singular)
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with singular indefinite pronouns:
 Each gets a trophy for playing.
 Somebody will pay for this.
 Anybody is more fun than you.
 Something is very wrong here.
 Everybody enjoys a good book.
 Nothing has been determined as of yet.
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with plural indefinite pronouns:
 Both are qualified for the job.
 Many went to the beach and got sunburned.
 Few know what it really takes to get ahead.
 Several are already on location.
 Some sugar is required for taste. (sugar is uncountable so singular verb used)
 Most of the cookies were eaten. (cookies are countable so plural verb used)
Midsentence Phrase or Clause
Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with a phrase or clause between the subject and verb:
 A theory of physics ascertains that a body in motion stays in motion.
 A virus in all the company's computers is a real threat to security.
 The causes of this prevalent disease are bad diet and lack of exercise.
 The couch and chair I got at the store look really nice in here.
 The members of the choir are very happy with the performance.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on meaning. Here are some examples of subject verb
agreement with collective nouns:
 The committee meets here every Thursday. (singular)
 The crowd is getting angry. (singular)
 The jury has finally reached a decision. (singular)
 The majority rules most of the time. (singular)
 The staff have gone their separate ways for the holidays. (plural)
Inverted Subjects
Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with inverted subjects where the subject follows the verb:
 There are seven clean plates in the dining room.
 There is a hair in my lasagna.
 Over the rainbow flies a bird.
 How are the employees enjoying the new building?
 A good gift is a gift card.
What Are the Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement?
Twenty may seem like a lot of rules for one subject, but you'll quickly notice one ties into the next. In the
end, it'll all make sense. (In the following examples, the agreeing subject is in bold and the verb is in
italics.)
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. Subordinate clauses that come between the subject and verb don't affect their 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. Some care
needs to be taken to identify each part correctly.
There is a problem with the balance sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.
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.
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 as a whole.
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," or
"not only/but also," the verb is singular.
Either Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.
10. The only time the object of the preposition decides plural or singular verb forms is when noun and
pronoun subjects like "some," "half," "none," "more," or "all" are followed by a prepositional phrase. Then
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 reserved for units of measurement or time.
Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running.
12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words "or," "nor," "neither/nor," "either/or," or
"not only/but also," the verb is plural.
Not only dogs but also cats are available at the animal shelter.
13. If one subject is singular and the other is plural, and the words are connected by the words "or," "nor,"
"neither/nor," "either/or," or "not only/but also," 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 (with some exceptions).
Everybody wants to be loved.
15. The exceptions to the above rule include the pronouns "few," "many," "several," "both," "all," and
"some." These 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 form of the verb.
However, 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. A collective noun, such as "team" or "staff," can be either singular or plural depending upon the rest of
the sentence. Typically, they take the singular form, as the collective noun is treated as a cohesive single
unit.
The herd is stampeding.
19. Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
20. Final rule: Remember, only the subject affects the verb! Nothing else matters.
Jacob, who owns sixteen houses, is on his way to becoming a billionaire.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subjects (who or what the sentence is about) and verbs (the action or state of being) must
agree.
Singular subjects must have a singular verb.
Plural subjects must have a plural verb.
Examples of Subject-Verb Agreement:
If a compound subject is joined by "or" or "nor," look at the subject closest to the verb and
make the verb agree with that part of the subject.
Special Cases:
1) These indefinite pronouns are always singular and should be paired with a singular verb:
any, anything, each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody,
something, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, nothing, one.
2) These indefinite pronouns are always plural and should be paired with a plural verb: few,
many
3) For some indefinite pronouns (some, all, none) it depends on the item that the pronoun
refers to.
4) Notice that some subjects may appear to be plural but are singular because they refer to
one thing or a single amount of something (examples: mathematics, mumps, news)
5) Some subjects refer to one thing, but take a plural verb (examples: scissors, pants)
Examples of correct subject-verb agreement:
1) He runs four miles every day. (singular subject; singular verb)
2) They ride the school bus in the afternoon. (plural subject; plural verb)
3) Few of the children are here today. (plural)
4) Some of the money is missing. (singular-money is singular)
5) None of the marbles have rolled out of the circle. (plural-marbles is plural)
6) One of the nails is sticking out. (one is singular)
7) The scissors are on the table. (plural)
8) Katie or three girls walk to the office. (girls is closer, so verb is plural)
9) Is mumps caused by a virus? (singular)
10) Neither the tray nor the cups were put away. (cups is closer, so verb is plural)
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:

2. Indefinite pronouns as subjects

 Singular indefinite pronoun subjects take singular verbs.

  Plural indefinite pronoun subjects take plural verbs.

PLURAL: several, few, both, many

 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.

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.

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.)

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.
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.

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

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