SUBJECT-VERB

AGREEMENT
Prof. Himani Mittal
Assistant Professor
Silver Oak University
Rule 1: A verb agrees with its subject in
number.
Singular subject = singular verb
Plural subject = plural verb
Singular Verbs Plural Verbs
am are
is were
was have
has do
does base form of verbs
s form of verbs ENGLISH, *Proprietary material of SILVER OAK UNIVERSITY
 Example Sentence
verb

A good student knows the value of communication skills.

subject

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 Subject-Verb Agreement (Rule 1)

No “s” ending on a An “s” ending on a verb

noun often indicates usually indicates that it is
that it is singular. singular.

student knows
subject = verb

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Singular subject takes Plural subjects take plural
singular verb verbs

The car stays in a garage. The cars stay in a garage.

The flower smells good. The flowers smell good.
Person waits. People wait.
The boy runs. The boys run.

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 Exercise:
1. Your friend (talk / talks) too much.
2. Joy (drive / drives) the car.
3. The football players (run / runs) five miles everyday.
4. He (cook / cooks) dinner for his family.
5. The boys (walk / walks) to school everyday.

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 Rule 2 : The number of the subject does
not change by words that come between
the subject and the verb.
verb
Omit the phrase
mentally to
One of the eggs is broken make the
subject verb
agreement
subject easier to define
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 verb

The biker in this race is very competitive.

subject verb

The bikers in this race are very competitive.

subject
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 Examples
One of the boxes is open.

The people who listen to that music are few.

The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.

The book, including all the chapters in the first

section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.
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Exercise:
1. The man with the roses (look / looks) like your brother.
2. The women in the pool (swim / swims) well.
3. That red-haired lady in the fur hat (live / lives) down the
street.
4. The weather on the coast (appear / appears) to be good this
weekend.
5. The center on the football team (bounce / bounces) the ball
too high.

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 Rule 3 : Some subjects always take singular
verb even though the meaning may seem
plural.
Each
Anyone Someone in the game was hurt.
Every
Someone Someone in the game were hurt.
Either
Nobody
Neither
Anybody
One Neither of the men is working.
Somebody
No one Neither of the men are working.
Everybody
Everyone
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 Examples

Each of these hot dogs is juicy.

Everybody knows Mr. Jones.

Either is correct.

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 Exercise:

1. Each of the girls ( look / looks ) good.

2. Everybody ( was / were ) asked to remain quiet.
3. Neither of the men ( is / are ) here yet.
4. ( Is / Are ) each of girls ready to leave?
5. Nobody in the class ( has / have ) the answer.
6. Each of the boys ( observe / observes ) all the
regulations.
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Rule 4 : Words like some, any, all and most,
may be singular or plural, depending on
their use in sentence.
Most of the news is good. (singular)
Most of the flowers are yellow. (plural)

All of the pizza was gone. (singular)

All of the children were late. (plural)

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Exercise:
1. Some members of the family ( is / are ) present.
2. All of the milk ( is / are ) gone.
3. Most of the seats ( are / were ) taken.
4. Several of the sheep ( is / are ) sick.
5. Some of the test ( is / are ) hard.
6. Some of the questions ( is / are ) hard.
7. Most of his routine ( sound / sounds ) familiar.
8. Most of his jokes ( sound / sounds ) familiar.
9. ( Was / were ) any of the feedback positive?
10.( Was / were ) any of the reviews positive?
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 Rule 5 : Subject joined by ‘and’ are plural,
hence they take plural verb.
Plural verb

Ram and Shyam are leaving.

Plural verb

subject
She and her friends are at the fair.

subject
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Exercise:
1. Margi and her parents ( visit / visits ) each other often.
2. Arun and Varun ( need / needs ) a ride to work.
3. A magazine and a book ( was / were ) lying on the floor.
4. The puppy and the lady ( is / are ) friends.
5. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg ( make / makes )
movies.
6. Rhythm and imagery ( helps / help) poets express their
feelings.

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 Rule 6 : Subject joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ takes
a verb that agrees with the last subject.
Neither Bob nor George is leaving.
Verb agrees with the
closest part of the
subject
singular singular singular verb

Neither Bob nor his friends are leaving.

singular plural plural verb

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 implies one or the
other

The book or the pen is…

singular singular singular verb

Verb agrees with the

closest part of the
subject
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Exercise:
1. Neither Matt nor his brothers ( was / were ) at the party.
2. Either the workers or the boss ( deliver / delivers ) the machine.
3. Either Heena or Veena ( was / were ) here.
4. The boy or his friends ( run / runs ) every day.
5. His friends or the boy ( run / runs ) every day.
6. Neither the children nor the their mother ( were / was ) ready for
the trip.
7. Neither the mother nor her children ( were / was ) ready for the
trip.

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 Rule 7 : If a sentence starts with “there” or “
here”, the subject will always be placed after
the verb.
verb
‘Here’ and
‘there’ are never
There is a meeting today. subjects
verb
subject

Here are the results from this past month.

subject ENGLISH, *Proprietary material of SILVER OAK UNIVERSITY

 There were five books on the shelf.
(were agrees with the subject book)

Here is the report you wanted.

( is agrees with the subject report)

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Exercise:
1. Here in the main ring of the circus ( come / comes )
the trained elephants.
2. There ( is / are ) many things to do before the
holiday.
3. Here ( is / are ) the nails you need for the projects.
4. There ( is / are ) many questions.
5. There ( is / are ) a question.

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 Rule 8 : Collective nouns may be singular or
plural depending on their use in sentence.
A Collective
Army Jury noun can be of
A collective Audience Orchestra people,
noun is a Class Public animals or
noun used to Club Troop
Committee
things.
name a whole Group
group. Crowd Team
Flock Herd
United States

If it is referred to as a whole group, it

will take singular verb. ENGLISH, *Proprietary material of SILVER OAK UNIVERSITY
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 verb

The orchestra is playing a hit song.

singular
subject

The orchestra were asked to give their musical backgrounds.

plural verb
subject
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 Examples

The team runs during practice.

The committee decides how to proceed.
The family has a long history.
My family has never been able to agree.
The crew is preparing to dock the ship.
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Exercise:
1. The committee ( work / works ) hard for better schools.
2. The jury ( was / were ) polled for their verdicts.
3. The United States ( is / are ) a country of contrast.
4. The family ( is / are ) occupied with their individual
problems.
5. The class (has / have) completed their projects.
6. The class (has / have) elected its officers.

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 Rule 9 : Expressions of time, money, and
measurement are usually singular.
verb
The amount of
these is
considered as Five dollars is too much to ask.
one unit.
singular verb
subject

Exception: Ten days is not nearly enough time.

There are thirty minutes to
countdown.
singular subject ENGLISH, *Proprietary material of SILVER OAK UNIVERSITY
Exercise:
1. 100 $ ( is / are ) not a lot of money to some people.
2. 20 minutes ( is / are ) the amount of time it takes me to get
home from work.
3. A pound of cookies ( cost / costs ) about a dollar.
4. Dollars ( is / are ) often used instead of rubbles in Russia.
5. Six gallons of paint ( was / were ) used on the house.
6. Five dollars ( is / are ) too much for a cup of coffee.

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Rule 10 : Some nouns, while plural in form,
are actually singular in meaning.
Physics
Even though the
following nouns end Civics
with an “s,” they are Economics
singular and Gymnastics
require a singular Aesthetics
verb. Social studies
Statistics
Mathematics
thesis

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 Examples

The news is on at six.

Mathematics is an easy subject for some people.

Physics is taught by Prof. Sreenath Nair

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Exercise:
1. Gymnastics ( is / are ) easy for Angela.
2. Interesting news ( is / are ) what sells our paper.
3. Measles ( is / are ) a disease most children experience.
4. Mumps ( is / are ) one of the most uncomfortable diseases.

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Rule 11 : Don’t and Doesn’t must agree
with the subject.
I do He does
We do She does
They do It does

Doesn’t he know how to sail?

They don’t make movies like that anymore

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Exercise:
1. It (doesn’t / don’t ) seem so cold today.
2. She (doesn’t / don’t ) look very well today.
3. They (doesn’t / don’t ) think they’ll win the game tonight.
4. He (doesn’t / don’t ) speak very well.
5. (doesn’t / don’t ) they know when to quit?
6. Ajay (doesn’t / don’t ) want to drive that long distance.

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THE END

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