English [5.4] Subject-Verb Agreement Mitsa Tutoring Organization || 2021.

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INSTRUCTIONS: Underline the appropriate verb for each sentence.

1. Karina (is, are) a good dancer.

2. I (go, goes) to all of their concerts.
3. You don’t know who he is? Everybody (love, loves) him!
4. Miss Irene’s students (dance, dances) really well.
5. The research on the chosen topic (were, was) interesting.
6. The flock of sheep (follow, follows) the shepherd every morning.
7. My mom and dad (are, is) going on a date tonight.
8. The Hunger Games (is, are) my favorite book of all time.

To determine when to use singular and plural verbs

To learn how to compose sentences with correct subject-verb agreement

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Subject-verb agreement simply means that the subject and verb in a sentence
have to agree with each other in number so that the sentence makes sense. There
are many rules of subject-verb agreement and we will be enumerating some of the
major ones as well as some special rules.

*For the examples: bold = subject; underline = verb

Rule 1: Number Agreement (Basic Subject-Verb Agreement)

Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular, then it must
have a singular verb; if the subject is plural, then it must have a plural verb. This is
the most basic rule and is the cornerstone of every rule of subject-verb agreement.

Example 1: The cat purrs when she is hungry. (singular subject - singular verb)
Example 2: The cats purr when they are hungry. (plural subject - plural verb)

The pronouns I, they, and you are exceptions to this rule. These pronouns are paired
with plural verbs, even if these pronouns may refer to a singular subject.

Example 1: I write books. (NOT “I writes books.”)

Example 2: They write books. (NOT “They writes books.”)
Example 3: You write books. (NOT “You writes books.”)

NOTE:

Although we pair plural verbs with the pronoun I, we do not use the linking
verb are. Instead, I is paired with the linking verb am. Additionally, take note
that the pronoun you is both singular and plural but is always paired with a
plural verb.

Example: I am a dancer. (NOT “I are a dancer.”)

Example: You are a dancer. (NOT “You is a dancer.”)

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Rule 2: Words Between the Subject and the Verb

A subordinate clause or prepositional phrase that comes in between the subject

and the verb does not affect their agreement.

Example 1: The mailman, who usually wears white clothes, delivers our packages.
(The clause “who usually wears white clothes” does not affect the
agreement between mailman and delivers.)
Example 2: The bag of candies is too heavy for me.
(The prepositional phrase “of candies” does not affect the agreement
between bag and is.)

Rule 3: Indefinite Pronouns

Singular indefinite pronouns are paired with singular verbs. Singular indefinite
pronouns include each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone,
anybody, anything, someone, something, everyone, everybody, and everything.

Example 1: Everybody wants to love and be loved.

Example 2: Neither makes sense to me.

Plural indefinite pronouns are paired with plural verbs. Plural indefinite pronouns
include several, few, both, and many.

Example 1: Several do not like the idea of staying inside the building.
Example 2: Both of them watch the same cartoon series every afternoon.

Some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural. These include some, any,
none, all, and most. In these cases, mass or uncountable subjects are paired with
singular verbs. On the other hand, countable subjects are paired with plural verbs.

Example 1: Some of the rice is on the floor. (rice is uncountable)

Example 2: Some of the balls are on the floor. (balls are countable)

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Rule 4: Compound Subjects Joined by and

Compound subjects joined by and are always paired with plural verbs.

Example 1: A pencil and a pen are all you need for the exam.
Example 2: A spoon and a fork make eating more convenient.

Rule 5: Compound Subjects Joined by or/nor

With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer
to it.

Example 1: Neither the teacher nor the students are excited for the class today.
(The subject students is nearer to the verb, hence are is used.)
Example 2: Neither the students nor the teacher is excited for the class today.
(The subject teacher is nearer to the verb, hence is is used.)

Rule 6: Inverted Subjects

Inverted subjects must agree with the verb. Inverted subjects are subjects that are
preceded by verbs.

Example 1: There is a duck in the pond.

(The subject duck is singular, hence singular verb is is used.)
Example 2: There are ducks in the pond.
(The subject ducks is plural, hence plural verb are is used.)

Rule 7: Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (e.g. group, team, flock, committee) typically use singular verbs.
However, you should still check whether the collective noun is acting as one unit or
as separate individuals.

Example 1: The committee decides whether we will accept the proposal or not.
(The committee collectively does the verb decides.)
Example 2: The committee have conflicting opinions regarding the decision.
(The members of the committee are acting as individuals, hence the
verb have is used.)

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NOTE:

Since some readers may find plural verbs paired with collective nouns
confusing, it may be a better idea to revise the sentence.

Example 1: The committee have conflicting opinions.

(Might be confusing for some.)
Example 2: The members of the committee have conflicting opinions
(Easier to understand because the focus is put on the members instead
of the committee as a whole.)

Rule 8: Title of Single Entities

Titles of single entities (e.g. books, organizations, movies) are always paired with
singular verbs.

Example 1: Cars 2 is my favorite movie.

Example 2: The Hunger Games takes a long time to read.

Rule 9: Plural Form Subject

Plural form subjects with a singular meaning are paired with singular verbs (e.g.
news, measles, mumps, mathematics)

Example: Measles is a contagious disease. (Measles is treated as one entity)

For plural form subjects with singular or plural meaning, look at the context on
whether the word is used as a singular or plural subject. (e.g. politics, economics)

Example 1: Politics is an interesting field of study.

(Politics is referred to as a single topic)
Example 2: The politics of the situation were complicated.
(Politics refers to the many aspects of the situation)

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Plural form subjects with a plural meaning are paired with plural verbs (e.g.
scissors, trousers, jeans).

Example 1: The scissors are on the table.

Example 2: The pair of scissors is on the table.
(In example 2, the subject is the word pair and the prepositional phrase
of scissors does not affect the number of the verb is.)

Rule 10: Subject and Subjective Complement of Different Number

For subject and subjective complement of different numbers, the verb always
agrees with the subject.

Example 1: My favorite topic is fables by Aesop.

(The word topic is the subject, not fables)
Example 2: Fables by Aesop are my favorite topic.
(The word fables is the subject, not Aesop nor topic)

Special Rule 1-A: one of those ____ who

For “one of those ____ who”, use plural verbs

Example: Thomas is one of those people who like to study for fun.
(In this case, it is implied that others besides Thomas like to study in
their free time.)

Special Rule 1-B: the only one of those ____ who

For “the only one of those ____ who” , use singular verbs

Example: Thomas is the only one of those people who likes to study for fun.
(In this case, it is implied that no one else except Thomas likes to study
in their free time.)

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Special Rule 2-A: the number of ____

For “the number of ____”, use singular verbs

Example: The number of applicants grows each year.

(The number refers to one quantity, hence a singular verb is used.)

Special Rule 2-B: a number of ____

For “the number of ____”, use singular verbs

Example: A number of students apply to study abroad every year.

(A number refers to many or several, hence a plural verb is used.)

Special Rule 3: every ____ and many a ____

For “every ____” and “many a ____”, use singular verbs

Example 1: Every man, woman, and child participates in the earthquake drill.
Example 2: Many a child dreams about having their dream house.

NOTE:

It is important to remember the rules. In addition, it is also important to

always look at the context of the subject to determine whether it refers to a
singular or plural entity.

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● Subject-verb agreement should always be observed when composing

sentences.
● There are many rules of subject-verb agreement, the main one being the
number agreement rule
○ Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular, then
it must have a singular verb; if the subject is plural, then it must have a
plural verb.
● Always look at the context of a subject to determine whether it is singular or
plural.

INSTRUCTIONS: Underline the appropriate verb for each sentence.

1. They (practice, practices) the choreography every night.

2. The ball and the bat (is, are) in the shed.
3. Here (are, is) the details for the project.
4. The team (represents, represent) the whole province of Palawan.
5. Either Joy or Irene (likes, like) to scroll through Instagram before eating dinner.
6. Tiffany is one of those people who (supports, support) the movement.
7. Mathematics (is, are) so difficult.
8. I am sure that many of his friends (participates, participate) in school events.
9. The number of potatoes in the field (increase, increases) during the summer.
10. The Game of Thrones (is, are) quite a long series.
11. Roseanne, who writes down notes, (come, comes) early to meetings.
12. Many a tale (were, was) told.

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ANSWER KEY

MEASURE APPLY

1. is 1. practice 7. is
2. go 2. are 8. participate
3. loves 3. are 9. increases
4. dance 4. represents 10. is
5. was 5. likes 11. comes
6. follows 6. support 12. was
7. are
8. is

REFERENCES
MLA Style Center. (2021, March 8). Should I use a singular or plural verb with a
collective noun? Retrieved October 26, 2021, from
https://style.mla.org/verbs-with-collective-nouns/

The University of Melbourne. (n.d.). Forming sentences with subject-verb agreement.

Retrieved October 26, 2021, from
https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-resources/gramma
r/forming-sentences-with-subject-verb-agreement

Towson University. (n.d.). Usage - subject-verb agreement. Retrieved October 26, 2021,
from https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm

YourDictionary. (n.d.). Rules of subject-verb agreement simply explained. Retrieved

October 26, 2021, from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/
sentences/20-rules-of-subject-verb-agreement.html

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