Subject-Verb Agreement Basics and Compound Subjects

1. Jennifer (attends, attend) Georgia State University.

2. Emily and John (is, are) visiting Atlanta.
3. Mark or Susan (needs, need) to pick up Sam from daycare.
4. The opinions in that article (is, are) controversial.
5. Every book and article for the class (is, are) listed on the teacher’s
website.
6. Attending concerts (is, are) fun.

Expressions of Quantity

7. Most of the book (is, are) exciting.

8. Some of the books (is, are) out of print.
9. One of the books (is, are) boring.
10. None of the books (is, are) interesting.
11. A number of employees (was, were) absent last week
because of the snowstorm.

There + Be

12. There (is, are) two cars in the driveway.

13. There (isn’t, aren’t) any milk in the fridge.
14. There (has been, have been) construction on that street for
as long as I can remember.
15. Why (is, are) there a line at the bank on a Tuesday morning?

Exceptions and Irregularities

16. Sears (is, are) the store where we bought our fridge.

17. The local news (begins, begin) at eleven.
18. Economics (was, were) her most difficult subject.
19. Measles (was, were) once a common disease.
20. Fifty miles (is, are) too far to travel for a daily commute.
21. One hundred minus twenty-five (is, are) seventy-five.
22. The police (has arrived, have arrived) at the scene of the
crime.
23. Brazilian Portuguese (is, are) her native dialect.
24. Many Japanese (is, are) fascinated by American popular
culture.
25. The young (has, have) their whole lives ahead of them.

 
 Answers and Explanations

1. Correct answer: attends. Singular subjects (“Jennifer”) take

singular verbs. A singular noun normally does not end
in s/es but a singular verb does.
2. Correct answer: are. Compound subjects (“Emily and John”)
require plural verbs.
3. Correct answer: needs. When subjects are joined by or, look
at the noun closest to the verb to determine whether the verb
should be singular or plural. “Susan” is singular and needs a
singular verb.
4. Correct answer: are. Interrupting phrases (“in that article”) do
not affect subject-verb agreement.
5. Correct answer: is. Each and every are immediately followed
by singular nouns. Even when there are two or more nouns
connected by and, the verb is singular.
6. Correct answer: is. A gerund used as a noun (“watching”)
takes a singular verb.
7. Correct answer: is. When using expressions of quantity, the
verb is usually determined by the noun or pronoun that
follows of. “Book” is singular and requires a singular verb.
8. Correct answer: are. This question follows the same rule as
the previous question. However, this time the noun
following of (“books”) is plural and requires a plural verb.
9. Correct answer: is. Plural nouns that are preceded by one
of, each of, and every one of take singular verbs.
10. Correct answer: is AND are. Singular and plural verbs
are both grammatically correct in this case. Subjects preceded
by none of used to be considered singular in formal English.
However, it is now acceptable to treat “none of” subjects as
plural in informal speech and some types of formal writing.
11. Correct answer: were. A number of is an expression of
quantity that is always followed by a plural subject and plural
verb. Don’t confuse this with the number of, which is a subject
and is singular.
12. Correct answer: are. The subject comes after the “to
be” verb when using there + be. The plural “two cars” requires
a plural verb.
13. Correct answer: isn’t. “Milk” is singular and takes a
singular verb.
14. Correct answer: has been. The singular “construction”
requires a singular verb.
15. Correct answer: is. Using there + be in a question
reverses the word order so that “there” follows “be.” “A line” is
treated as a singular entity and requires a singular verb.
16. Correct answer: is. Some proper nouns (“Sears”) end
in s/es even though they are singular.
17. Correct answer: begins. “News” is always singular.
18. Correct answer: was. Fields of study that end
in ics (such as “economics”) are singular.
19. Correct answer: was. Some illnesses (“measles”) that
end in s/es are singular.
20. Correct answer: is. Expressions of time, money and
distance (“fifty miles”) usually take a singular verb.
21. Correct answer: is. Mathematical expressions take
singular verbs.
22. Correct answer: have arrived. A handful of English
nouns are plural but do not end in s/es. “Police” is one of
these nouns.
23. Correct answer: is. Proper nouns that can refer to both
a language and a nationality are singular when they refer to
the language.
24. Correct answer: are. However, they are considered
plural when they identify nationality or ethnicity.
25. Correct answer: have. Some adjectives can be used as
plural nouns when they are preceded by the. “The young” is
such an example.
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.

3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.

4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.

5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.

6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.

7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.

8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.

9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.

10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.

11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.

12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.

13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.

14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?

15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favorite subject.

16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.

17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?

18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.

19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!

20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.

21. The committee members (leads, lead) very different lives in private.

22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.

23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
1. Annie and her brothers are at school.

2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.

3. The dog or the cats are outside.

4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.

5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.

6. Benito doesn't know the answer.

7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.

8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.

9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.

10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.

11. Either answer is acceptable.

12. Every one of those books is fiction.

13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

14. Is the news on at five or six?

15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite subject.

16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.

17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?

18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.

19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!

20. The committee debates these questions carefully.

21. The committee members lead very different lives in private.

22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, greets the press cordially.

23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.