Subject-Verb Agreement

IO—ENG Technical Writing and Speech Communication

Jeremy ____________ affection.

crave craves
RULE#1
Be sure subjects and verbs agree.
Subjects and verbs agree when they are
both singular or both plural.

A singular subject needs a singular

verb:
A plural subject needs a plural verb.
RULE#1
EXAMPLE
1. Mr. Santos ( drive, drives) carefully.
2. The dog (need, needs) to go for a walk.
3. They( dance, dances) together.
4. My sisters ( is, are) mathematicians.
5. My Parents (eat,eats) lunch.
RULE#2

The pen and pencil _____ in the

drawer.

is are
RULE#2
Look for the word “and”
Compound subjects connected by
“AND” usually requires a plural verb.

1. A lantern and a candle (is,are) used in

the porch.
2. Bread and butter (was,were) all they
offered us.
3. The key and the lock (is,are) missing.
A man’s success or failure _____in his
hands.

lie lies
RULE#3
Look for the word “or ”,”nor”,”but”
If there are two or more subjects joined
by or,nor,but, the verb agrees with the
part of the subject closest to it.
1. The professor or the students (walk,
walks) the halls.
2. The professor or his
assistants (grade,grades) the papers.
3. The police officers or the chief (file,files)
reports.
Either the dogs or the cat
____on the bed.

sleeps sleep
RULE#4
Look for the word “either-or ”,”neither-
nor”, not only, but also.

Compound subjects joined by

either-or, neither-nor, not only-
but also ordinarily take verbs
agreeing in number with
nearer subject.
RULE#4
EXAMPLE
1. Not only the students but also the
teacher (is, are) learning.
2. Not only the boss but also her
employees (wishes,wish) the shift
would end.
3. Neither Alex nor his brothers
(is,are)going to the party.
 A study on African countries ___that
80% of the people of this continent live
below the poverty line.

show shows
RULE#5
Intervening/Prepositional Phrases

When prepositional phrases

separate the subjects from the
verbs, they have no effect on
the verbs.
RULE#5
EXAMPLE
1. The perspective of different people
(varie,varies)from time to time.
2. The fear of terrorist and militants
(has,have) made them flee the city.
3. Daddy, as well as my brothers,
(is,are)enjoying the party.
4. Josh,accompanied by his
sisters,(is,are)enrolling in UP.
 Each _____ on time.

arrive arrives
RULE#6
Look for Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns* are usually

singular and take a verb form that
ends in “s.”

Each,everybody,everyone,everything,
any,anybody,anything,somebody,
someone,something,one,nothing,nobod
y,either, neither, another, the other.
Pay attention to indefinite pronouns.

These words are always singular:

words ending in -body, -one, or -
thing
(e.g. anybody, someone,
nothing)
either, neither, another
each, every, one
RULE#6
EXAMPLE
1. Everybody (love,loves) cupcakes.
2. Neither of the teams (has,have)
ever won a championship game.
3. Everything (is,are) in order.
 All ____ satisfied

was were
RULE#7
Pay attention to indefinite pronouns.
Some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or
plural:
none, some, all, most, any
Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns that
can be either singular or plural.

1. Some of the letters (was,were)at the post

office.
2. Some of the mail (was,were) at the post office.
3. Any doctor can (prescribe,prescribes)
medicine
Pay attention to indefinite pronouns.
These words are always plural:
Both, many, several
Here is an example of a plural indefinite pronoun.

Several students were at the game.

Plural indefinite pronouns are typically followed by
plural nouns like “students,” so agreement with
plural indefinite pronouns is not usually
problematic. Here, we’re talking about several
students considered as a group, so the plural
“were” is appropriate.
The committee ____ decided to
postpone the game.

have has
RULE#8
Collective Nouns as subjects

• Collective nouns name a group or a

collection of persons or things (family,
union, group, committee). When the
collective noun refers to a group as a
unit, a singular verb is used.
Pay attention to collective nouns.
Collective nouns are nouns that include or
imply more than one person but act as a
unified group:
a group of tourists
a team of mules
a class of students
a family of people from Pace
a jury of your peers
a band of robbers
a herd of cattle
a crew of pirates
Pay attention to collective nouns.
If the members of a collective noun are working
together or are being referred to as a whole, the
word takes a singular verb:

The jury has reached a verdict.

The crew is making its plans.

The members of the jury are acting as a single

unit, so “jury” takes a singular verb. Likewise,
the members of the crew are acting as a single
unit, so “crew” takes a singular verb.
Pay attention to collective nouns.
If the group members are not acting together
or you are referring to individual effort within
the group, the word takes a plural verb:

The jury have disagreed throughout the trial.

The crew are preparing the ship.

Here, the members of the jury are acting

separately, and the members of the crew are
performing separate actions within the group.
RULE#8
EXAMPLE
1. The family (was,were) excited for the
vacation.
2. The crowd (enjoys,enjoy) the
excitement in the game.
3. The committee (is,are) meeting on
Friday.
My pants ____ in the closet.

is are
RULE#9

• Some nouns are always plural in

form and in meaning so it takes a
plural verb.
These nouns have two parts.
Scissors, shorts, eyeglasses, pants,
thongs,jeans,trousers,clothes,
earrings,headphones
RULE#9
EXAMPLE
1. Your eyeglasses (is,are) dirty.
2. These scissors (is,are)
useless.
3. A pair of pants( is,are) needed.
Physics _____ a required subject for
Science majors.

is are
RULE# 10
Singular Subject with Plural Forms of
Nouns

• Some nouns that end in –s, such as

statistics, economics, and
mathematics, politics, physics act as
singular subjects; therefore, they use
singular verbs.
RULE#10
EXAMPLE
1. Politics (were,was) with him the
business of his life
2. Statistics (is,are) Jake’s
favorite subject.
“The Dialogues” of Plato ____ a great
classic

is are
RULE# 11
Title of Book
The title of a book is considered
singular.
• Mathematics (is,are) branch of study in
every school.
• Angels and Demons (is,are) an intriguing
novel.
• The Netherlands (is,are) a European
country that borders Belgium.
The number of students in the class
____ limited.

is are
RULE# 12 Be careful with “number of”
Subjects preceded by “a number of” or “a
percentage of” always require a plural verb:

A number of UWF’s students are returning to college after

having been in the workforce for years.

Subjects preceded by “the number of” or “the

percentage of” always require a singular verb:

The percentage of female college students has exceeded

the percentage of male students since the late 1970’s.
RULE# 12
The expression the number of take the S form
of the verb,while the expression a number of
takes the base form of the verb.

• The number of whooping cranes

(has,have) been increasing.
• A number of cranes (have,has)been reared
successfully by sandhill cranes.
• A number of books (is,are) on reserved in
the library.
Five years (is,are) the maximum
sentence for that offense.

is are
RULE# 13
When the subject is a unit of measurement of
time, distance, money, weight, etc. The unit is
considered singular, and the verb will end in
“s.”

• Ten pounds of chocolate (is, are) too

much to eat
• Thirteen feet of kite string (tangle,tangles)
very easily.
• Dollars (is,are) America’s national
currency.
EXCEPTION:

When referring to an amount, use a singular

verb:

One hundred dollars is not a lot of money.

Twenty miles is a long distance to run daily.

Think of “twenty miles” or “one hundred

dollars” as a single unit.
 There ____ my sweaters.

is are
RULE# 14 Be careful with “here” and “there.”

In a question or in a sentence that begins with

there or here, the verb will often come before
the subject.

• Here (is,are) the ways on how to bake

brownies.
• There (is,are)a million things I need to do
before my trip.
• Here (are,is) some examples of my work.
Running with ducks (is,are) my
favorite sport.

is are
RULE# 14 Watch out for gerunds.

A gerund is an –ing verb acting as a noun.

• Finding qualified candidates (seems,seem)

difficult.
• Dwelling on past disappointments (is,are)
unhealthy.
• Running to the store and flying through the air
(is,are) my favorite sports.
 John is
the player who (has,have) scored
in most of the games.

has have
RULE# 15 Watch out for relative pronoun

When using a relative pronoun (who,

which, that, what, whatever, and
whoever) to introduce a dependent
clause, that verb in the clause should
agree in number with the pronoun’s
antecedent (the word to which the pronoun
refers).
EXAMPLES: Watch out for relative pronoun

• Jake is the only one who (has,have) a

security pass.
• Mary is one of the students who (has,have)
done honor to the college.
• The logic class, which (is,are) known to be
difficult, nevertheless attracts a certain type
of student.
• Grace is a woman who (love,loves) nature.
Either Mommy or Daddy _____
coming with me at the school
concert.

is are
RULE# 16
If both subjects are singular and
connected by or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or and not only/but also, the
verb is singular.
• Sally or Bubba (has,have) stolen the
scarecrow.
• Not only the guitar player but also the
drummer (were,was) soaked with sweat.
• Neither Fill nor Cris (is,are) waiting for you.
In this school ____enrolled several
aliens students.

is are
RULE# 17 Inverted sentence
When the subject comes after
the verb make sure that the verb
agrees with its subject.

• In the center of the mall (stand,stands) four

statues.
• Here (is,are) the books that you ordered.
• Do the employees consent to the terms in the
contract?
One third of the apples____ yours.

is are
RULE# 18
The number of the noun that follows
an expressions of fraction or portion
determines the form of the verb to
be used.

• Half of the apple (was,were) eaten by rats.

• Two-thirds of the lemonade (has,have) been
finished off.
• Twenty-five percent of
the students (is,are) on the field trip today.