Subject Verb Agreement

What is Subject Verb Agreement?

Subject verb agreement refers to the fact that the subject and verb in

a sentence must agree in number. In other words, they both must be

singular or they both must be plural. You can’t have a singular

subject with a plural verb or vice versa.

Why is Subject Verb Agreement so
Important?

So you don't sound like an uneducated fool.

When a person don't have a subject agreeing

with the verb, he sound very stupid. So if you is

trying to look dumb, makes your subject and

verb not agree in number.

 When a person doesn't have a subject
agreeing with the verb, he sounds very
stupid. So if you is are trying to look
dumb, makes your subject and verb not
agree in number.

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How to be PERFECT in Subject
Verb Agreement?
 Let us Learn the Rules…

What are the Rules

 Rule No.1

Rule:-
• A verb agrees with its subject in
number.

Example:-
• The car stays in the garage.
• The flower smells good.
 Rule No.2

Rule:-
• The number of the subject
(singular or plural) is not changed
by words that come between the
subject and the verb.

Example:-
• One of the eggs is broken.
• The subject one and the verb is
also singular.
 Rule No.3

Rule:-
• Some subjects always take a
singular verb even though the
meaning may seem plural.

Example:-
• These subjects always take
singular verbs:
 each someone
 either anyone
 neither nobody
 one somebody
 Rule No.4

Rule:-
• The following words may be
singular or plural, depending upon
their use in a sentence

Example:-
• some, any, all, most.
• Most of the news is good. (singular)
• Most of the flowers were yellow.
(plural)
 Rule No.5

Rule:-
• Subjects joined by and are
plural. Subjects joined by or
Nor take a verb that agrees with
the last subject.

Example:-
• Bob and George are leaving.
• Neither Bob nor George is
leaving.
• Neither Bob nor his friends are
leaving.
 Rule No.6

Rule:-
• There and here are never subjects.
In sentences that begin with these
words, the subject is usually found
later on in the sentence.

Example:-
• There were five books on the shelf.
(were, agrees with the subject
book)
• Here is the report you wanted. (Is
agrees with subject report)
 Rule No.7

Rule:-
• Collective nouns may be singular or
plural, depending on their use in the
sentence.

Example:-
• army crowd orchestra
• audience flock public
 (A collective noun is a noun used to
name a whole group.)
 Rule No.8

Rule:-
• Expressions of time, money,
measurement, and weight are
usually singular when the amount is
considered one unit.

Example:-
• Five dollars is (not are) too much to
ask.
• Ten days is (not are) not nearly
enough time.
 Rule No.9

Rule:-
• Some nouns, while plural in form, are
actually singular in meaning.

Example:-
• Mathematics is (not are) an easy
subject for some people.
• Physics is (not are) taught by Prof,
Baldwin.
 Rule No.10

Rule:-
• Don’t and Doesn’t must agree with
the subject. Use doesn’t after he,
she, it.

Example:-
• Doesn’t he (not don’t) know how to
sail?
• They don’t (not doesn’t) make
movies like that anymore.