SVA says

SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT
 SVA says

What is a Subject?
Subject is a person or thing that is
being discussed, described, or
dealt with.
 SVA says

What is a Verb?
Verb is a word used to describe
an action, state, or occurrence,
and forming the main part of the
predicate.
SVA says

NOTE!!!!
Subjects and verbs must
agree with one another
in number.
 SVA says

BASIC RULE
Thus, if a subject is singular, its
verb must also be singular; if a
subject is plural, its verb must
also be plural.
 EXAMPLES:

The children are having fun playing under the

rain.

The Principal in that private school does not

allow students who are in improper uniforms
to enter the class.
SVA says

EXCEPTION

Singular subjects “I” and “You” take plural verbs.

EXAMPLES:

I blink every few seconds.

You are an amazing person.

 SVA says

Rule No. 1

Indefinite pronouns typically take a singular

verb (with some exceptions)
 EXAMPLES:

Each of the participants was willing to be

recorded.

I will offer a gift card to everyone who

participates in this lesson.
 SVA says

Rule No. 2

The pronouns "few," "many," "several,"

"both," and "all" always take the plural form
of the verb.
 EXAMPLES:

Few were left alive after the flood.

Both of them are going to attend the meeting.

 SVA says

Rule No. 3
Some nouns such as news, physics, statistics,
economics, gymnastics, aerobics, measles, mumps,
and headquarters that end in ‘s’ seem to be plural
but are actually singular, and hence they take
singular verbs.
 EXAMPLES:

Politics is full of uncertainties.

Measles is an acute contagious disease.

 SVA says

Rule No. 4

When the conjunction or, nor, either-or, neither-

nor, connect the parts of a compound subject, the
verb will agree with the subject closest to it.
 EXAMPLES:

Either rain or snow is/are falling over the

state.

Neither the general or his men is/are at the

fort.
 SVA says

Rule No. 5

When sentences start with there or here, the

subject will always be placed after the verb. Some
care needs to be taken to identify each part
correctly.
 EXAMPLES:

There is a problem with the balance sheet.

Here are the papers you requested.
There are the chickens you were looking for.
 SVA says

Rule No. 6

If two subjects are joined by and, they typically

require a plural verb form.
 EXAMPLES:

The cow and the pig are jumping over the

moon.
Martha and Emily are enemies.
 SVA says

Rule No. 7

The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by

and refer to the same person or thing as a whole.
 EXAMPLES:

Red beans and rice is my mother’s favorite

dish.
Singing is my bread and butter.
 SVA says

Rule No. 8

The only time the object of the preposition decides plural

or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects
like some, half, none, more, or all are followed by a
prepositional phrase. Then the object of the preposition
determines the form of the verb.
EXAMPLES:

All of the chicken is gone.

All of the chickens are gone.
Some of the pizza was eaten.
Some of the pizzas were eaten.
 SVA says

Rule No. 9

The singular verb form is usually reserved for units of

measurement or time.
 EXAMPLES:

Four quarts of oil was required to get the car

running.
One thousand pesos is my everyday allowance.
 SVA says

Rule No. 10

If two infinitives are separated by ‘and’, they take the

plural form of the verb.
 EXAMPLES:

To walk and to chew gum require great skill.

To sing and to dance are not my strong points.
To love and to be loved are my frustrations.
 SVA says

Rule No. 11

When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they

take the singular form of the verb. However, when they
are linked by ‘and’, they take the plural form.
 EXAMPLES:

Standing in the water was a bad idea.

Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are
my hobbies.
 SVA says

Rule No. 12

A collective noun, such as team or staff, can be either

singular or plural depending upon the rest of the sentence.
Typically, they take the singular form, as the collective
noun is treated as a cohesive single unit.
 EXAMPLES:

The staff are gathering for their meeting.

The committee is being punished for its
irresponsiveness.
 SVA says

Rule No. 13

Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works

are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
 EXAMPLES:

Mathematics is my favorite subject.

The Hunger Games was a hit back in 2010.
Mumps is very rampant nowadays.
 SVA says

Rule No. 14

Remember, only the subject affects the verb! Nothing else

matters.
 EXAMPLES:

Jacob, who owns sixteen houses and twenty

resorts, is becoming a billionaire now.
Teacher Ely, along with her naughty students,
is going to discuss something important today.
 SVA says

Things to remember:

a)The trick is to know whether the subject is singular

or plural.
b)The next trick is to recognize whether the verb is
singular or plural.