2. Subjects and verbs must agree with another
in number (singular and plural). If a subject is
singular, the verb must be singular. If a
subject is plural, the verb must be plural.
3. In the present tense, nouns and verbs form plurals
in the opposite ways: Plural nouns add an “s” to the
singular form of the verb.
Example:
• The squirrel runs to get the acorn.
• The squirrel is a singular noun, therefore
the action (verb) is put into the plural form.
If the noun is plural, the “s” is removed from the
verb and added to the noun.
Example:
• The squirrels run to get the acorn.
4. Group Nouns
• Nouns that name groups can either be
singular or plural.
• If you are referring to a group as a whole, the
noun is considered singular, therefore the
verb is singular.
– The club is meeting today
• If you are referring to the individuals of the
group, the noun and verb are both plural.
– The couple are separating today.
5. Plural Form, Singular Meaning
• Even though some nouns appear to be plural
because of the “s” at the end, they only refer
to one thing, therefore they are singular. We
use a singular verb for this.
– Mathematics is my favorite subject.
– Politics has made people do strange things.
• Some nouns that end with “s” are in fact
plural. We use a plural verb for these
– The statistics show that she will win the election.
