This document provides guidance on subject-verb agreement in English. It explains that the verb must agree with the subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. It discusses some exceptions and tricky cases involving compound subjects, collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, inverted word order, and more. The document aims to help ensure subject and verb always correctly correspond to one another in number.

2.  Subject-VerbAgreement refers to the
relationship between the verb and its
subject.
 Every clause or sentence must agree in
number and person with its subject.
 Verb must be singular if its subject is
singular; verb must be plural if its
subject is plural.

3.  Examples:
 Singular Subject and SingularVerb
▪ Overcrowding causes many of the discipline
problems in our school.
 Plural Subject and PluralVerb
▪ Fires destroy millions of dollars worth of
property each year.

4. These one creates problem:
The pronoun everyone and someone,
seem plural but they are singular – so
they need singular verb.

5.  Examples:
 Everyone who joined the cheer
dance is a winner.
 Someone has to answer the phone.

6.  To choose the correct verb form,
identify the subject of the
sentence.
Example:
The first three weeks of basic training
is the worst.

7. The first three weeks of basic training
is the worst.
[The plural subject weeks takes a plural
verb.]
Subject
are

8.  Another group of words that can cause
confusion is the subordinate clause.
The use of mood altering drugs, although they
sometimes provide great medical benefits, are
generally criticized by the public.
[The singular subject use takes a singular verb.]
Subject
is

9.  A problem can also arise from the use of
along with, as well as, in addition to, and
together with.
The cost of medication as well as doctors’ fees
are a problem for retired Canadians wintering
in Florida.
[The singular subject cost takes a singular verb.]
Subject
is

10.  Block all prepositional phrases,
subordinate clauses, and miscellaneous
expressions, you will get the subject
and the verb by process of elimination.
Unless it rains, I plan on leaving as late
as possible, along with all the other
vacationers.

11.  Look for inverted word order, in
which the subject follows the verb.
From his research has come three
promising cancer drugs.
Subject
have

12.  Use a plural verb with the most
compound subjects joined by and.
Their television and their camera was
stolen.
Subject wereSubject

13.  However, when singular subjects are
joined by and are preceded by each,
every, no, nothing or many a(n), use
a singular verb.
Every chair and every couch are on
sale this weekend.
S isS

14. No bicycling and no hitchhiking are
permitted on Highway 20.
isSS

15.  If the two parts of a compound
subject, whether singular or plural,
express a single idea or refer to a
single person, use singular verb.
Ham and eggs are my favorite
breakfast.
S is

16.  If subjects joined by either/or or
neither/nor differ in number and
person, make the verb agree with
the subject close to it.
Neither the instructor nor the
students is satisfied with the room.
are

17.  When a collective noun used as a
subject regards a group as a unit,
use singular verb. When it refers to
the individual members of a group,
use plural verb.

18. The committee gives its report today.
The committee give their reports
today.
The committee as a whole
Each member of the committee

19.  When a relative pronoun (who,
which, or that), is the subject,
make the verb agree with the
pronoun’s antecedent.

20. A politician who votes pro-labor gets
elected.
Politicians who vote pro-labor get
elected.

21. She is one of the politicians who
always vote pro-labor.
She is the only one of the politicians
who always votes pro-labor.

22.  When an indefinite pronoun is the
subject, choose a singular or plural
verb, depending on the number of
the indefinite pronoun.

23.  Use a singular verb with a singular
indefinite pronoun. (another,
anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone,
everything, neither, no one, nothing,
one, somebody, someone,
something).

24. Somebody has to decide whether to
paint the kitchen this year.
[One person (one body) will make the
decision.]

25.  Use a plural verb with a plural
indefinite pronoun (both, few, many,
several).
I spent the afternoon shopping for a
camera, but few were reasonably
priced.

26.  With indefinite pronouns that can
be singular or plural, (all, any, none,
some), use a singular or plural verb,
depending on the word the
indefinite pronoun refers to.

27. All of the wheat is harvested.
All of the fields are ploughed.
[Wheat is singular, fields is plural.]

28.  When the sentence begins with
here or there, make the verb agree
in number with the subject.
There is stone, brick and tile
fireplaces in Blenheim Castle.
are

29.  Make linking verbs agree in
number with their subjects not
their complements.
 A subject complement renames or
describes the subject and is, therefore
sometimes confused with it.
His main interest are stamps.
S complementis

30.  When the subject noun is in the
form of a plural but is singular in
meaning, use a singular verb.
Measles were a serious childhood
disease until a vaccine was developed.
was

31.  When a word used as a word is the
subject, use singular verb.
 The number (singular or plural) of the word
used as a word is unimportant; the sentence
is about a single thing so use a singular verb.
Flurries are one of the terms used to describe
a light fall of snow.
is

32.  When the subject of a sentence is a
noun clause, use a singular verb.
That he actually bought a new jeep
surprises me.
Noun clause

33.  Noun clauses that begin with what
are the exception. If the subject of
the sentence is plural, the verb is a
linking verb, use a plural verb with a
what clause.

34. What worries him more than anything
else is his low grades in his major.
Subjectare

35. -THE END-