This document outlines 15 rules for subject-verb agreement in English grammar. It explains that the verb must agree with the subject in person and number, whether singular or plural. Some key points covered are: verbs must agree with subjects connected with "either-or" or "neither-nor" based on the number of the subjects; compound subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb; collective nouns can take a singular or plural verb depending on if the group is viewed as a whole or individuals; and indefinite pronouns like "everyone" and "no one" are singular and require a singular verb. The document is authored by educator Mr. Alvin B. Punongbayan who has experience

1. SUBJECT – VERB
AGREEMENT
Mr. Alvin B. Punongbayan

2. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
A good sentence must have an agreement
between the subject and the verb.

3. RULE NO. 1
A verb agrees with its subject in person and in number.
Singular subject needs singular verb. Plural subject
needs plural verb.
Examples:
A scientist tries to explain the hypothesis.
Some scientists try to explain the hypothesis.

4. First Person:
I open the gift.
We open the gift
Second Person:
You clean the mess.
Third Person:
He gives an inspirational talk.
They give an inspirational talk.

5. RULE NO 2
Subjects connected by “Either - or” or
“Neither - nor” take a singular verb if
the subjects are both singular.
Example: Either Jim or Jake is listening.

6. RULE NO 2
Subjects connected by “Either - or” or
“Neither - nor” take a plural verb if the
subjects are both plural.
Example: Neither the boys nor the girls are
listening.

7. If the subjects differ in number/person, the
verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Examples: Either the boys or the girl is listening.
Neither the boy nor the girls are
listening.

8. RULE NO. 3
“There is” is followed by a singular noun.
“There are” is followed by a plural noun.
Examples: There is a man in the store.
There are men in the store.

9. RULE NO 4
Compound subjects connected by “and”
take a plural verb.
Example: Frelyn and Freda are sisters.

10. RULE NO 5
Quantity, fraction, amount of money and
unit of measurement take singular verbs,
unless plural idea is implied.
Examples: Eighty meters is the width of our
house.
Twenty pesos is for my fare.

11. One-half of the boys are good.
One-third of the students have graduate
degrees.
One-third of this article is taken up with
statistical analysis.
Fifty percent of the job is routine.

12. RULE NO. 6
Noun ending in “s” but singular in meaning
takes singular verb.
Example: Mathematics is an interesting
subject.

13. RULE NO. 7
If the compound subjects are preceded by the
article “the” verb must be plural.
Example: The president and the chairman are singing.
But if the second subject is NOT preceded by
“the”, verb must be singular.
Example: The president and chairman is Dr. Magno.

14. RULE NO. 8
Intervening expressions such as as well as,
together with, in addition to, accompanied by, and
including plus do not affect the number of the
subject.
Example: The teacher, as well as the students, is
attending the program.

15. RULE NO. 9
“A number” takes plural verb;
“The number” takes singular verb.
Example: The number of participants is
small.
A number of teachers are absent.

16. RULE NO. 10
“Many” is plural;
“Many a” is singular.
Example: Many soldiers were killed.
Many a soldier was killed.

17. RULE NO. 11
Collective nouns such as class, jury, team, crew,
faculty, flock, bunch, etc. take singular/plural verbs
depending on whether the group is taken as a
whole or as individuals.
Example: The class is very quiet.
The class makes their own project.
The teams are eating their lunch.

18. RULE NO. 12
Relative pronouns may take singular or plural
verbs depending upon the antecedents they refer to.
Examples: The woman, who is in the office, is my
adviser.
The girls, who are laughing, are my students.

19. RULE NO. 13
Title of poems, novels, plays, books,
magazines, etc. take a singular verb.
Example: “Trees” was written by Joyce Kilmer.

20. RULE NO. 14
The indefinite pronouns each, every, either, neither,
somebody, nobody, everybody, everyone, no one, and
someone are singular so they require singular verbs.
Examples: Everyone is invited in the program.
No one helps the old woman.

21. B. All, some, few, several, and others take
plural verb.
Example: All of them are invited in the
program.

22. RULE NO. 15
The expression “One of” takes singular
verb.
Example: One of the students is absent.

23. MR. ALVIN B. PUNONGBAYAN
Discussant

24. •Educator in Secondary and Tertiary
Level
•Author of language books

25. •Bachelor of Secondary Education
Major: English
With Highest Academic Distinction
•Master of Arts in Education
Major: Administration & Supervision
Cum Laude
•Doctor of Philosophy
Major: Educational Management
Our Lady of Fatima University

26. •International Research Presenter
International Conference of Basic
Education Researchers
International Congress for Action Research,
Action Learning
•Human Resource Management &
Organization
International Business Management
Institute

27. TEACHING EXPERIENCES:
•STI College-Balayan
•Core Science Academy
•Bilaran National High School
•Dr. Francisco L. Calingasan Memorial
Colleges Foundation Inc.

28. •Research Coordinator
•Statistician
•School Paper Adviser
•Lecturer / Speaker