Things We Have to Remember About Subject/Verb Agreement

Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.

 See the section on Plurals for additional help with subject-verb agreement.

 

1. Remember that the indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular!
• Everyone has done his or her homework.
• Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns -- such as all, some -- are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?)
• Some of the beads are missing.
• Some of the water is gone.
On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it doesn't matter unless something else in the sentence determines its number.
• None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
• None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
• None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.
 
2. Remember that some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome: everyone and everybody (listed above, also), which certainly feel as though we're talking about more than one person and, therefore, should use a plural verb; and each, which is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word, confusing the verb choice.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.
Remember that you would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing will change that.
Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Don't let the "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular -- Each is responsible.
3. Remember that phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and.
• The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
• The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).
4. Remember that the pronouns neither and either are always singular even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.
• Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
• Either suit is fine with me.
 
5. Remember that the conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does), and that (when nor or or is used) the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't matter.
• Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
• Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
• Are either my brothers or my father resposible?
• Is either my father or my brothers responsible?
 
6. Remember that the words there and here are never subjects.
• There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
• There is no reason for this.
• Here are two apples.
With these constructions, the subject follows the verb.
7. Remember that verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .
 
8. Remember that sometimes modifiers get betwen a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.
The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.
9. Remember that sometimes nouns as subjects take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section on Collective Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).
• My glasses were on the bed.
• My pants were torn.
• A pair of trousers is in the closet.
10. Remember that fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular.
 
• Some of the voters are still angry.
• A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
• Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
• Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
• Two and two is four.
• Four times four divided by two is eight.
11. Remember that some words end in -s but are nonetheless singular.
• The news from the front is bad.
• Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural.
• My assets were wiped out in the depression.
• The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
• Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

Quiz on Subject/Verb Agreement

 Second Quiz on Subject/Verb Agreement

 

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Guide to Grammar and Writing