English Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
A simple subject-verb agreement
definition is, that the subject of the sentence and the verb of the sentence
must be in agreement in number.
Subject-Verb agreement is essential to
make sure that a sentence is grammatically correct.
Example:
The dog is playing with his ball.
The subject of this sentence is ‘dog’
and the verb used is singular in nature, ‘is playing’.
The dogs are playing with their ball.
The subject of this sentence is ‘dogs’
and the verb used is plural in nature, ‘are playing’.
Subjects
and verbs must agree with each other in number for a sentence to make sense.
Most of the rules of subject-verb
agreement are simple and easy, but exceptions to the rules can make it more
complicated.
1.
When
two subjects are joined by ‘and’, the verb is plural.
Example:
My friend and his mother are in town.
The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
2.
When
two singular nouns joined by ‘and’ refer to the same person or thing, the verb
is singular.
Example:
The captain and coach of the team has
been sacked.
*In case these were two different
individuals, two articles need to be used:
The captain and the coach of the team
have been sacked.
3.
Indefinite
pronouns (everyone, each one, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, anyone,
anybody etc.) are always singular.
Example:
Everyone is selfish.
*This rule does not apply to: few,
many, several, both, all, some.
4.
When
the percentage or a part of something is mentioned with plural meaning the
plural verb is used.
Example:
40 of every 100 children are
malnourished.
5.
When
the subjects, joined by ‘either-or’ or ‘neither-nor’ are of different persons,
the verb will agree in person and number with the noun nearest to it.
Example:
Neither you nor your dogs know how to
behave.
Either of the books is fine for REET
preparation.
*When either and neither are used as
pronouns, they are treated as singular and always take the singular verb.
6.
If
connectives/appositives like: along with, together with, as well as,
accompanied by etc. are used to combine two subjects, the verb agrees with the
subject mentioned first.
Example:
Mr. Ram, accompanied by his wife Sita
and his brother, was banished to the forest.
7.
A
number of/ the number of
‘A number of’ is always plural.
‘The number of’ is always singular.
Example:
A number of students are going on the
trip.
8.
The
singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.
Example:
Five gallons of oil was required to get
the engine running.
9.
When
any of ‘few, many, several, both, all, some’ is used with a countable noun, the
verb is plural.
Example:
Some men are needed for the battle.
10.
When
any of ‘few, many, several, both, all, some’ is used with an uncountable noun,
the verb is singular.
Example:
Some milk is spoilt.
11.
One
thing that confuses writers is a long, complicated subject. The writer gets
lost in it and forgets which noun is actually the head of the subject phrase
and instead makes the verb agree with the nearest noun.
Example:
The arrival of new fall fashions has
excited all the back-to-school shoppers.
12.
Another
difficulty, for writers, is the move away from strict grammatical agreement
toward “notional agreement,” that is, the verb agrees with the notion or idea,
the subject is trying to convey, whether it is singular or plural.
Example:
Twenty-five rules are listed on the
notice.
13.
Subordinate
clauses that come between the subject and verb don't affect their agreement.
Example:
The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is
usually very good.
14.
Prepositional
phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Example:
The colors of the rainbow are
beautiful.
15.
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.
Example:
There is a problem with the balance
sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.
16.
Subjects
don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify
the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.
Example:
Where are the pieces of this puzzle?
17.
If
one of the words "each," "every," or "no" comes
before the subject, the verb is singular.
Example:
No smoking or drinking is allowed.
Every man is required to check in.
18.
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.
Example:
All of the chicken is gone.
All of the chickens are gone.
19.
If
the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words "or,"
"nor," "neither/nor," "either/or," or "not
only/but also," the verb is plural.
Example:
Not only dogs but also cats are
available at the animal shelter.
20.
If
one subject is singular and the other is plural, and the words are connected by
the words "or," "nor," "neither/nor,"
"either/or," or "not only/but also," use the verb form of
the subject that is nearest the verb.
Either the bears or the lion has
escaped from the zoo.
Neither the lion nor the bears have
escaped from the zoo.
21.
If
two infinitives are separated by "and," they take the plural form of
the verb.
Example:
To walk and to chew gum require great
skill.
22.
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.
Standing in the water was a bad idea.
Swimming in the ocean and playing drums
are my hobbies.
23.
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.
Example:
The herd is stampeding.
24.
Titles
of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and
take a singular verb.
Example:
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom
Hanks.
Remember, only the subject affects the
verb! Nothing else matters.
Some examples:
1. My dog always growls at the postal
carrier.
2. Basketballs roll across the floor.
3. I don’t understand the assignment.
4. These clothes are too small for me.
5. Peter doesn’t like vegetables.
6. Sugar and flour are needed for the
recipe.
7. Neither my dad nor my brothers know how
to ski.
8. Pepperoni and cheese are great on a
pizza.
9. Corned beef and cabbage is a
traditional meal in Ireland.
10.
The
creator and producer is arriving soon.
11.
My mom
or dad is coming to the play. (singular)
12.
Neither
gray nor white is my favorite color. (singular)
13.
Either
Grandpa or my sisters are going to the park. (closest subject is plural)
14.
Either
my sisters or Grandpa is going to the park. (closest subject is singular)
15.
Neither
she nor I am going to college. (closest subject is singular)
16.
Each
gets a trophy for playing.
17.
Somebody
will pay for this.
18.
Anybody
is more fun than you.
19.
Something
is very wrong here.
20.
Everybody
enjoys a good book.
21.
Nothing
has been determined as of yet.
22.
Both
are qualified for the job.
23.
Many
went to the beach and got sunburned.
24.
Few
know what it really takes to get ahead.
25.
Several
are already on location.
26.
Some
sugar is required for taste. (sugar is uncountable so singular verb used)
27.
Most
of the cookies were eaten. (cookies are countable so plural verb used)
28.
A
theory of physics ascertains that a body in motion stays in motion.
29.
A
virus in all the company’s computers is a real threat to security.
30.
The
causes of this prevalent disease are bad diet and lack of exercise.
31.
The
couch and chair I got at the store look really nice in here.
32.
The
members of the choir are very happy with the performance.
33.
The
committee meets here every Thursday. (singular)
34.
The
crowd is getting angry. (singular)
35.
The
jury has finally reached a decision. (singular)
36.
The
majority rules most of the time. (singular)
37.
The
staff have gone their separate ways for the holidays. (plural)
38.
There
are seven clean plates in the dining room.
39.
There
is a hair in my lasagna.
40.
Over
the rainbow flies a bird.
41.
How are
the employees enjoying the new building?
42.
A good
gift is a gift card.
43.
Alex
and Murphy are coming here.
44.
Robin
and his friends want to go on a tour.
45.
Apples
and mangoes are my favorite fruits.
46.
Tom,
along with his brothers is going to the city.
47.
Alex,
as well as his parents, is coming to the party.
48.
The
boys, accompanied by their teacher Mr. Robbins are planning a tour.
49.
Everybody
wants to live happily.
50.
Something
is bothering him.
51.
No
human being lives in that house.
52.
Neither
of you is responsible enough to handle it.
53.
Each
student has to submit a separate assignment.
54.
My
pants are in the drawer.
55.
Your
eyeglasses are dirty.
56.
These
scissors are useless.
57.
None
of the money has been used.
58.
None
of the teacher wants failure for students.
59.
None
of the students want to fail.
60.
None
of the bottles are clean enough to keep water.
61.
Neither
Alex nor his brothers are going to the party.
62.
Either
John and Alex or I am doing it.
63.
I or
Robert opens the door when someone comes.
64.
Neither
the boys nor we are responsible for it.
65.
Here
comes the lion.
66.
There
is a pond near the house.
67.
There
are some candies on the table.
68.
Here
is the document for your car.
69.
The
committee has decided to postpone the game.
70.
The
family was ecstatic by the news.
71.
The
crowd enjoys the excitement in the game.
72.
Twenty
dollars is not a lot of money.
73.
A
flock of sheep always moves together.
74.
A pack
of wolves is approaching towards the herd of cattle.
75.
A
school of fish always hides from the big fishes.
76.
A
number of dancers are coming to the party. (Indefinite number of dancers – plural)
77.
The
number of dancers coming to the party is 12. (Definite number of dancers –
singular)
78.
A
number of people prefer cricket to football.
79.
The
number of days in this month is 28.
80.
Swimming
is a good exercise.
81.
Walking
is a good habit.
82.
Eating
healthy food makes you healthy.
83.
To err
is human.
84.
The
pious are loved by God.
85.
The
industrious are always not successful.
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