Subject-Verb Agreement

Clear communication hinges on your ability to match subjects and verbs correctly. Mastering subject-verb agreement—the grammatical rule that a verb must agree in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third) with its subject—is fundamental. While the basic rule seems simple, several tricky constructions can trap even experienced writers.

The Foundational Rule

At its core, subject-verb agreement is about number. A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb. To identify the subject, ask "who or what is doing the action?" The verb must then match. For most verbs in English, this distinction is only visible in the present tense and with the verb to be.

• Singular: The cat sleeps on the sofa. (Subject: cat; Verb: sleeps)
• Plural: The cats sleep on the sofa. (Subject: cats; Verb: sleep)
• Using to be: She is a doctor. / They are doctors.

The verb form changes with the subject's person (I, you, he/she/it, we, they). This is most evident with the verb to be (I am, you are, he/she/it is) but applies to other verbs in the third-person singular present tense (he/she/it walks, runs, has).

Navigating Interrupting Phrases

One of the most frequent errors occurs when a prepositional phrase or other modifier separates the subject from the verb. The key is to ignore the words in the intervening phrase; the verb agrees with the true subject, not with a noun inside the phrase.

• Correct: The box of old books is in the attic. (Subject: box; not books)
• Correct: The players on the winning team celebrate their victory. (Subject: players; not team)
• With relative clauses: The man who owns three cars drives a bicycle to work. (Subject: man; the clause "who owns three cars" merely describes him.)

Phrases beginning with as well as, along with, together with, and in addition to are also interrupters, not part of a compound subject. The verb agrees with the main subject alone.

• The CEO, along with her advisors, is reviewing the proposal.

Agreement with Compound Subjects

Compound subjects are two or more subjects connected by a conjunction. The conjunction used determines the agreement rule.

1. Subjects Joined by And: This almost always creates a plural subject and requires a plural verb.

• Peanut butter and jelly is a classic combination. (Here, "peanut butter and jelly" is considered a single, combined item, which is an exception.)
• Sarah and her brother are arriving tomorrow.

1. Subjects Joined by Or / Nor (or Either...Or / Neither...Nor): The verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb. This is called the proximity rule.

• Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared for the fire drill. (Verb agrees with closer subject, students.)
• Either the directors or the CEO approves the budget. (Verb agrees with closer subject, CEO.)

The Tricky Realm of Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns (e.g., everyone, someone, each, either, neither, none, all, some) do not refer to a specific person or thing. Their agreement rules are specific and must be memorized.

• Always Singular: Each, either, neither, anyone, anybody, anything, everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody, something, no one, nobody, nothing.
• Everybody has completed the survey.
• Each of the reports is thorough.

• Always Plural: Both, few, many, several.
• Several of the applications were rejected.

• Singular or Plural (depends on the object of the preposition): Some, any, none, all, most. Look at the noun in the following of phrase to decide.
• Some of the cake is gone. (Cake is singular.)
• Some of the cookies are gone. (Cookies is plural.)

Handling Collective and Special Nouns

Collective nouns name a group acting as a single unit (e.g., team, committee, family, jury, staff). In American English, these typically take a singular verb when the group is acting in unison.

• The jury reaches its verdict.
• The staff meets on Fridays.

However, if the emphasis is on the individual members of the group acting separately, a plural verb may be used.

• The jury are arguing among themselves in the deliberation room.

Special nouns like news, mathematics, physics, and measles are grammatically singular. Titles of books, movies, and companies are also singular.

• The news is on at six. Mathematics challenges many students.

Common Pitfalls

1. Misidentifying the Subject with "Here" or "There": In sentences beginning with Here or There, the subject comes after the verb. Find it before choosing the verb.

• Incorrect: There is many reasons to go. (The subject is the plural reasons.)
• Correct: There are many reasons to go.
• Correct: Here is the file you requested. (Subject is the singular file.)

1. Agreeing with a Predicate Noun: The verb must agree with the subject, not with a noun that follows the verb (a predicate noun).

• Incorrect: His primary concern are the safety protocols.
• Correct: His primary concern is the safety protocols. (Subject: concern)

1. Forgetting the Proximity Rule with "Or/Nor": When subjects are joined by or or nor, it's easy to default to a plural verb. Always check which subject is nearest.

• Incorrect: Either the participants or the facilitator are responsible.
• Correct: Either the participants or the facilitator is responsible.

1. Treating "Each" and "Every" as Plural: The words each and every are always singular, even if they precede a compound subject.

• Incorrect: Every manager and employee receive a bonus.
• Correct: Every manager and employee receives a bonus.

Summary

• The core rule is singular subject = singular verb; plural subject = plural verb. Always identify the true subject, ignoring interrupting prepositional phrases or descriptive clauses.
• For compound subjects, and usually creates a plural subject, while or/nor requires the verb to agree with the subject closest to it.
• Memorize the lists of singular and plural indefinite pronouns. Remember that pronouns like some or none can be singular or plural depending on the noun they refer to.
• Collective nouns (e.g., team, family) generally take a singular verb in American English when the group acts as one unit.
• Avoid common traps like letting here/there sentences mislead you, agreeing with a predicate noun, or incorrectly pluralizing verbs with each and every.