Subject/Verb Agreement is simply means the subject and
verb must agree in number. This means both need to be singular or both need to
be plural.
Subject/Verb Agreement Examples
Here are
some examples of subject verb agreement (the subject is bolded and the verb
underlined):
·
My dog always growls at the postal carrier.
·
Basketballs roll across the floor.
·
I don’t understand the assignment.
·
These clothes are too small for me.
·
Peter doesn’t like vegetables.
Compound Subjects
Compound
subjects (two subjects in the same sentence) usually take a plural verb, unless
the combination is treated as singular in popular usage or the two subjects
refer to the same thing or person. Here are some examples of subject verb
agreement with compound subjects:
·
Sugar and flour are needed for the recipe.
·
Neither my dad nor my
brothers know how
to ski.
·
Pepperoni and cheese are great on a pizza.
·
Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional meal in Ireland.
(popular usage)
·
The creator and producer is arriving soon. (both refer to same
person)
When
using “or” or “nor” in a compound subject containing a singular and plural
subject, the verb agrees with the closest subject. Examples of compound
subjects using or, neither-nor, or either-or include:
·
My mom or dad is coming to the play. (singular)
·
Neither gray nor white is my favorite color. (singular)
·
Either Grandpa or my sisters are going to the park. (closest subject is
plural)
·
Either my sisters or Grandpa is going to the park. (closest subject is
singular)
·
Neither she nor I am going to college. (closest subject is
singular)
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Here are
some examples of subject verb agreement with singular indefinite pronouns:
·
Each gets a trophy for playing.
·
Somebody will pay for this.
·
Anybody is more fun than you.
·
Something is very wrong here.
·
Everybody enjoys a good book.
·
Nothing has been determined as of yet.
Plural Indefinite Prounouns
Here are
some examples of subject verb agreement with plural indefinite pronouns:
·
Both are qualified for the job.
·
Many went to the beach and got sunburned.
·
Few know what it really takes to get ahead.
·
Several are already on location.
·
Some sugar is required
for taste. (sugar is uncountable so singular verb used)
·
Most of the cookies were eaten.
(cookies are countable so plural verb used)
Midsentence Phrase or Clause
Here are
some examples of subject verb agreement with a phrase or clause between the
subject and verb:
·
A theory of physics ascertains that a body in motion stays in motion.
·
A virus in all the company’s computers is a real threat to security.
·
The causes of this prevalent disease are bad diet and lack of exercise.
·
The couch and chair I got at the store look really nice in here.
·
The members of the choir are very happy with the performance.
Collective Nouns
Collective
nouns can be singular or plural depending on meaning. Here are some examples of
subject verb agreement with collective nouns:
·
The committee meets here every Thursday. (singular)
·
The crowd is getting angry. (singular)
·
The jury has finally reached a decision. (singular)
·
The majority rules most of the time. (plural)
·
The staff have gone their separate ways for the
holidays. (plural)
Inverted Subjects
Here are
some examples of subject verb agreement with inverted subjects where the
subject follows the verb:
·
There are seven clean plates in the dining room.
·
There is a hair in my lasagna.
·
Over
the rainbow flies a bird.
·
How are the employees enjoying the new building?
·
A
good gift is a gift card.
Subject/verb
agreement is essential to ensure that a sentence is grammatically correct.
20 Rules About Subject-Verb
Agreement
1. Use verbs that agree
with a subject, not with a noun that is part of a modifying phrase or clause
between verb and subject:
“The pot
of eggs is boiling
on the stove.”
2. Use singular or plural
verbs that agree with the subject, not with the complement of the subject:
“My
favorite type of movie is comedies,” but “Comediesare my favorite type of movie.”
3. Use singular verbs with
singular indefinite pronouns — each, the “-bodies,” “-ones,” and “-things” (anybody,everyone, nothing), and the like:
“Neither is correct.”
(And, just as in rule number 1, the presence of a modifier is irrelevant:
“Neither of them iscorrect.”)
4. Use plural verbs with
plural indefinite pronouns:
“Many
outcomes are possible.”
5. Use singular verbs with
uncountable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun:
“All the
paint is dried
up.”
6. Use plural verbs with
countable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun:
“All the
nails are spilled on the floor.”
7. Use plural verbs with
compound subjects that include and:
“The dog
and the cat are outside.”
8. Use plural verbs or
singular verbs, depending on the form of the noun nearest the verb, with
compound subjects that include nor or or:
“Either
the dog or the cats are responsible for the mess.” (“Either
the cats or the dog is responsible for the mess” is also
technically correct but is awkward.)
9. Use singular verbs with
inverted subjects that include singular nouns:
“Why is my
hat outside in the rain?”
10. Use plural verbs with
inverted subjects (those beginning with the expletive there rather than the actual subject) that include plural nouns:
“There are several
hats outside in the rain.”
11. Use singular or plural
verbs with collective nouns depending on meaning:
“His
staff is assembled,”
but “Staff are asked to go to the conference room
immediately.” (In the first sentence, the emphasis is on the body of employees;
in the second sentence, the focus is on compliance by each individual in the
body of employees.)
12. Use singular verbs for
designations of entities, such as nations or organizations, or compositions,
such as books or films:
“The United
Nations is headquartered
in New York.”
13. Use singular verbs for
subjects plural in form but singular in meaning:
“Physics is my
favorite subject.”
14. Use singular or plural
verbs for subjects plural in form but plural or singular in meaning depending
on the context:
“The
economics of the situation are complicated,” but “Economics is a
complicated topic.”
15. Use plural verbs for
subjects plural in form and meaning:
“The
tweezers are in the cupboard.”
16. Use plural verbs in
constructions of the form “one of those (blank) who . . .”:
“I am
one of those eccentrics who do not tweet.”
17. Use singular verbs in
constructions of the form “the only one of those (blank) who . . .”:
“I am
the only one of my friends who does not tweet.”
18. Use singular verbs in
constructions of the form “the number of (blank) . . .”:
“The
number of people here boggles the mind.”
19. Use plural verbs in
constructions of the form “a number of (blank) . . .”:
“A
number of people here disagree.”
20. Use singular verbs in
construction of the forms “every (blank) . . .” and “many a (blank) . . .”:
“Every
good boy does fine”; “Many a true word is spoken
in jest.”
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