Subject-Verb AgreementSubject-Verb Agreement

AgreementAgreement Present tense verbs in English should agree with

the subject of the sentence Singular subjects use singular verbs

Jack robs liquor stores (s on the verb) Plural subjects use plural verbs

Bonnie and Clyde rob banks (no s on the verb) Most native speaker do this instinctively More complex problems require you to learn a few

rules

Identify the SubjectIdentify the Subject Ignore words that come between the subject and

the verb Reduce sentences to their simplest form

A good set of skis costs / cost hundreds of dollarsA good set of skis costs / cost hundreds of dollarsA good set of skis costs hundreds of dollarsMy boss, as well as her staff, leave / leaves early every FridayMy boss, as well as her staff, leave / leaves early every FridayMy boss, as well as her staff, leaves early every Friday

Compound Subjects using “And”Compound Subjects using “And” Most compound subjects joined by “and” are plural

Bert and Ernie is / are special friendsBert and Ernie is / are special friends (plural verb)

Exception: If the words joined by “and” refer to a single thing, the subject is also singular

War and Peace is a very thick book (singular)My friend and co-worker is waiting to see you (singular)

Compound Subjects using “Or”Compound Subjects using “Or” When the subject is joined with “or” or “nor” the verb

agrees with the words closest to the verbNeither the instructor nor the students has / have any control over the number of 8 o’clock classes Neither the instructor nor the students has / have any control over the number of 8 o’clock classes (plural verb)Either two credit cards or a membership is / are needed before you can rent movies Either two credit cards or a membership is / are needed before you can rent movies (singular verb)

– Note: While the above example is correct, it is usually better to place the plural word closer to the verb

Either a membership or two credit cards are needed before you can rent movies (plural verb)

Indefinite PronounsIndefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns are singular

every, everyone, everybody, each, neither, either, none, one, no one

– Every student has / have a unique student number– Every student has / have a unique student number– None of us admit / admits to sending the e-mail message– None of us admit / admits to sending the e-mail message

Ignore prepositional phrases coming between the subject and the verb

– Each of the five departments is / are hiring new instructors– Each of the five departments is / are hiring new instructors

Collective NounsCollective Nouns Words such as jury, committee, or herd will be

singular when everyone in the group is acting together

The jury is / are deciding the fate of the accusedThe jury is / are deciding the fate of the accused

Collective nouns will be plural when the members of the group are not acting together

The jury is / are undecided on the guilt of the accusedThe jury is / are undecided on the guilt of the accused

Here, There, and ItHere, There, and It When the sentence begins with Here or There, the

subject follows the verb and controls whether the verb is plural

Here are my reasons for quitting (plural)There is no need to pay me next week (singular)

It is always singularIt was the long hours that bothered me (singular)

Words Ending in SWords Ending in S Words such as economics, AIDS, physics and

news are singularEconomics is fun and excitingThe news is usually broadcast live

Words such as scissors, eyeglasses and pants that name things with two parts are plural

My glasses were broken when I did a face plant

Money and MeasurementMoney and Measurement Units of time, money, distance, and weight use

singular verbsTwenty kilometres is a long distance to skate to work each dayEight dollars an hour is a poor rate

The expression the number is singular The number of failures is decreasing

The expression a number is plural A number of people are leaving

TitlesTitles The title of a movie, book or magazine requires a

singular verb Lost Horizons is a book about a utopiaThe Simpsons is my favourite TV show

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