Mastering Subject-Verb Agreement

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its verb.

Front

When should a singular verb be used?

Back

A singular verb should be used when the subject is singular, such as 'The cat runs fast.'

Front

When should a plural verb be used?

Back

A plural verb should be used when the subject is plural, such as 'The cats run fast.'

Front

What is the rule for collective nouns?

Back

Collective nouns, like 'team' or 'group', are usually treated as singular when the group acts as a single unit, e.g., 'The team is winning.'

Front

How does 'either/or' affect verb agreement?

Back

With 'either/or', the verb agrees with the nearest subject. For example, 'Either the cat or the dogs are making noise.'

Front

How does 'neither/nor' affect verb agreement?

Back

With 'neither/nor', the verb agrees with the nearest subject. For example, 'Neither the manager nor the employees are responsible.'

Front

What is the subject-verb pair in the sentence: 'The list of items is on the table'?

Back

The subject-verb pair is 'list - is'.

Front

What is the subject-verb pair in the sentence: 'The children playing in the yard are happy'?

Back

The subject-verb pair is 'children - are'.

Front

What is the rule for subjects joined by 'and'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb, e.g., 'The cat and dog are friends.'

Front

What is the rule for subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the nearest subject, e.g., 'The dog or the cats are outside.'