Subject-Verb Agreement

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

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

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When should a singular verb be used?

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A singular verb should be used when the subject is singular, for example, 'The dog barks.'

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When should a plural verb be used?

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A plural verb should be used when the subject is plural, for example, 'The dogs bark.'

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

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When subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb, e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends.'

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

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When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it, e.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.'

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How does the presence of phrases affect subject-verb agreement?

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Phrases that come between the subject and verb do not affect agreement, e.g., 'The bouquet of flowers smells sweet.'

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What is the rule for collective nouns?

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Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals, e.g., 'The team wins' (singular) vs. 'The team are arguing' (plural).

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What is the rule for indefinite pronouns?

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Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'someone', and 'nobody' are singular and take singular verbs, e.g., 'Everyone is here.'

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What is the exception for 'none'?

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'None' can be singular or plural depending on the context, e.g., 'None of the cake is left' (singular) vs. 'None of the students are here' (plural).

Front

How does the verb change with 'each' and 'every'?

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'Each' and 'every' are always followed by a singular verb, e.g., 'Each student has a book.'