Ensuring that the subject and verb agree in number is a basic but essential part of writing grammatically correct sentences. To make sure the verb agrees with the subject, begin by identifying whether the subject is singular (referring to one person or thing) or plural (referring to more than one).
Basic Rule of Agreement
- Singular subjects take verbs with an –s or –es at the end.
Example: The bird spreads its wings. - Plural subjects take verbs without an –s.
Example: The birds spread their wings.
This pattern is reversed from noun usage, where plural nouns usually take –s endings, but verbs do the opposite.
Common Challenges in Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Prepositional Phrases Can Be Misleading
Be careful not to confuse the object of a prepositional phrase with the sentence’s subject.
- Correct: The author of the stories uses a pen name.
(“Author” is singular and is the subject; “stories” is part of a modifying phrase.) - Incorrect: The author of the stories use a pen name.
(This mistakenly makes “stories” the subject, creating disagreement.)
2. Agreement with Linking Verbs and Predicate Nominatives
When a linking verb connects the subject to a predicate nominative (a noun that renames the subject), the verb must agree with the subject, not the predicate nominative.
- Correct: The first act was clowns doing funny tricks.
(“Act” is singular, so the verb must be “was,” even though “clowns” is plural.) - Incorrect: The first act were clowns doing funny tricks.
(“Were” wrongly agrees with “clowns” instead of “act.”)
3. Compound Subjects
- Subjects joined by “and” are usually plural:
The shark and the porpoise are diving. - But when the compound subject refers to a single unit or idea, it’s considered singular:
Peas and carrots is a good side dish. - With or, nor, either…or, and neither…nor, the verb agrees with the part of the subject closer to the verb:
- Neither the shark nor the porpoises are diving.
- Neither the sharks nor the porpoise is diving.
- Either the shark or the porpoise is diving.
4. Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns like that or which. The verb in the clause must agree with the antecedent (the noun the clause refers to):
- Opera is one of the entertainment forms that combine music and drama.
(“Forms” is plural → verb is combine.) - Opera is the only one of the entertainment forms that is unfamiliar to me.
(“One” is singular → verb is is.)
5. Collective Nouns
Collective nouns refer to groups (e.g., team, family, committee). Their number depends on whether the group is acting as a unit or as individual members.
- Singular use (group as a whole):
The team wins every game. - Plural use (individual actions):
The team are arguing among themselves.
1.8 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Directions: Write I in front of each sentence where the subject and verb do not agree. Leave the line blank if the sentence is correct.
- All of the oceans in the world have whales.
- A good field guide is one of the items that helps birdwatchers.
- The northern oriole is an eastern United States bird that winters in Latin America.
- Blue corn is one of those crops that is not common throughout the United States.
- Careful planning and good luck was responsible for the successful moon landings.
- So far neither soil analysis nor photo scans has established a noticeable trend.
- The Riverdale Thunder are a new team.
- Overfishing in some waters sometimes eliminate an entire species.
1.8 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Directions Recap:
Write I in front of the sentence if the subject and verb do not agree. Leave it blank if the sentence is correct.
1. All of the oceans in the world have whales.
Correct – Subject: All of the oceans (plural); Verb: have (plural form).
The subject oceans is plural, so the verb have agrees correctly.
Answer: (Leave blank)
2. A good field guide is one of the items that helps birdwatchers.
Correct – Subject: A good field guide (singular); Verb: is.
The phrase one of the items that helps is grammatically valid. Helps refers to items, but is relates to guide, which is singular.
Answer: (Leave blank)
3. The northern oriole is an eastern United States bird that winters in Latin America.
Correct – Subject: The northern oriole (singular); Verb: is, winters.
Both verbs agree with the singular subject oriole.
Answer: (Leave blank)
4. Blue corn is one of those crops that is not common throughout the United States.
Correct – Subject: Blue corn (singular); Verb: is.
The main clause is about blue corn, not crops. So is not common applies to blue corn, which is singular.
Answer: (Leave blank)
5. Careful planning and good luck was responsible for the successful moon landings.
Incorrect – Compound Subject: Careful planning and good luck (plural); Verb: was (singular).
Two nouns joined by and form a plural subject and require the plural verb were.
Correct form: Careful planning and good luck were responsible…
Answer: I
6. So far neither soil analysis nor photo scans has established a noticeable trend.
Incorrect – Subject: neither…nor construction; Closest noun: photo scans (plural); Verb: has (singular).
In neither…nor sentences, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, photo scans is plural, so the verb should be have.
Correct form: …photo scans have established…
Answer: I
7. The Riverdale Thunder are a new team.
Incorrect – Subject: The Riverdale Thunder (singular collective noun); Verb: are (plural).
Even though Thunder sounds plural, it is the name of a single team and is treated as singular.
Correct form: The Riverdale Thunder is a new team.
Answer: I
8. Overfishing in some waters sometimes eliminate an entire species.
Incorrect – Subject: Overfishing (singular); Verb: eliminate (plural).
Overfishing is a singular noun, so the correct verb is eliminates.
Correct form: Overfishing… sometimes eliminates…
Answer: I
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