Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject-verb agreement rule means that when making a sentence, the subject and verb must "agree" (= be the same):
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Singular subject => singular verb
Plural subject => plural verb
A singular noun is a noun that refers to one person or thing (such as kid, chair, bus, etc.).A singular verb is a verb that describes the action or state of one person or thing (such as is, has, talks, etc.).
A plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one person or thing. It usually ends with an S (such as kids, chairs, buses, etc.).
A plural verb is a verb that describes the action or state of more than one person or thing. It usually doesn't end with an S (such as are, have, talk, etc.).
Examples of singular subjects:
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Examples of singular verbs:
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Examples
of plural subjects:
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Examples of plural verbs:
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Subject-verb agreement – example sentences:
| Correct: James is a singer. Incorrect: James are a singer. |
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| Correct: They are fighting. Incorrect: They is fighting. |
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| Correct: Tom likes his car. Incorrect: Tom like his car. |
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So how do you make sure your subjects and verbs agree?
- Identify the subject.
- Determine whether it is singular
(one) or plural
(more than one).
- Make sure the verb agrees (is the same).
Here is a simple example:
The bird _________ (be) on the tree.
The subject = The bird => singular (one bird)
Therefore, the correct sentence is: The bird is are on the tree.
And here is a not so simple example:
The list of students _________ (be) very long.
The subject = The list => singular (one list)
Therefore, the correct sentence is: The list of students is are very long.
Here are some more rules on subject-verb agreement:
Singular subject + and + singular subject => plural verb| Correct: A girl and
a boy are
planting a tree. Incorrect: A girl and a boy is planting a tree. |
 |
Singular subject + or / nor + singular subject => singular verb
| Correct: Neither
Alex nor Peter is
blond. Incorrect: Neither Alex nor Peter are blond. |
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Singular subject + or / nor + I => am
| Correct: Either
Joe or I am
going to stay here. Incorrect: Either Joe or I are going to stay here. Incorrect: Either I or Joe is going to stay here. |
 |
Singular subject + or / nor + plural subject => plural verb
| Correct: The dog or
cats sleep
here. Incorrect: The cats or dog sleep here. Incorrect: The dog or cats sleeps here. |
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Singular subject + comments => singular verb
| Correct: Bob, not
his wife, is
doing the cooking. Incorrect: Bob, not his wife, are doing the cooking. |
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| Correct: Justin, as
well as a shark, swims
in the water. Incorrect: Justin, as well as a shark, swim in the water. |
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Every, each, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody => singular verb
| Correct: Each of the
apples is
so delicious. Incorrect: Each of the apples are so delicious. |
 |
All / some / none + singular noun => singular verb
All / some / none + plural noun => plural verb
| Correct: Some of the
cake is
pink. Incorrect: Some of the cake are pink. Correct: Some of the cakes are pink. Incorrect: Some of the cakes is pink. |
 |
Percent / fraction / part + singular noun => singular verb
Percent / fraction / part + plural noun => plural verb
| Correct: Most of the
group is
from around here. Incorrect: Most of the group are from around here. Correct: Eighty percent of the people have a job. Incorrect: Eighty percent of the people has a job. |
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Either of / Neither of => singular verb
| Correct: Neither of
them contains
sugar. Incorrect: Neither of them contain sugar. |
 |
Money / time => singular verb
| Correct: Ten
thousand dollars is
the highest amount we can give you. Incorrect: Ten thousand dollars are the highest amount we can give you. Correct: Five years is a reasonable amount of time to pay them back. Incorrect: Five years are a reasonable amount of time to pay them back. |
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These were the subject-verb agreement rules. Use them to make grammatically correct sentences.
