SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT
THE BASICS A SINGULAR SUBJECT NEEDS A SINGULAR VERB THE GIRL (SINGULAR SUBJECT) READS (SINGULAR VERB) MYSTERY STORIES. A PLURAL SUBJECT NEEDS A PLURAL VERB THE GIRLS (PLURAL SUBJECT) READ (PLURAL VERB) MYSTERY STORIES.
IF ONLY LIFE WERE THAT SIMPLE DON’T BE CONFUSED BY PLURAL WORDS THAT COME AFTER THE VERB MY BIGGEST PROBLEM (IS/ARE) THE MANY INCOMPLETE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS I NEED TO FINISH.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY PLURAL WORDS THAT COME BETWEEN A SINGULAR SUBJECT AND THE VERB THE TOPIC OF THESE FOUR BOOKS (IS/ARE) HORSES. EACH OF THE BIKES (HAS/HAVE) NEW TIRES.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY SUBJECTS THAT COME AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE. STANDING AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM (WAS/WERE) MY PARENTS. AT THE END OF MOST OF OUR TEAM’S GAMES (COME/COMES) VICTORY’S SWEETNESS.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY PHRASES SUCH AS “ALONG WITH”, “TOGETHER WITH”, “ACCOMPANIED BY”, “AS WELL AS”, “INCLUDING”, AND “IN ADDITION TO” TENITA, AS WELL AS MIKE, (PLAY/PLAYS) BASKETBALL WELL.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY A “NOT” PHRASE. I, NOT YOU, (AM/ARE) LATE.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY COLLECTIVE NOUNS FAMILY, ORCHESTRA, GROUP, COMMITTEE, JURY, CROWD, HERD, AUDIENCE, PAIR, SQUAD WHETHER THE NOUN IS PLURAL OR SINGULAR DEPENDS ON WHETHER THE SENTENCE REFERS TO THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OR THE GROUP AS A WHOLE.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY NOUNS OF AMOUNT THESE ARE LIKE COLLECTIVE NOUNS – ARE THEY INDIVIDUAL OR THE WHOLE FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS IS A LOT OF MONEY. WE HAVE A PROBLEM: FIVE HUNDRED-DOLLAR BILLS ARE MISSING.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY INDEFINITE PRONOUNS. “I” AND “YOU” REFER TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE. SOME OTHER PRONOUNS POINT TO NON-SPECIFIC PEOPLE—SOMEONE, ANYONE, NOBODY, ANYBODY (INDEFINITE PRONOUNS)
MORE ISSUES PRONOUNS BEGINNING WITH “ANY”, “NO”, “EVERY”, AND “SOME” ARE ALWAYS SINGULAR. EVERYBODY IS COMING. “EACH”, “ANOTHER”, “EITHER”, “NEITHER”, “LITTLE”, “MUCH” ARE ALWAYS SINGULAR. LITTLE IS HAPPENING BECAUSE NEITHER OF MY FRIENDS IS HERE.
MORE ISSUES “BOTH”, “SEVERAL”, “FEW”, “MANY”, “MOST”, “OTHERS” ARE PLURAL “ANY”, “MORE”, “SOME”, “ENOUGH”, “ALL”, “MOST”, “WHO”, “HALF”, “NONE” ARE EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL.
EITHER/OR NEITHER/NOR THESE DEPEND UPON THE REST OF THE SENTENCE FOR DETERMINATION. IF BOTH PARTS ARE SINGULAR – USE A SINGULAR VERB (EITHER RYAN OR WESLEY IS HERE.) IF BOTH PARTS ARE PLURAL- USE A PLURAL VERB (NEITHER THE BOYS NOR THE GIRLS ARE HERE.)
EITHER AND NEITHER IF ONE PART IS SINGULAR AND ONE IS PLURAL TAKE THE NOUN CLOSEST TO THE VERB AND MAKE THE VERB AGREE. NEITHER THE BOYS NOR THEIR MOTHER (IS/ARE) HERE. NEITHER THE MOTHER NOR HER SONS (IS/ARE) HERE.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY NOUN PHRASES REFERRING TO A SINGLE UNIT. SINGULAR PHRASE = SINGULAR VERB SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS (IS/ARE) MY FAVORITE DINNER.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY NOUNS THAT LOOK PLURAL BUT ARE ACTUALLY SINGULAR. THE NEWS (IS/ARE) BAD. MEASLES (IS/ARE) CONTAGIOUS. MATHEMATICS (IS/ARE) MY EASIEST CLASS.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY SOME “-ICS” NOUNS THAT CAN BE EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL. POLITICS (IS/ARE) AN INTERESTING CAREER. THE POLITICS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN (WAS/WERE) MIGHTY DIRTY.
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY THE PLURAL FORMS OF FOREIGN WORDS. THE DATA (SHOW/SHOWS) THAT BOYS WATCH MORE SPORTS ON TV THAN GIRLS WATCH. DATUM IS SINGULAR – DATA IS PLURAL
MORE ISSUES DON’T BE CONFUSED BY MATHEMATICAL PHRASES. ONE AND ONE (IS/ARE) TWO. FIVE TIMES SIX (IS/ARE) THIRTY.