1. Subject-Verb Agreement

2. Agreement Verbs must always agree in number with the subjects with which they are paired. Singular nouns pair with singular verbs. Plural nouns pair with plural verbs. Incorrect: The reports released by the state department makes the economic situation look bleaker than it really is. Correct: The reports released by the state department make the economic situation look bleaker than it really is.

3. Note on Regular Verbs Often, singular regular verbs end in s. – He makes… – She plays… – She studies… Often, plural regular verbs do not end in s. – They make… – They play… – They study…

4. Words Between Subject and Verb A verb agrees only with its subject. Even though a words or groups of words with a different number may come between a subject and verb, the verb must still agree in number with its subject. Incorrect: The sale of cassette tapes have risen this year. Correct: The sale of cassette tapes has risen this year.

5. Practice The flock of sheep that grazes on the hillside (crop/crops) the grass very thin. Assistance for the homeless (is/are) a long time coming. Houses on that hillside (look/looks) very unstable. Twenty members of the marching band (has/have) arrived for practice.

6. Compound Subjects Most subjects joined by and are plural: – Green eggs and ham are – Peas and carrots are Use a singular verb with a compound subject joined by and that is habitually used to refer to a single thing: – Cheese and crackers is a favorite snack food in our family.

7. Compound Subjects Use a singular verb with a compound subject that is preceded by each, every, or many a: – Every book and magazine has to be checked out at the main desk of the library. Subjects joined by or/nor can be singular or plural. If the last noun given is singular, it takes the singular verb. If the last noun given is plural, it takes the plural verb. – Neither green eggs nor ham is – Peas or carrots are

8. Practice The sergeant and the captain (agree/agrees). Neither the music nor the words (sound/sounds) right. Many a problem and pain (vanish/vanishes) with a good night’s sleep. Bacon and eggs (is/are) a high cholesterol breakfast. Each student (has/have) the option of taking an art class.

9. Collective Nouns Groups of people, places, or things. A singular verb is used when the group is acting together; a plural verb is used when members or parts of the group are acting individually. FamilyGroupFacultySociety HerdArmyFirmTeam CrewBoardMajorityTroupe JuryCabinetMinority ClassCommitteeNavy AudienceCorporationPublic CompanyCouncilSenate GovernmentDepartmentSchool

10. Collective Nouns The jury agrees that the state prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so its verdict is not guilty. The jury disagree about the guilt of the accused and have told the judge that they are hopelessly deadlocked. Today, Mr. Smith’s class takes its first 100-item exam. After the long exam, the class start their research papers on famous mathematicians.

11. Practice My family (is/are) planning to spend its vacation in Canada. A flock of seagulls (was/were) following a ship. My parents (rent/rents) that apartment house on Babcock Street. The cast (was/were) discussing their roles in their upcoming plays. The crew of the airliner (is/are) departing for various destinations at noon.

12. Singular Nouns with Plural Form Some singular nouns end in s but take a singular verb: news, mumps – The news is good. – Mumps (was/were) more common in our grandparents’ time than today. Other nouns ending in s take a plural verb even though they refer to one thing: scissors, pliers, trousers, congratulations – The scissors are on the counter. – Congratulations (is/are) in order after your successful piano recital.

13. Singular Nouns with Plural Form Some nouns ending in s may be either singular or plural depending on their meaning in the sentence: ethics, economics, civics When plural, these words are often preceded by a possessive form or a modifier: – Ethics (is, are) a branch of philosophy. – His business ethics (seem, seems) sharply different from mine.

14. Countries and Organizations The name of a country or organization is singular even though it may be plural in form (ending in s): Philippines, United Nations. – The West Indies (is/are) a group of islands. – The Student Activities Committee (report/reports) to the principal.

15. Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing or amount. It is vague and "not definite". Anyone, each, every, everyone, nobody, no one, nothing, and someone are always singular and take a singular verb. – Everyone was invited to the reception for the retiring teacher.

16. Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects Both, few, many, and several are always plural and take a plural verb. – Several in the class plan to become engineers. All, any, enough, most, none, plenty and some may be either singular or plural. They take a singular verb when they refer to one thing and plural verb when they refer to more than one thing. – Most of the snow has now disappeared. – Most of the books in the limited edition were autographed by the author.

17. Practice Many of the seniors (works/work) in order to pay their car insurance. Nothing (alters/alter) the result of our last exam. Enough of the sandwiches (was/were) left to provide another meal. None of Al’s coin collection (was/were) lost in the fire. On a hot day, nothing (tastes/taste) so good as a cold fruit salad.