¶ Subject-Verb Agreement
All the basic rules and their exceptions of SVA(Subject-Verb Agreement) are charted below :
1. Subjects joined by ‘and’
Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘and’ usually take a verb in the plural.
Incorrect: Harriet and Arshavin is here.
Correct: Harriet and Arshavin are here.
2. Two singular subjects referring to the same person/thing
If two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb will be singular.
Incorrect: The Secretary and Principal are coming.
Correct: The Secretary and Principal is coming.
3. Treatment of ‘each’/’every’
If the singular subjects are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’, the verb is usually singular.
Incorrect: Every boy and girl were ready.
Correct: Every boy and girl was ready.
4. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’
Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either-or, neither-nor take a verb in the
singular.
Incorrect: Neither he nor I were there.
Correct: Neither he nor I was there.
5. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’ when they join subjects of different ‘numbers’
When the subjects joined by or/nor are of different numbers, the verb agrees with the subject
nearest to it.
Incorrect: Neither the students nor the teacher were present.
Correct: Neither the students nor the teacher was present.
6. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’ when they join subjects of different ‘persons’
When the subjects joined by or/nor are of different persons, the verb agrees in person with the
one nearest to it.
Incorrect: Either he or I is mistaken.
Correct: Either he or I, am mistaken.
7. Treatment of collective nouns
A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is thought of as a whole, a Plural verb
when the individuals of which it is composed are thought of.
Correct: The Council has chosen the president.
Correct: The military were called out.
With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
8. ‘Plural’ looking nouns that are actually ‘Singular’
Some nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take a singular.
Incorrect: Mathematics are a branch of study in every school.
Correct: Mathematics is a branch of study in every school.
9. Subjects joined by parenthetical expressions
Words joined to a singular subject by -with, in addition to, or, as well as, etc. are parenthetical,
and therefore do not affect the number of the verb.
Incorrect: The Chief, with all his men, were massacred.
Correct: The Chief, with all his men, was massacred.
10. When the ‘subject’ that the ‘verb’ has to agree with is a relative pronoun
When the subject of a verb is a relative pronoun, care should be taken to see that the verb agrees
in Number and Person with the Antecedent of the relative.
Incorrect: I, who is your friend, will guard your interests.
Correct: I, who am your friend, will guard your interests.
11. Indefinite pronouns that are always singular
The indefinite pronouns such as - Anybody/ anyone/ anything/ nobody/ no one/ nothing/
somebody/ someone/ something/ everybody/ everyone/ everything/ either/ neither, always take a verb in the singular.
Incorrect: In the history of the world, nobody have done this before.
Correct: In the history of the world, nobody has done this before.
12. Treatment of ‘none’/’no’
None/no can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the noun which it follows.
Incorrect: None of the counterfeit money have been found.
Correct: None of the counterfeit money has been found.
Incorrect: None of the students has finished the exam yet.
Correct: None of the students have finished the exam yet.
13. Sentences starting with a ‘gerund’
Sentences starting with gerunds always make the verb singular.
Incorrect: Dieting are very popular today.
Correct: Dieting is very popular today.
14. Subjects that are ‘singular’/’plural’ depending on the context
Some words can be both singular and plural depending on the context of the sentence.
- Congress/ family/ group/ committee/ class/ organization/ team/ army/ club/ crowd/
government/ jury/ majority/ minority/ public
Correct- The majority believes that we are safe.
(‘Majority’ when alone is singular)
Correct- The majority of the students believe him to be innocent.
(‘Majority’, when followed by a plural noun, is plural)
15. Noun phrases acting as collective nouns
Some noun phrases are collective nouns and act as singular.
- Flock of birds/ flock of sheep/ school of fish/ herd of cattle/ pride of lions/ pack of dogs.
Incorrect- A flock of birds were seen flying over the Atlantic.
Correct- A flock of birds was seen flying over the Atlantic.
16. Collective nouns specifying a quantity
Collective nouns indicating time/ money/ measurements are used as singulars.
Incorrect- Two miles are a long way to go for just a cup of coffee.
Incorrect- Two miles is a long way to go for just a cup of coffee.
17. ‘The number of’ vs ‘A number of’
“The number of” always takes singular verbs while “A number of” always takes plural verbs.
Incorrect: The number of instances in which women are treated unfairly in this community are
unprecedented.
Correct: The number of instances in which women are treated unfairly in this community is
unprecedented.
Incorrect: A number of stories was told at the campfire last night.
Correct: A number of stories were told at the campfire last night.
18. Subjects that are ‘singular’/’plural’ depending on the context
Some indefinite pronouns such as - all, some are singular or plural depending on what they’re
referring to. That is, whether they’re referring to count nouns or non-count nouns.
Incorrect: Some of the beads is missing.
Correct: Some of the beads are missing.
Incorrect: All of the water from the water tank have depleted.
Correct: All of the water from the water tank has depleted.
19. Treatment of ‘several’, ‘many’, ‘both’ and ‘few’
When ‘several’, ‘many’, ‘both’ and ‘few’ are independently used as subjects, they are always plural.
Incorrect: Several was injured in the fire yesterday
Correct: Several were injured in the fire yesterday
20. Treatment of subjects involved with portioning
For words that indicate portion such as – fraction, majority, part, percent, some, all, none,
remainder, etc. the verb will be taken singular/plural depending on the ‘number’ of the object.
Incorrect: Fifty percent of the boys was on the side of the principal.
Correct: Fifty percent of the boys were on the side of the principal.
A high percentage of the population = singular
A high percentage of the people = plural
21. Treatment of words indicating nationality
If a word indicates nationality and refers to a language, it is treated as singular. If it refers to the people,
it is plural.
Incorrect: The Japanese people is some of the most hard-working people in the world.
Correct: The Japanese people are some of the most hard-working people in the world.
22. Treatment for ‘Units of measurements’
The singular verb form is usually reserved for units of measurement or time.
Incorrect: Four quarts of oil were required to keep the car engine running.
Correct: Four quarts of oil was required to keep the car engine running.
here, ‘four quarts of oil’ indicates a unit of measurement and is treated as a singular subject.
23. Treatment of infinitives separated by ‘and’
If two infinitives are separated by "and," they take the plural form of the verb.
Incorrect: To walk and to swim requires no extra skill at all.
Correct: To walk and to swim require no extra skill at all.
24. Treatment of predicate nouns different in number
If a predicate noun differs in number from the subject, the verb must agree with the subject.
Incorrect: Our biggest achievement are our new patents in the R&D department.
Correct: Our biggest achievement is our new patents in the R&D department.
25. When the sentence starts off as a question
Some words such as –‘here’, ‘there’, ‘where’, ‘when’ or ‘who’ do not affect the verb when they introduce
a subject.
Incorrect: Here comes my friends.
Correct: Here come my friends.
26. Agreement with only the true subject
Even if a verb comes before the subject, the verb agrees with the true subject, not the words
preceding it.
Incorrect: Coming at us from the back were a bison.
Correct: Coming at us from the back was a bison.
27. Treatment of inverted sentences
In an inverted sentence beginning with a prepositional phrase, the verb still agrees with its subject.
Incorrect: At the end of the Christmas holidays come the best sale.
Correct: At the end of the Christmas holidays comes the best sale.
28. Treatment for names and brands
Titles of -books, companies, name brands, and groups are singular or plural depending on their
meaning. These instances are subjective and you need to have an idea about how these names
are used beforehand in order to determine their number correctly.
Incorrect: Trix is for kids.
Correct: Trix are for kids.
Incorrect: The Rolling Stones are performing in the Super Dome.
Correct: The Rolling Stones is performing in the Super Dome.
29. Treatment of nouns with unusual singular forms
Certain nouns of Latin and Greek origin have unusual singular
and plural forms.
Incorrect: All the data was lost in the fire.
Correct: All the data were lost in the fire.
30. Treatment of nouns that have the same spelling for both singular & plural forms
Some nouns such as deer, shrimp, and sheep have the same spelling for both their singular and
plural forms. In these cases, the meaning of the sentence will determine whether they are singular
or plural.
Incorrect: Deer is beautiful.
Correct: Deer are beautiful.
Incorrect: The spotted deer are grazing by the river.
Correct: The spotted deer is grazing by the river.
31. Words treated as ‘words’ rather than grammatical parts
Words used as words, not as grammatical parts of the sentence, require singular verbs.
Correct: Can’t is the contraction for cannot.
32. Treatment of mathematical expressions
Mathematical expressions of subtraction and division require singular verbs, while expressions of
addition or multiplication take either singular or plural verbs.
Incorrect: Nine plus ten equal twenty-one.
Correct: Nine plus ten equals twenty-one.
33. Treatment of nouns ending with ‘ics’
Some nouns ending in -ics, such as economics and ethics, take singular verbs when they refer to
principles, a system or a field of study; however, when they refer to individual practices or
applications, they usually take plural verbs.
Incorrect: Ethics are being taught in the spring.
Correct: Ethics is being taught in the spring.
Incorrect: His unusual business ethics gets him into trouble.
Correct: His unusual business ethics get him into trouble.
34. Treatment of verbal nouns serving as a subject
A verbal noun (infinitive or gerund) serving as a subject is treated as singular, even if the object of
the verbal phrase is plural.
Incorrect: Hiding your mistakes do not make them go away.
Correct: Hiding your mistakes does not make them go away.
Video Topic: Introduction to Subject-Verb Agreement
Video Topic: Subject-Verb Agreement
SPECIAL RULES:
- If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.
Example:
The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.
It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot
- Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most, and some act as subjects.) Example: A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.
Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.
Some of the voters are still angry.
- The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."
- Two nouns qualified by each or every, even though connected by and, require a singular verb.
- Idiomatically the noun applying to more than one person remains in the singular when (a) it represents a quality or thing possessed in common ("The audience's curiosity was aroused"); or (b) it is an abstraction ("The judges applied their reason to the problem"), or (c) it is a figurative word ("All ten children had a sweet tooth")
- The names of sports teams, on the other hand, are treated as plurals, regardless of the form of that name. When we refer to a team by the city in which it resides, however, we use the singular, as in "Dallas has attempted to secure the services of two assistant coaches that Green Bay hopes to keep."
- Plurals that appear singular: All English users are aware that for some words the plural is the same as
the singular (sheep and deer, for example), but there are subtle cases, as when a formally singular noun
referring to a group or culture is construed as plural. No simple rule governs the use of such terms; one
can say, for example, "the British are" or "the Inuit are" but not "the German are" or "the Cuban are."
Police is plural, but many similar group words, such as navy, are typically construed as singular.
The following phrases are treated as singular:
- bread and butter
- rice and curry
- hammer and sickle
- slow and steady
- truth and honesty
- horse and carriage
- horse and buggy
- crown and glory
- rise and fall
- coming and going
- screaming and shouting
- age and experience
- eggs and bacon
- ham and eggs
- long and short
- sum and substance
- bag and baggage