Whether you use the singular or plural form of a verb depends on the subject of the sentence. Here are the rules of subject-verb agreement.
1. Ignore anything that separates subject from verb.
2. Subjects joined by and are plural.
3. With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
4. When here or there begins a sentence, the verb must agree with the real subject.
5. In questions, the verb must agree with the subject that appears after it.
6. Some indefinite pronouns are always singular. Others may be singular or plural, depending on meaning.
7. Collective nouns may be singular or plural, depending on meaning and preference.
8. Some subjects may appear plural but be singular.
9. A singular subject with a plural complement is still singular.
The verb used in a sentence must agree with the subject. This means that the verb should match the subject in person and number. Use a singular verb with a singular subject and a plural verb with a plural subject. Which verb you use also depends on whether the subject is in the first, second, or third person.
The verb like changes form depending on the subject of the sentence: I like, but she likes. In this way, the verb agrees with the subject.
TipAgreement between subject and verb is also called concord in grammar.
Ignore anything that separates subject from verb: a phrase or a clause that appears between the subject and the verb of a sentence does not affect number. This means that the verb stays singular or plural, depending on whether the subject is singular or plural, regardless of what comes between the two.
The subject “a rose” is followed by the prepositional phrase “without thorns.” Although the noun “thorns” is plural, the verb stays singular because the subject is singular.
The subject (“the students”) is plural, so the verb stays plural. CautionLong sentences can be tricky. When the verb is far away from the subject in a sentence, it’s easy to get agreement wrong. Make sure to correctly identify the subject of the verb. Ignore all modifiers that separate the two.
A compound subject in which two or more subjects are joined by and is usually plural.
Sometimes, two nouns are joined by and but mean a single thing. Use a singular verb with such a subject.
When two subjects are joined by or or nor to share a single verb in a sentence, the verb used should agree with the subject closest to it.
Again, remember to ignore any modifiers that separate subject from verb.
Subject-verb agreement can sometimes make a sentence sound awkward. Try putting the plural subject closest to the verb.
There is often used as a dummy subject, with the real subject appearing later in the sentence. The verb used must agree with the real subject, not with the word there.
In informal usage, the contraction there’s may be used with both singular and plural subjects. Avoid such usage in formal writing.
The word here is used to introduce someone or something in a sentence. The verb used depends on whether the subject that follows is singular or plural.
In questions , word order is changed, and the verb must agree with the inverted subject that follows it.
This question has a compound subject, which contains two subjects joined by and. Consider it to be plural, although in informal usage, the contraction “where’s” may be used in such a question.
Some indefinite pronouns are always singular: everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody.
Other indefinite pronouns, like some and all may be singular or plural depending on what they refer to.
None may be singular or plural, depending on whether you mean “not one” or “no part of,” or “not any.”
no part of this not one of us not any of usEither and neither are considered singular in formal usage but are used informally as both singular and plural, depending on meaning.
Collective nouns like team, staff, and committee may be treated as singular or plural, depending on meaning. If you want to refer to the group as a single unit, use a singular verb. To speak of the individuals in the group, use a plural noun.
Collective nouns like family and government are generally considered singular in American English and plural in British.
Some nouns have plural forms but are singular. These include names of subjects, diseases, fields of study, branches of medicine, and games, among other words.
The subject, not its complement , determines whether the verb used is singular or plural. If the subject is singular but its complement is plural , still use a singular verb.
Although the complement (“marshmallows”) is plural, the subject (“Lulu’s favorite thing”) is singular. Use a singular verb like “is,” not “are.”
