SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

  

CONCORD – SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

In English, the subject of a sentence always agrees with the verb.

Most of the grammatical errors occur when the verb does not agree with the subject.

 

Singular Verbs	Plural Verbs
Am Is Was Has Does Chases	Are Were Have Do Chase

 

1. Singular and plural: Agreement means that if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular and if the subject is plural, the verb too should be plural.

E.g.

• Leah is a diligent girl. She attends school regularly.
• My students are very diligent. They attend school regularly.

 

2. Verbs ending with 's' are singular (looks, eats, sleeps, works, wears etc.)

Verbs not ending with 's' are plural (look, eat, sleep, work, wear etc.)

 

3. When the subject in a sentence refers to only one person or thing, it is said to be a singular subject. When the subject in a sentence refers to more than one person or things, it is said to be a plural subject.

Person	Singular Pronouns	Helping Verbs	Plural Pronouns	Helping Verbs
First Person	I	Am, Was, Have, Had, Do, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must	We	Are, Were, Have, Had, Do, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must
Second Person	You	Are, Were, Have, Had, Do, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must	You	Are, Were, Have, Had, Do, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must
Third Person	He, she, it	Is, Was, Has, Had, Does, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must	They	Are, Were, Have, Had, Do, Did, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, May, Might, Must

 

4. Indefinite pronouns such as anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and

therefore, require singular verbs.

E.g.

• Everyone has gone to the concert.
• Someone has stolen my phone.

 

5. Words such as all, any, more, most, none & some may be either singular or plural, depending on whether the word they refer to is singular or plural.

E.g.

• Some of the knives are dull. (plural)
• Some of the food is spicy. (singular)
• None of the students have come. (plural)
• None of the furniture is costly. (singular)

 

6. The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring to two things.

E.g.

• Neither of the novels is thought provoking.
• Either of the thumbnails is fine with me.

 

7. The words there and here are never subjects. In fact, in such constructions the subject follows the verb and determines the form of the verb. The subjects are underlined in the examples given below;

E.g.

• There are two bananas on the table.
• There is a banana on the table.

 

8. Words such as spectacles, glasses, pants, pliers, trousers and scissors are regarded as plural and require plural verbs.

E.g.

• My spectacles are on the shelf.
• His jeans are ripped.
• Your trousers require tailoring.

When these words are preceded by the phrase ‘pair of’ the word ‘pair’ becomes the subject. Thus, the plural subject becomes singular with the addition of ‘pair of’.

E.g.

• A pair of scissors was found on the kitchen counter.
• This pair of trousers requires tailoring.

 

9. Some words end in ‘s’ and appear to be plural but they are really singular and require singular verbs.

E.g.

• Measles is an infectious disease.
• Physics is Leah’s favorite subject.
• The news from the business front is concerning.
  
  

10. Phrases like ‘half of’, ‘a part of’, ‘a large part of’, ‘a percentage of’, ‘a majority of’ are sometimes singular and sometimes plural depending on the meaning.

E.g.

• A majority of the class has refused to attend the reunion.
• One-third of the seats are reserved for the elderly.

 

11. The indefinite pronouns each, either, every, much and neither require singular verbs.

E.g.

• Each of the cans is labeled with the company logo.
• Each of us is capable of achieving extraordinary success.

 

12. The indefinite pronouns both, few, many and several take plural verbs.

E.g.

• Both of you have given it your best.

13. When a sentence has two subjects, one of which is singular and the other is plural, the verb agrees with the nearest word.

E.g.

• Either the manager or the employees are to be held responsible for the mix-up.

 

14. With subjects joined by or/nor, the verb should agree with the subject closer to it.

E.g.

• Neither the employees nor the manager likes the new ad campaign.
• Either the teacher or the students wipe the blackboard.

 

15. Collective nouns (e.g., class, family, jury, herd) can either be singular or plural depending on the context of the sentence.

If the context of the sentence suggests that the group is doing something together, as one unit, then the noun is singular and takes a singular verb.

E.g.

• The group makes decisions after thorough discussion.

If the context of the sentence suggests that different members of the group are performing different actions, then the noun is plural and takes a plural verb.

E.g.

• The group work on their own individual dance routines after group practice.

16. When two subjects are joined by a conjunction, the combined subject is considered to be plural. These subjects are called compound subjects. Subjects joined by ‘and’ usually take a plural verb.

E.g.

• Leah and Leena are enemies.
• Curry puffs and cutlets have been served.

 

17. Phrases like together with, as well as and along with are not the same as ‘and’. A phrase introduced by as well as or along with modifies the earlier word but it does not make the subject a compound subject.

E.g.

• The teachers, as well as the Dean, are coming to inspect the class next period.
• The Dean, along with the teachers, is coming to inspect the class next period.

 

18. If a compound subject consists of one negative and one positive subject and one is plural and the other is singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

E.g.

• It is the students, not the teacher, who elect their class representatives.
• It is the king, not the subjects, that makes decisions for the kingdom.

19. Subject-Verb Agreement and Money: Money is tricky when it comes to subject-verb agreement.

When the sentence refers to an amount of money, a singular verb is used.

E.g.

·        Two thousand rupees was deposited at the bank this morning.

When the sentence refers to rupees themselves, a plural verb is used.

E.g.

·        Ten thousand rupee notes were deposited at the bank this morning.

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