Download subject and verb rules

A verb must agree with its subject in number and person.
The subject of any sentence you write will determine whether you use a singular or
plural verb.
Example:
If your subject is boy, you might have this sentence: The boy skates well.
If your subject is boys, you might write this: The boys skate well.
Subject & Verb Agreement Rules
1. A verb should agree with its subject even when words come between them.
You may recall that the subject of a sentence is rarely found in prepositional phrases—
in fact, it’s a good idea to line them out when you’re looking for the subject. That also holds
true for compound prepositions such as as well as, in addition to, together with, along with.
One of the animals likes to eat cardboard.
The student, together with her teacher, is receiving an award at the banquet tonight.
The intricacy of the overlapping, brightly colored patterns makes a viewer slightly dizzy at first.
Practice: The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
Mary, along with her two brothers, (like/likes) drawing animals. (See answers at end.)
2. Two or more subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb.
Tom, Bill and Beth are correct.
Peanut butter and jelly is Erin’s favorite sandwich.
3. Singular subjects joined by or or nor take singular verbs, and plural subjects joined by or
or nor take plural verbs
A painted seascape or landscape is not my idea of art. (singular subjects)
Either the dogs or the rabbits have become exhausted. (plural subjects)
4. When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb must agree
with the subject nearer to it.
The students or the teacher is making the poster for the concert.
The teacher or the students are making the poster for the concert.
Practice: A driver’s license or two credit cards (is/are) required.
Two credit cards or a driver’s license (is/are) required.
5. Use singular verbs with indefinite pronouns (anybody, anyone, anything, each, either,
everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, etc.).
However, all, any, none, and some may be either singular or plural, depending on the
noun or pronoun they refer to.
Everybody on the team is excited about the game.
Each of the players is going to the post-game celebration.
All of the money is spent.
All of the coins are here.
6. Collective nouns (army, audience, class, herd, team, family, committee, etc.) usually take
singular verbs. However, in some cases, they don’t.
The public sees through the political deception.
The class are debating among themselves.
7. Most nouns plural in form but singular in meaning take singular nouns.
Mumps is no longer a threat to Americans.
Statistics is a difficult course.
8. The verb must agree with the subject even when the subject follows the verb and when the
sentence begins with there or here.
Where is the truth?
Here are the books you wanted.
There is the picture frame I bought.
9. A linking verb must agree with its subject, not with the predicate nominative or predicate
adjective.
The best hope for the future is our children.
10. After the pronouns who, which and that, use a singular verb when the antecedent is
singular and a plural verb when the antecedent is plural.
The boss likes workers who always arrive on time.
11. Use a singular verb when every or many a precedes a subject, even a compound subject.
Every cave, gorge, and grove was searched for missing campers.
12. Expressions of time, money, measurement, weight, volume, and fractions are singular when
the amount is considered a single unit.
Twenty dollars is a small price to pay.
Three-fourths of the pie is gone.
13. When the amount is considered as separate units, use a plural verb.
The last six miles were grueling in different ways.
One-fourth of the truck drivers were women.
Two dollars are in my pocket.
14. Titles and company names take singular verbs.
The painting The Musicians is one of my favorites.
Delmonico Brothers specializes in organic produce.
Answers to practices: need, likes, are, is
Name ____________________________________________ Date ______ Period___
Directions: Use your rule sheet to help you correctly choose the verb that agrees with the
subject of the sentence. In the blank, write the number of the rule that applies.
_____ a. Sixteen dollars (is/are) the price of the ticket.
_____ b. The boy and his dog (live/lives) here.
_____ c. The boy, along with his dog, (live/lives) here.
_____ d. Neither the boy nor his dog (live/lives) here.
_____ e. Sally, together with her friends, (is/are) leaving early today.
_____ f. The students, as well as their English teacher, (is/are) going on a field trip to Morro Bay.
_____ g. The students and their teacher (is/are) leaving right after lunch.
_____ h. Neither the students nor their teacher (is/are) going to be in study hall.
_____ i. One of the students (is/are) not going on the trip.
_____ j. Both the students and the teacher (is/are) expecting to have a great time.
_____ k. The main attraction (is/are) the tide pools.
_____ l. The tide pools (is/are) the main attraction.
_____ m. After the trip, either Mary or Will (is/are) giving a report on hermit crabs.
_____ n. Neither Max nor his two friends (is/are) expecting to have a good time.
_____ o. None of the students (is/are) aware of the danger of rogue waves.
_____ p. About three-fourths of the class (is/are) naïve about such things.
_____ q. Still, one of the chaperones (is/are) in charge of keeping everyone alive.
_____ r. About eight dollars (is/are) the cost of the trip for each student.
_____ s. The news of the trip (was/were) met with delight from almost everyone.
_____ t. The interest of the students (was/were) a relief for the teacher.
_____ u. Chicken pox, however, (is/are) something that kept several students home that day.