Download Making Subjects and Verbs Agree • A plural verb should be used

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
• A plural verb should be used when the subject is two or more nouns
or pronouns connected by “and”.
o Sally and her friends are preparing for a group presentation.
• Use a singular verb when two or more singular nouns or pronouns
are connected by “or” or “nor”.
o Neither excessive note card use nor memorization is
conducive to an effective presentation.
• The verb should agree with the part of the subject nearest to the
verb in sentences with compound subjects.
o The girl or her friends practice speech delivery every day.
o Her friends or the girl practices speech delivery every day.
 Note: “Practices” is a singular verb in this sentence.
Many singular forms of verbs end in “s.”
• Implying more than one person, collective nouns are considered
singular and take a singular verb.
o The group uses a visual aid during their speech.
o The committee decides how to deliver the attention getter.
Adapted from Purdue Owl, 2014
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/