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Subject-Verb Agreement
Subjects and verbs must agree in number and kind (singular or plural).
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that is doing the action. The verb of a sentence
expresses action or a state of being. Sometimes, it can be difficult to figure out the subject-verb
agreement. Here are some difficult situations and their correct usage.
When a phrase or clause separates the subject and verb
When the subject is separated from the verb, it can be difficult to tell whether the verb should be
singular or plural. Ignore the interrupting phrase and place the subject next to the verb, so it is
clear whether the verb is singular or plural.
Incorrect: The hamburgers sold at McDonalds is not vegan.
Corrected: The hamburgers sold at McDonalds are not vegan.
When a compound subject is used
A compound subject occurs when two nouns are joined by and. A compound subject is plural
and takes a plural verb.
Incorrect: Tacos and tortilla chips is my favorite foods.
Corrected: Tacos and tortilla chips are my favorite foods.
When a phrase creates a “false” compound subject
A “false” compound occurs when the writer uses one of the following words: as well as, along
with, together with, or in addition to. False compounds have no effect on the number of a subject
and cannot create compound subjects.
Incorrect: A chocolate brownie together with ice cream are my favorite desert.
Corrected: A chocolate brownie together with ice cream is my favorite dessert.
When using neither/nor or either/or
Either/or and neither/nor are treated as singular constructions. They take a singular verb.
Incorrect: Either my husband or the cook make dinner.
Corrected: Either my husband or the cook makes dinner.
Handout created by Ellen Cardona and Justine White
www.richlandcollege.edu/englishcorner
When one of the subjects in a neither/nor or either/or construction is plural, the best practice is to
place the singular subject closest to the singular verb.
Awkward: Neither the teacher nor the students understands the problem.
Revised: Neither the students nor the teacher understands the problem.
If both subjects are plural, use a plural verb.
Example: Neither my sons nor my daughters are coming to dinner.
With Collective Nouns
A collective noun is a word used to define a group. It is treated as a singular noun. Here are some
common collective nouns: jury, crowd, team, audience, school, organization, office, group,
army, family.
Collective nouns take singular verbs when the members of the group function as a unit.
Example: The team eats chocolate before every game.
Collective nouns take plural verbs when members of the group function independently of each
other.
Example: The audience (members) are scattering to different restaurants for lunch.
With Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun acts like a subject. Indefinite pronouns are nouns that do not refer to a
particular person, place, or thing. Singular indefinite pronouns take a singular verb. Common
examples of singular indefinite pronouns are the following: anybody, everything, something,
anyone, neither, someone, anything, none, much, each, no one, everyone, and nothing.
Example: Something tastes good.
Plural indefinite pronouns take a plural verb. Common plural indefinite pronouns are the
following: both, many, few, and several.
Example: Both taste good.
Some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural depending on the word they reference.
Common singular or plural indefinite pronouns are the following: all, most, more, any, and some.
Singular: All of the taco is covered in cheese.
Plural: All of the strawberries are covered in chocolate.
The words media and data are the plural forms for medium and datum. Consequently, they
should be treated as plural words in formal writing even though they are often treated as singular
words in informal writing.
Handout created by Ellen Cardona and Justine White
www.richlandcollege.edu/englishcorner