Comprehensive Subject-Verb Agreement Guide

General Principles of Subject-Verb Agreement

  • Definition of Agreement: When subjects and verbs agree in a sentence, they match in both number (singular or plural) and person.
  • Fundamental General Rule: Singular subjects require singular verbs, while plural subjects require plural verbs.
  • Structural Importance: The subject and verb constitute the structural skeleton of every sentence, requiring precise matching to ensure grammatical correctness.

Rule 1: Basic Agreement Between Singular and Plural Subjects and Verbs

  • Rule Statement: Singular subjects take singular verbs (typically ending in the -s form in present tense), whereas plural subjects take plural verbs (the base form of the verb).
  • Singular Subject Example:
    • "Samantha reviews her lessons every day." (Singular subject: Samantha; Singular verb: reviews)
  • Plural Subject Example:
    • "The girls review their lessons every day." (Plural subject: girls; Plural verb: review)

Rule 2: Special Pronoun Rules for "I" and "You"

  • Rule Statement: Regardless of whether they refer to a single individual, the pronouns I and You always take the plural form of the verb.
  • Examples:
    • "I prepare my things before going to sleep." (Subject pronoun I takes the plural/base verb form prepare)
    • "You are going to represent the class for the spelling bee." (Subject pronoun You takes the plural verb form are)

Rule 3: Main Subject vs. Intervening Nouns and Prepositional Phrases

  • Rule Statement: The verb must agree strictly with the true, main subject of the sentence. It does not agree with any intervening words, plural objects of a preposition, or other modifying phrases placed between the subject and the verb.
  • Examples:
    • "A jar of cookies is on top of the fridge." (Main subject: jar [singular]; Intervening prepositional object: cookies [plural]; Correct verb: is)
    • "The bags of candies were distributed to the children." (Main subject: bags [plural]; Intervening prepositional object: candies [plural]; Correct verb: were)

Rule 4: Compound Subjects Connected by "And" and Their Exceptions

  • General Rule Statement: Subjects joined by the conjunction and generally create a compound plural subject and require a plural verb.
    • Examples:
    • "Lisa and Mark jog at the park every Saturday morning." (Compound subject: Lisa and Mark; Plural verb: jog)
    • "My Math and Science books are missing!" (Compound subject: Math and Science books; Plural verb: are)
  • Exceptions to Rule 4:
    • If a compound subject consists of two singular nouns connected by and that refer to the same individual person, item, or single combined entity/unit, the verb remains singular.
    • Examples:
    • "Mom’s cup and saucer is already in the dishwasher." (cup and saucer refers to a single paired item set)
    • "My neighbor and best friend sends me an email every week." (neighbor and best friend refers to one single person who holds both roles)

Rule 5: Subjects Preceded by "Each" or "Every"

  • Rule Statement: When two or more subjects joined by and are preceded by the words each or every, a singular verb must be used.
  • Examples:
    • "Each teaching and non-teaching personnel is an essential part of the school community." (Preceded by Each; Singular verb: is)
    • "Every soldier and maid in the castle is preparing for the king’s arrival." (Preceded by Every; Singular verb: is)

Rule 6: Subjects Connected by "Or", "Either…Or", and "Neither…Nor"

  • Rule Statement: When a sentence subject is formed by two or more nouns connected by disjunctive conjunctions—such as or, either…or, or neither…nor—the verb agrees with the subject component closest to it.
  • Examples with "Either…Or" and "Neither…Nor":
    • "Either the book or the journals go to the shelf." (Nearest subject component: journals [plural]; Verb: go)
    • "Neither the performers nor the director is ready for the opening night." (Nearest subject component: director [singular]; Verb: is)
  • Examples with "Or":
    • "The professor or the students walk the halls." (Nearest subject component: students [plural]; Verb: walk)
    • "The students or the professor walks the halls." (Nearest subject component: professor [singular]; Verb: walks)

Rule 7: Variable Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns

  • Rule Statement: Certain indefinite pronouns—specifically all, any, more, most, and some—can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on the context and the noun to which they refer (e.g., whether the referent is countable/plural or uncountable/singular).
  • Examples with "Some":
    • "Some of the mangoes have been sold already." (Referent: mangoes [plural count noun]; Verb: have)
    • "Some of the milk is at the counter." (Referent: milk [uncountable/singular noun]; Verb: is)
  • Examples with "All":
    • "All the employees are already out of the building." (Referent: employees [plural count noun]; Verb: are)
    • "All the task has been submitted." (Referent: task [singular noun]; Verb: has)

Rule 8: Intervening Expressions and Parenthetical Phrases

  • Rule Statement: Intervening expressions or parenthetical phrases introduced by prepositional or connective words such as with, together with, along with, besides, as well as, including, in addition to, etc., do not change the number of the main subject.
    • If the main subject is singular, the verb must remain singular.
    • If the main subject is plural, the verb must remain plural.
  • Examples:
    • "The class rep, together with the other committee chairs, is having a meeting." (Main subject: class rep [singular]; Intervening phrase: together with the other committee chairs; Verb: is)
    • "These dresses as well as this bag were given by my friends." (Main subject: dresses [plural]; Intervening phrase: as well as this bag; Verb: were)

Rule 9: Inverted Sentences, Questions, and Sentences Starting with "Here" or "There"

  • Rule Statement: In inverted sentence structures—such as sentences starting with here or there, or in questions—the subject comes after the verb. The verb must agree with the true subject that follows it.
  • Examples with "Here" and "There":
    • "There are my friends waiting at the lobby." (Subject following verb: friends [plural]; Verb: are)
    • "Here is the book I borrowed at the library." (Subject following verb: book [singular]; Verb: is)
    • "There is no excuse for such behavior." (Subject following verb: excuse [singular]; Verb: is)
    • "There are no excuses for such behavior." (Subject following verb: excuses [plural]; Verb: are)
  • Examples in Questions:
    • "Why is he falling asleep?" (Subject following verb: he [singular]; Verb: is)
    • "Why are they falling asleep?" (Subject following verb: they [plural]; Verb: are)

Rule 10: Plural-Form Nouns with Singular Meanings

  • Rule Statement: Nouns that are plural in form (ending in -s) but denote a single singular concept, field, or illness take singular verbs.
  • Common Specific Nouns:
    • Diseases: measles, mumps
    • Academic subjects / fields of study: Physics, electronics, economics
    • General nouns: news, tactics
  • Examples:
    • "Your tactics is mind-blowing!"
    • "The news has already started."

Rule 11: Nouns with Only Plural Forms

  • Rule Statement: Nouns that exist only in the plural form and have no singular equivalent require plural verbs.
  • Common Specific Nouns: proceeds, goods, ashes, remains, credentials
  • Examples:
    • "Her credentials are impressive!"
    • "The proceeds were given to an orphanage."

Rule 12: Collective Nouns Acting as a Unit

  • Rule Statement: Collective nouns (such as choir, class, committee, team, family) take a singular verb when the group acts together as a single unified body or unit.
  • Examples:
    • "The choir rehearses every Friday." (Subject: choir acting as one unit; Verb: rehearses)
    • "The class prays the rosary during Morning Rites." (Subject: class acting as one unit; Verb: prays)

Rule 13: Measurements of Time, Distance, Money, and Quantity

  • Rule Statement: Nouns expressing periods of time, distances, amounts of money, or specific quantities take singular verbs when they represent a single unit or aggregate total.
  • Examples:
    • "Fifty thousand pesos is a lot of money to spend." (Amount of money as a total unit: Fifty thousand pesos; Verb: is)
    • "The two hundred kilometers journey was fun, because I was with my family." (Distance/journey unit: two hundred kilometers journey; Verb: was)