Subject Verb Agreement: Match Your Words

In writing and speaking, it’s important that your subject and verb agree so you can get your message across. Subject and verb agreement (SVA) mainly refers to how the words in your sentence match.  One of the most important things to remember is that subject and verb must agree in number – so, you need to determine whether the words are singular or plural. 

11 Guidelines for Subject Verb Agreement:

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs, while plural subjects take plural verbs.

Singular subject + singular verb

• Mary likes talking about her pets.
• The pandemic continues to change our way of life.

Plural subject + plural verb

• Kierby and Grace are always having a good time together. 
• The travel restrictions affect the delivery of goods and services to remote areas.

2. Two or more subjects (also called compound subjects) joined by and are plural and take a plural verb. 

• Her sweet voice and expressive eyes make the producers love her. [Two things are loved about her.]
• Movies, music, and literature keep him alive. [Three things keep him alive.]

NOTE: In rare cases, compound subjects refer to one person, thing, or thought and take a singular verb.

• Peanut butter and jelly is his favorite breakfast. [Peanut butter and jelly refers to one meal.]
• My mom and best friend cooks the best meals. [One person is both the mom and best friend.]

3. Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. 

• Neither his mom nor his sister likes his new girlfriend. 
• Either Leni or Isko is running for president. 
• Her chain-smoking or her poor diet is to blame for her cancer. 

4. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural subject joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with nearest subject. This is also called the rule of proximity.

• My paperwork or other commitments are piling up. 
• Neither the president nor his people know when the pandemic would end. 
• Either our colleagues or Rocelle is attending the party.
• She or her brother is taking the car to work.

5. When a phrase comes between the subject and the verb, the verb still agrees with the subject. 

• Wes Anderson, who makes eccentric films, is regarded as a modern-day auteur. 
• His love for the arts is inspiring. 
• The sound of cars passing by distracts her from studying.  

6. Phrases such as together with, as well as, along with, including, accompanied by, and in addition to are not the same as and. They do not compound the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too. 

• The social media star, together with her fans, distributes relief-goods to the typhoon victims.
• Doctors, along with the health secretary, remain strong despite a difficult year.
• Watching Blue’s Clues as well as reading story books develops a child’s artistic skills.

7. The following common pronouns are singular and take singular verbs: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anybody, someone, somebody. 

• Everybody in the classroom likes pizza. 
• Somebody has to take the lead role.
• Either answer is correct.

NOTE: Pronouns like each and one are usually followed by prepositional phrases, so make sure the verb agrees with the subject, not the noun or pronoun in the prepositional phrase. 

• Each of her classmates agrees she can join the trip. 
• One of my clothes is missing.
• Neither of us wants an expensive gift.

8. The words some, any, none, all, and most may either be singular or plural depending on a word in the prepositional phrase that follows the subject.

• Some of the practices in their house are unconventional.
• Some of the cake tastes a bit odd. 
• All of his money goes to charity. 
• None of the teachers want to resume face-to-face classes in June. 

Related Reading: Prepositions – Answering When and Where

9. Some nouns end in s but are usually singular and require a singular verb. Examples are physics, mathematics, news, measles, mumps, rabies, civics, and billiards. 

• The news tells only a part of the story.
• Mathematics is my least favorite subject.
• Billiards is a tough sport.

10. Expressions of money, time, and measurements usually take a singular verb. If the subject refers to the total amount, use singular verb. 

• Ten dollars is not enough to buy a decent dress. [Ten dollars is a total sum of money.]
• Five years is too long to live away from home. [Five years refers to a total period of time.]
• Ten kilometers looks far from here. [Ten kilometers is a total distance.]

NOTE: When referring to multiple units of money, time, or measurement, use plural verb.

• Hundreds of thousands were stolen from his house.
• Five hundred hours were dedicated to the project.
• Sixty square meters of an abandoned house occupy the village. 

11. In sentences beginning with there and here, the verb comes first before the subject. Determine the subject and make sure the verb agrees with it. 

• Here is my mobile number.
• Here are my favorite colors. 
• There are unreturned books in your bag.
• There is not enough coffee to drink.

Collective Nouns in Subject Verb Agreement

A collective noun refers to a group of persons or things and almost always takes a singular verb.

Common Collective Nouns

Team	Family	Army	Assembly
Bouquet	Flock	Fleet	Public
Bunch	Committee	Troop	Class
Pack	Choir	Squadron	Club
Crowd	Group	Audience	Herd

When a collective noun refers to the unit or the group, use a singular verb.

• This bouquet of flowers is beautiful. 
• A pack of wolves comes our way. 
• A flock of doves is flying above us. 
• The family is happy about your promotion.
• We are confident that an army of brave soldiers is fighting for us.

NOTE: In rare cases when a collective noun refers to the individual parts or members of the group, use a plural verb. To use the correct form of verb, determine the context in which you use the collective noun. 

• The family are choosing which movies to watch. [The collective noun family refers to each family member deciding which movies to watch.]
• The committee are arguing about the candidate’s qualifications. [The collective noun committee refers to individuals arguing with each other, not as a group.]

Trick:

If you are in doubt about using the plural form of verb, reword the sentence or add members before the collective noun. 

CONFUSING: The family have conflicting views on same-sex marriage. [This is technically correct but may be confusing to others.]
CLEAR: The members of the family have conflicting views on same-sex marriage.

The family members have conflicting views on same-sex marriage. [This version let go of the collective noun family and instead used it as a modifier for members.]

CONFUSING: The audience are wearing pink. [Again, this is technically right, but you can make it better by adding members.]
CLEAR: The members of the audience are wearing pink.

Practice:

Bolden the correct form of verb that agrees with the collective noun in each sentence. 

1. The family (want, wants) to make sure you’re okay.
2. The members of the crowd (is, are) cheering for him.
3. A school of fish (swim, swims) in his aquarium.
4. The committee (has, have) decided to let her win. 
5. This class always (get, gets) a perfect grade.

Answers:

1. The family wants to make sure you’re okay.
2. The members of the crowd are cheering for him.
3. A school of fish swim in his aquarium.
4. The committee has decided to let her win. 
5. This class always gets a perfect grade.

Thank you for reading. We hope it’s effective! Always feel free to revisit this page if you ever have any questions about subject verb agreement.

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