SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

A verb should agree with its subject in number and person. Although 90% of the
time there is no problem achieving agreement, there are a number of situations
that call for a closer look.
1. Something intervening between subject and verb
When something plural comes between a singular subject and its verb, the
verb must still agree with the subject. A phrase with a plural noun may
come between a singular subject and its verb.
Far below, a landscape of rolling brown hills and small trees lies in
disharmony with the grim structures of steel and cement.
One of these stories is especially funny.
The whole experience---the decision to go, the planning, the ocean
voyage, and especially all the places we went and things we saw--was consistently exciting.
Note that the first two examples start with the preposition of. The subject
of a sentence is never found in a prepositional phrase.

2. Compound subjects joined by and take a plural verb unless the parts of
the subject mean only one person or are thought of as one thing:
The producer and the director have made all arrangements.
(two people)
The producer and director, Mr. Ames, is to be the speaker.
(one person)
Peace and quiet was all I wanted.
(one thing)

Note that phrases such as in addition to, as well as, and together with are
prepositions, not conjunctions like and. A singular subject followed by one
of them still takes a singular verb:
The cat as well as the dog comes when I whistle.

3. Compound Subject: parts joined by or or nor

When the parts of a compound subject joined by or or nor are singular, the
verb is generally singular:
Either Tom or Jerry has the tickets.
When two subjects differing in number are connected by or or nor and one
of the subjects is plural, it should be placed second and the verb should
agree with it in number.
Cookies or candy bars are easiest to serve.
Neither the candidate nor the voters are satisfied with the proposal.

4. A collective noun (one that names a group of persons or things) may take
either a singular or a plural verb singular if the group is thought of as a
unit, plural if the members of the group are acting as individuals:
The program committee has planned a picnic.
The committee have finally agreed to pay their own expenses.
Note: Usually "A" precedes a collective noun which is plural, and "The"
usually precedes a collective noun regarded as singular.

5. The meaning determines whether words like half, all, one third, some, any,
none, more, most, lot, part, and number take singular or plural verbs:
Half of the letters have been mailed. (Tells how many.)
Half of this letter is illegible. (Tells how much.)
Most of his novels are dull, but most of this one is exciting.
A number of complaints have been received.
The number of complaints we have received is astonishing.
More than fifty letters were typed, but none of the work was done
here.

6. A subject plural in form but singular in meaning takes a singular verb:

Measles is an infectious disease.
Three years is a long time to wait.
He said five dollars and thirty cents was the usual charge.
Seven years doesnt seem enough to me.

7. The "indefinite" adjectives and pronouns each, every, either, neither,

everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, nobody, no
one are grammatically singular and take singular verbs:
Everyone in both groups was assigned a topic.
Neither of the boys has returned his locker key.
Isnt each girl expected to bring her own lunch?
Every article and illustration has been approved.

8. The verb in the adjective clause introduced by who, which, or that agrees
with the antecedent of the relative pronoun. If you remember this rule, the
"one of those who" construction will not bother you.
Jerry is the only one of those boys who has paid his dues.
(Of those boys, Jerry is the only one who has paid.)
Isnt Kay one of the three girls who were told to report?
(The antecedent is girls. Of the three girls who were told to report,
Kay is one.)
Sue is one of those people who always laugh at their own jokes.
(The antecedent is people, not one. Of all those people who laugh
at their own jokes, Sue is one.)

9. The verb agrees with the subject regardless of the number of the
predicate complement:
His chief problem was the three kittens.
The three kittens were his chief problem.

Exercise 1
Circle the correct form of the verb.
1. The jurors once again (was, were) instructed to ignore the opinion of the
witness.
2. Tammy hopes that she (meets, meet) a snake on the trail.
3. Before making a decision, the supervisors certainly (is, are) planning to
consider each employees attitude.
4. They often (spends, spend) their Saturdays at the open-air market.
5. My students usually (prefers, prefer) reading novels.
6. These cottages on the shore of Trout Lake (is, are) owned by my boss.
7. The sources for his news story (is, are) strictly confidential.
8. All of us at the office (feels, feel) that we should be paid double time for
holidays.
9. The causes of his success (was, were) frequent nights of study and
review.
10. My sons room, with its piles of papers, books, and dirty socks, (takes,.
take) my breath away!
11. Many cities in Europe (has, have) youth hostels where travellers can
spend the night.
12. The selection of computers in those stores (is, are) not as good as we
expected.
13. The reason for Daves success in his university courses (was, were) a
combination of hard work and natural ability.
14. The birth of twins (was, were) a surprise for the whole family.
15. My brother John says that only one of the movies (is, are) any good.
Exercise 2
Circle the correct form of the verb.
1. Oranges and lemons (was, were) used as cures for scurvy, a serious
disease that afflicted early settlers.
2. The deficit and unemployment (is, are) the issues that have dominated the
election campaign.
3. Good diet, regular exercise and rest (is, are) the answer for healthy living.
4. The tadpole and the caterpillars (is, are) eventually transformed to their
adult forms, the frog and the butterfly.
5. Biology and chemistry (is, are) required courses for admission to nursing.
6. Automation and shortage of skills (is, are) partly responsible for the
current unemployment rate.
7. John and his mother (is, are) planning to take an evening course in pottery
this winter.
8. Barrys father thinks that fast cars and loud music (plays, play) too large a
role in his sons life.

9. Both Teresa and Mark (is, are) in favour of a city-wide recycling program.
10. The stew and macaroni (is, are) both boiling over.
Exercise 3
Circle the correct form of the verb.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Neither (remembers, remember) who was appointed for the position.

Each (is, are) open to the public.
Each (is, are) happy in her career.
Either (involves, involve) multiple-choice questions.
Everyone (is, are) working hard at school this year.
Each (likes, like) to spend time at the beach.
You will be disappointed to hear that neither (has, have) the assignment
completed.
8. (Has, Have) anyone in your family ever travelled across Canada?
9. (Does, Do) anyone know how to answer the question?
10. Neither (was, were) accepting students last winter.
Exercise 4
Circle the correct form of the verb.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Here (is, are) my brother and his date.

When there (is, are) no action, I dont enjoy a movie.
There (is, are) two shows about wolves on television this weekend.
When we finally got to the ticket booth, there (was, were) only two seats
left for the performance.
5. Here (is, are) several aspects of this problem to consider.
6. There (is, are) two women and one suspicious-looking man in the parking
lot waiting for you.
7. There (was, were) few incidents of vandalism in Georges neighbourhood.
8. There (has, have) been at least two drafts of the exam schedule.
9. If there (is, are) no hissing sound, then you have patched the hole in your
air mattress successfully.
10. In the corner of the stage there (was, were) a table and a comfortable
chair.
Exercise 5
Circle the correct form of the verb.
1. Twenty-four hours (is, are) too long to stand in line for concert tickets.
2. Bob thought that $395.95 (was, were) a fair price for a used motorcycle.
3. Two hours (seems, seem) like a long time when you are waiting with
nothing to read.

4. Fifty cents (is, are) a reasonable price for a package of gum.

5. Sam told his wife that seven years (seems, seem) like a long time to wait
before having children.
6. You believe that $300 (is, are) what he paid for that tie!
7. Three years in prison (seems, seem) a light sentence for that crime.
8. Three hours of that class (is, are) too much for one night.
9. Seven dollars (is, are) a reasonable allowance for a 10-year-old boy.
10. Three hundred dollars for an open ticket to Calgary (is, are) a bargain.
Exercise 6
Some of the following sentences contain errors in subject-verb agreement. Find
and correct the errors. If the sentence is correct, write a C beside it.
1.

If there is no further questions, why dont we sign the contract?

2.

The reason for my success and longevity are soon to be made

public.

3.

Not one of the students in my math courses have a mark above

80 on the third test.

4.

Its a pity that few kinds of sport have the heart-pounding tension
of synchronized swimming.

5.

Civil servants who work there seems to be neither civil nor

servants.

6.

Bean sprouts and tofu is not considered foods for primates,

according to Joe.

7.

By noon, there was only stale doughnuts left.

8.

One of the colleges best-loved administrators was arrested in the

tainted Koolaid scandal.

9.

Why are the registrars records not showing Henrys previous stay
at the college?

10.

How puzzling it is that each of the women is in furious competition

to be the Dairy Princess.

11.

The last few weeks before his retirement was the most difficult for
George.

12.

Blood, sweat, and tears is more than Im willing to expend to learn

how to golf.

13.

The reasons for Ronalds incredible stamina was a little-known

muffin recipe.

14.

Harveys greatest regret, other than his marriages, are his

inadequacies as an airline pilot.

15.

The first of Mr. Johnsons many transgressions were the most

serious.

16.

His sons arrest for stealing six cars were the reason that Mr.
Norman fainted.

17.

Has Frank and Francine finally abandoned the idea of dressing

alike?

18.

Does Mr. Jones and his vivacious wife Wilma know the
overheated thoughts they cause in the minds of the waiters?

19.

Though they escape me at the moment, there has to be many

good reasons to take up bowling.

20.

There are few tasks more tedious than marking undergraduate

essays.

ANSWERS
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

1. were

1. were

1. remembers

2. meets

2. are

2. is

3. are

3. are

3. is

4. spend

4. are

4. involves

5. prefer

5. are

5. is

6. are

6. are

6. likes

7. are

7. are

7. has

8. feel

8. play

8. Has

9. were

9. are

9. Does

10. takes

10. are

11. have

Exercise 3

10. was

12. is
13. was
14. was
15. is
Exercise 4

Exercise 5

1. are

1. is

2. is

2. was

3. are

3. seems

4. were

4. is

5. are

5. seems

6. are

6. is

7. were

7. seems

8. have

8. is

9. is

9. is

10. were

10. is

Exercise 6
1. If there are no further questions, why dont we sign the contract?
2. The reason for my success and longevity is soon to be made public.
3. Not one of the students in my math courses has a mark above 80 on the
third test.
4. C
5. Civil servants who work there seem to be neither civil nor servants.
6. Bean sprouts and tofu are not considered foods for primates, according to
Joe.
7. By noon, there were only stale doughnuts left.
8. C
9. C
10. C
11. The last few weeks before his retirement were the most difficult for
George.
12. Blood, sweat, and tears are more than Im willing to expend to learn how
to golf.

13. The reasons for Ronalds incredible stamina were a little-known muffin
recipe.
14. Harveys greatest regret, other than his marriages, is his inadequacies as
an airline pilot.
15. The first of Mr. Johnsons many transgressions was the most serious.
16. His sons arrest for stealing six cars was the reason that Mr. Norman
fainted.
17. Have Frank and Francine finally abandoned the idea of dressing alike?
18. Do Mr. Jones and his vivacious wife Wilma know the overheated thoughts
they cause in the minds of the waiters?
19. Though they escape me at the moment, there have to be many good
reasons to take up bowling.
20. C