Examples of Subject Verb Agreement

Subject verb agreement simply means the subject and verb must agree in number. This means
both need to be singular or both need to be plural.

Subject/Verb Agreement Examples

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement (the subject is bolded and the verb
underlined):

 My dog always growls at the postal carrier.

 Basketballs roll across the floor.
 I don't understand the assignment.
 These clothes are too small for me.
 Peter doesn't like vegetables.

Compound Subjects

Compound subjects (two subjects in the same sentence) usually take a plural verb, unless the
combination is treated as singular in popular usage or the two subjects refer to the same thing
or person. Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with compound subjects:

 Sugar and flour are needed for the recipe.

 Neither my dad nor my brothers know how to ski.
 Pepperoni and cheese are great on a pizza.
 Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional meal in Ireland. (popular usage)
 The creator and producer is arriving soon. (both refer to same person)

When using "or" or "nor" in a compound subject containing a singular and plural subject, the
verb agrees with the closest subject. Examples of compound subjects using or, neither-nor, or
either-or include:

 My mom or dad is coming to the play. (singular)

 Neither gray nor white is my favorite color. (singular)
 Either Grandpa or my sisters are going to the park. (closest subject is plural)
 Either my sisters or Grandpa is going to the park. (closest subject is singular)
 Neither she nor I am going to college. (closest subject is singular)
Singular Indefinite Pronouns

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with singular indefinite pronouns:

 Each gets a trophy for playing.

 Somebody will pay for this.
 Anybody is more fun than you.
 Something is very wrong here.
 Everybody enjoys a good book.
 Nothing has been determined as of yet.

Plural Indefinite Pronouns

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with plural indefinite pronouns:

 Both are qualified for the job.

 Many went to the beach and got sunburned.
 Few know what it really takes to get ahead.
 Several are already on location.
 Some sugar is required for taste. (sugar is uncountable so singular verb used)
 Most of the cookies were eaten. (cookies are countable so plural verb used)

Midsentence Phrase or Clause

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with a phrase or clause between the
subject and verb:

 A theory of physics ascertains that a body in motion stays in motion.

 A virus in all the company's computers is a real threat to security.
 The causes of this prevalent disease are bad diet and lack of exercise.
 The couch and chair I got at the store look really nice in here.
 The members of the choir are very happy with the performance.

Collective Nouns
Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on meaning. Here are some examples of
subject verb agreement with collective nouns:

 The committee meets here every Thursday. (singular)

 The crowd is getting angry. (singular)
 The jury has finally reached a decision. (singular)
 The majority rules most of the time. (singular)
 The staff have gone their separate ways for the holidays. (plural)

Inverted Subjects

Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with inverted subjects where the subject
follows the verb:

 There are seven clean plates in the dining room.

 There is a hair in my lasagna.
 Over the rainbow flies a bird.
 How are the employees enjoying the new building?
 A good gift is a gift card.

Subject/verb agreement is essential to ensure that a sentence is grammatically correct.

Subjects and verbs must agree with each other in number for a sentence to make sense. Even
though grammar can be a bit quirky from time to time, there are 20 rules of subject-verb
agreement that sum up the topic quite concisely. Most of the concepts of subject-verb
agreement are straightforward, but exceptions to the rules can make it more complicated.

For example, would you say, "They are fun" or "They is fun"? Since "they" is plural, you'd
opt for the plural form of the verb, "are". Ready to dive into a world where subjects and verbs
live in harmony?

What Are the Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement?

Twenty may seem like a lot of rules for one subject, but you'll quickly notice one ties into the
next. In the end, it'll all make sense.

1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the
background of the concept.

2. Subordinate clauses that come between the subject and verb don't affect their agreement.

3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.

4. When sentences start with "there" or "here," the subject will always be placed after the
verb. Some care needs to be taken to identify each part correctly.

5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify
the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.

6. If two subjects are joined by "and," they typically require a plural verb form.

7. The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by "and" refer to the same person or thing
as a whole.

8. If one of the words "each," "every," or "no" comes before the subject, the verb is singular.

9. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words "or," "nor," "neither/nor,"
"either/or," or "not only/but also," the verb is singular.

10. The only time the object of the preposition decides plural or singular verb forms is when
noun and pronoun subjects like "some," "half," "none," "more," or "all" are followed by a
prepositional phrase. Then the object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.

11. The singular verb form is usually reserved for units of measurement or time.

12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words "or," "nor," "neither/nor,"
"either/or," or "not only/but also," the verb is plural.

13. If one subject is singular and the other is plural, and the words are connected by the words
"or," "nor," "neither/nor," "either/or," or "not only/but also," use the verb form of the subject
that is nearest the verb.

14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs (with some exceptions).

15. The exceptions to the above rule include the pronouns "few," "many," "several," "both,"
"all," and "some." These always take the plural form.

16. If two infinitives are separated by "and," they take the plural form of the verb.

17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they take the singular form of the
verb. However, when they are linked by "and," they take the plural form.
18. A collective noun, such as "team" or "staff," can be either singular or plural depending
upon the rest of the sentence. Typically, they take the singular form, as the collective noun is
treated as a cohesive single unit.

19. Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and take a
singular verb.

20. Final rule: Remember, only the subject affects the verb! Nothing else matters.

Exceptions to the Rules

What would a grammar lesson be without a few exceptions to the rule? Let's review some of
the most notable exceptions:

 "Anyone," "everyone," "someone," "no one," and "nobody" always require singular
verbs.
 "Neither" and "either" require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring to
two separate things.
 When a sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and only one is plural,
the verb should agree with the positive subject.
 Words that indicate portions of a whole, such as "percent," "fraction," "some,"
"none," and "remainder" require a singular verb only if the object of the preposition is
singular.
 "Who," "that," and "which" can be singular or plural, according to the noun directly in
front of them.
 The phrase introduced by "as well as" or "along with" modifies the earlier word, but
doesn't compound the subjects.
 Modifiers between the subject and verb do not affect whether the verb is singular or
plural.
 Just because a word ends in -s doesn't automatically make it plural.

Subject verb agreement is an exciting topic. Basically, if a subject is singular, the verb must
be singular. If a subject is plural, the verb must be plural. A firm grasp on the rules of subject
verb agreement is essential. In fact, we outline 20 of those rules here.

When subjects and verbs don't agree, it can confuse the listener or reader. This will distract
them from whatever information you're trying to impart upon them. So, instead of enjoying
your prose, they'll wonder if you got your verb tenses wrong or, perhaps, selected the wrong
subject. Let's break this down a little further.

Understanding Subject Verb Agreement

The gist is this: a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural
verb.

Here are some examples of proper subject verb agreement:

  The little boy plays in the sandbox.
 The mother loves all of her children.
 The girls read a book together.
 Happily sing the birds in the trees.

Notice in the last example that the inversion of the subject and verb causes the sentence to
sound more poetic. However, the subject and verb still agree in number.

Special Example Sentences

Here are two more special examples that demonstrate how careful you have to be when
ensuring the subject and verb agree:

Each of the students writes a paragraph for homework.

In this example, you might argue that "students" (plural) does not match "writes" (singular).
However, notice that "each" (singular) is the subject, which is what has to match the verb.
Just because "students" is the noun closest to "writes" doesn't mean they're the noun and verb
that have to match.

Many of the girls wear pink dresses to prom.

In this example, "many" and "girls" are both plural, so you might have not made a mistake.
Nonetheless, know that "many" and "wear" are the noun and verb that have to agree with one
another.