10.

The only time when the object of the

20 Rules of Subject Verb Agreement preposition factors into the decision of plural or
Consequently, the 20 rules of subject verb singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun
agreement will vary somewhat by dialect. subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are
followed by a prepositional phrase. In these
What Are the Rules? sentences, the object of the preposition determines
the form of the verb.
1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This
is the cornerstone rule that forms the background All of the chicken is gone. All of the chickens are
of the concept. gone.

The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs 11. The singular verb form is usually used for units
growl when they are angry. of measurement or time.

2. Dont get confused by the words that come Four quarts of oil was required to get the car
between the subject and verb; they do not affect running.
agreement.
12. If the subjects are both plural and are
The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
very good. either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.

3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.
verb usually do not affect agreement.
13. If one subject is singular and one plural and the
The colors of the rainbow are beautiful. words are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you
4. When sentences start with there or here, the use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the
subject will always be placed after the verb, so verb.
care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
Either the bears or the lion has escaped from
There is a problem with the balance sheet. the zoo. Neither the lion nor the bears
Here are the papers you requested. have escaped from the zoo.
5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in 14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular
questions. Make sure you accurately identify the verbs. *
subject before deciding on the proper verb form to
use. Everybody wants to be loved.

Does Lefty usually eat grass? 15. * Except for the pronouns (few, many, several,
Where are the pieces of this puzzle?. both, all, some) that always take the plural form.

6. If two subjects are joined by and, they typically Few were left alive after the flood.
require a plural verb form.
16. If two infinitives are separated by and they take
The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon. the plural form of the verb.

7. The verb is singular if the two subjects To walk and to chew gum require great skill.
separated by and refer to the same person or
17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a
thing.
sentence, they take the singular verb form of the
Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish. verb; but, when they are linked by and, they take
the plural form.
8. If one of the words each, every, or no comes
before the subject, the verb is singular. Standing in the water was a bad
idea. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums
No smoking or drinking is allowed. Every man are my hobbies.
and woman is required to check in.
18. Collective nouns like herd, senate, class,
9. If the subjects are both singular and are crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular. The herd is stampeding.

Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.

 19. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated Compound subjects (two subjects in the same
as singular and take a singular verb. sentence) usually take a plural verb, unless the
combination is treated as singular in popular usage
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks. or the two subjects refer to the same thing or
person. Here are some examples of subject verb
20. Final Rule Remember, only the subject
agreement with compound subjects:
affects the verb!
For more examples, check out Examples of Sugar and flour are needed for the recipe.
Subject Verb Agreement. Neither my dad nor my brothers know how to
ski.
Pepperoni and cheese are great on a pizza.
Challenges of Grammar Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional meal in
Rules
Ireland. (popular usage)
The creator and producer is arriving soon. (both
The problem with some grammar rules from the refer to same person)
perspective of modern linguistics is that there is not When using or or nor in a compound subject
one absolute grammar in the English language. containing a singular and plural subject, the verb
Most American native English speakers equate agrees with the closest subject. Examples of
standard English with being correct and any non- compound subjects using or, neither-nor, or either-
standard variation of English with being incorrect. or include:
In reality, however, the concept of standard My mom or dad is coming to the play. (singular)
American English is really the privileging of a Neither gray nor white is my favorite color.
particular dialect of English that originates from the (singular)
Ohio River Valley. This is the dialect of English that Either Grandpa or my sisters are going to the
the anchors of the nightly news speak and that we park. (closest subject is plural)
base our notions of correct and incorrect grammar Either my sisters or Grandpa is going to the park.
on. It is important to recognize that no grammar is
(closest subject is singular)
any more correct or incorrect than any other on a
Neither she nor I am going to college. (closest
functional level, and our notions
subject is singular)
of correct and incorrect are culturally constructed.
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Here are some examples of subject verb
agreement with singular indefinite pronouns:
Read more at
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/sentences/20 Each gets a trophy for playing.
-Rules-of-subject-verb- Somebody will pay for this.
agreement.html#0zr84y22CmhDSvGS.99 Anybody is more fun than you.
Something is very wrong here.
simply means the subject and verb must agree in Everybody enjoys a good book.
number. This means both need to be singular or Nothing has been determined as of yet.
both need to be plural.
Plural Indefinite Prounouns
Subject/Verb Agreement Here are some examples of subject verb
agreement with plural indefinite pronouns:
Examples
Both are qualified for the job.
Here are some examples of subject verb Many went to the beach and got sunburned.
agreement (the subject is bolded and the verb
Few know what it really takes to get ahead.
underlined):
Several are already on location.
My dog always growls at the postal carrier. Some sugar is required for taste. (sugar is
Basketballs roll across the floor. uncountable so singular verb used)
I dont understand the assignment. Most of the cookies were eaten. (cookies are
These clothes are too small for me. countable so plural verb used)
Peter doesnt like vegetables. Midsentence Phrase or Clause
Compound Subjects
 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 companys 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. (plural)
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. To learn more
and see more examples, check out these articles
- 20 Rules of Subject Verb Agreement and Subject
Verb Agreement.

Read more at
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-
subject-verb-
agreement.html#I8kYiJ0SImCsbLYk.99