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Can you spot the mistakes in the following sentences? What's the issue with them?
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Sign up for freeChoose the correct sentence?
Choose the correct sentence:
What verb form do we use with indefinite pronouns?
What verb form do we use with collective nouns?
Choose the correct sentence:
Which verb form agrees with uncountable nouns?
Which group of auxiliary verbs are singular verb forms?
Which group of auxiliary verbs are plural verb forms?
Is 'hair' a countable or uncountable noun?
When using the personal pronoun I and You, do we use the singular or plural verb form?
Choose the correct sentence?
Choose the correct sentence:
What verb form do we use with indefinite pronouns?
What verb form do we use with collective nouns?
Choose the correct sentence:
Which verb form agrees with uncountable nouns?
Which group of auxiliary verbs are singular verb forms?
Which group of auxiliary verbs are plural verb forms?
Is 'hair' a countable or uncountable noun?
When using the personal pronoun I and You, do we use the singular or plural verb form?
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Team Subject Verb Agreement Teachers
"They is at the shopping mall."
"The coffee or the tea are on the shelf."
"One of the shops are open."
The problem with these sentences is that the subject and the verb don't agree. For example, in the sentence "They is at the shopping mall," the subject (they) is plural, so the verb should be are.
In this explanation, we will look at the concept of subject-verb agreement, the different rules we should follow, and plenty of examples.
When forming grammatically correct sentences, it is essential that the subject of the sentence 'agrees' with the verb. This means...
Singular subjects (e.g., he, she, it, Beyonce) agree with singular verbs/verb forms, e.g., "She is happy."
Plural subjects (e.g., we, they, Beyonce and Jay Z) agree with plural verbs/verb forms. e.g., "They are happy."
Before we go any further, let's look at some quick definitions for the terms subject and verb.
The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about. The subject is typically a person, place, or thing that performs an action.
Every complete sentence or clause must contain a verb. Verbs are used to describe an action (e.g., run, sit, talk) or a state (e.g., be, do, has).
So, now we have a basic idea of how subject-verb agreement works, let's take another look at the previous incorrect sentences from the beginning of the explanation and how they should look.
"They are at the shopping mall."
"The coffee or the tea is on the shelf."
"One of the shops is open."
The first example is easy to understand; however, the other two sentences might be a little more confusing. Don't worry, we're about to cover all the rules to ensure the subjects and verbs agree in your sentences.
Here are the main rules to help you decide if you should use a singular or plural verb to ensure your sentences have a correct subject-verb agreement.
For reference, here are some examples of singular and plural verbs:
Singular verbs include the auxiliary verbs is, was, and has. As well as main verbs + '-s', e.g., likes, walks, runs, and jumps.
Plural verbs include the auxiliary verbs are, were, and have. As well as main verbs without an '-s', e.g., like, walk, run, jump.
1. When the sentence's subject is singular, use a singular verb.
I am in France.
She is on her way.
He reads a book.
2. When the sentence's subject is plural, use a plural verb.
They are in the restaurant.
We study in the library.
Notice how the verb changes depending on the number of people we talk about?
There are a few exceptions to these rules (of course!)
The singular pronouns I and you are accompanied by plural main verbs.
For example,
When using the singular pronouns I and you with auxiliary verbs, the general rule remains the same, i.e., singular subjects agree with the singular verb form.
For example,
When using the 3rd person singular (i.e. talking about a singular other person), we use the auxiliary verb is.
For example,
3. When the sentence's subject is two or more singular nouns joined by the conjunction 'and,' use a plural verb.
Will and Harry are princes.
The eggs and milk are in the refrigerator.
4. When the subject is two or more singular nouns joined by the conjunctions 'or/nor', use a singular verb.
Neither Beth nor Iyla is eating dinner tonight.
Coffee or tea is good for me.
5. When a sentence contains a compound subject (multiple subjects, including singular and plural) joined by or/nor/also, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
The boy and also his friends run every day.
The students nor the teacher is swimming.
The girl nor her sisters are calm.
6. It's easy to be misled by phrases that fall between the subject and verb. To avoid confusion and mistakes, highlight the sentence's subject and verb and simply 'ignore' everything in between.
One of the books is mine. (the subject is one book; don't be misled by the word 'books')
The man with several cars is very loud in the morning.
The players, and the coach, are celebrating tonight.
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that don't refer to anything specific, such as anything, something, each, either, neither, someone, somebody, anybody, etc. Indefinite pronouns are usually treated as a singular subject and require a singular verb.
Somebody is knocking at the door.
Neither dog likes this food.
Anything you say is important to me.
When the subject contains a quantifier, e.g., some, many, any, all, the verb can be either singular or plural depending on whether the subject is countable or uncountable. Countable subjects are considered plural and uncountable subjects are singular.
All cheese is delicious. (cheese is an uncountable noun)
There is a lot of hair in the bathtub! (hair is uncountable)
All reports are available online. (reports is countable)
Sometimes we use a singular collective noun to refer to a group of people, animals, or things—for example, team, family, crew, staff, and herd. When using collective nouns, the verb should be singular.
The staff is very accommodating.
My family is my world.
Subject-verb agreement errors usually occur when the sentence uses a plural form of the verb instead of the singular, and vice-versa.
Let's look at some of the most common errors and how to avoid them.
Use the plural verb form when using the singular pronouns I and You.
Use the singular verb form when subjects are joined with Or/Nor.
Pay attention to the countable and uncountable nouns, rather than the modifiers. Uncountable nouns agree with singular verb forms.
Pair indefinite pronouns (e.g., anyone) with singular verb forms.
Let's now look at some correct and incorrect examples of subject-verb agreement in sentences based on the most-common mistakes.
Neither Word nor Google Docs are working for me.
Neither Word nor Google Docs is working for me.
Here is a helpful chart highlighting the main things to remember when creating sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
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What is an example of subject-verb agreement?
The subject-verb agreement involves matching a singular subject with the singular verb form and matching plural subjects with the plural verb form. An example is using the plural auxiliary verb 'are' with the plural pronoun 'they' - "They are working today."
How do you identify subject-verb agreement in a sentence?
Begin by finding the subject of the sentence. If it is a plural noun (e.g., cats), a plural pronoun (e.g., they), or multiple single subjects joined with the conjunction and, then the auxiliary verb and main verb should be in the plural verb form (e.g., are, were, main verb without the '-s'). On the other hand, singular subjects should be paired with verbs in the singular form (e.g., is, was, main verb + '-s').
What is the basic principle of subject-verb agreement?
The basic principle behind subject-verb agreement is that singular subjects agree with singular verb forms and plural subjects agree with plural verb forms.
What are some examples of subjects?
The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about. The subject is typically a person, place, or thing that performs an action. Examples include the cat, Harry Styles, a tree, and he/she/it/they.
What are the rules on subject-verb agreement?
The main rules are:
When the sentence's subject is singular, use a singular verb.
When the sentence's subject is plural, use a plural verb.
When the sentence's subject is two or more singular nouns joined by the conjunction 'and,' use a plural verb.
When the subject is two or more singular nouns joined by the conjunctions 'or/nor', use a singular verb.
When a sentence contains a compound subject (multiple subjects, including singular and plural) joined by or/nor/also, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
Don't get misled by phrases placed between the subject and the verb.
Indefinite pronouns are usually treated as a singular subject and require a singular verb.
When using collective nouns, the verb should be singular.
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