Shedding Some Light on Subject-Verb Agreement

Feb 1

5 min read

Do you know the definition of subject-verb agreement? Do you know the grammar rules for subject-verb agreement?

I am tackling this grammar concept as it is a little tricky, especially for me. If you are like me, you may need a little refresher. I buried the idea somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain years ago and recently uncovered it while writing some content. I had a rude awakening as I proceeded to violate the rule. Thankfully, the buried rule resurfaced in my mind at a critical moment, and I could catch the mistake before my content left my hands. Let’s face it: we are all human and may have forgotten this concept or rule over the years, as I did. Plus, it is no mystery how many grammar rules exist in English. Because of this, you may need or be open to a simple refresher. In the future, the following little nuggets may help you avoid violating this grammar rule in your writing.

Subject-verb agreement rules apply to numbers and persons. Because there are so many subject-verb agreement rules that apply to number alone, I will save the subject-verb agreement rules for person for another day. Subject-verb agreement in number means that the subject should agree with the verb in number. The rule is that a singular subject should have a singular verb, and a plural subject should have a plural verb. Here is an example sentence for subject-verb agreement in singular number—The colt whinnies for a treat. Here is an example sentence for subject-verb agreement in plural number—The colts whinny for an apple. In the present tense, if you have a singular subject and a singular verb, you will remove the s in the singular subject, as in colt, and add an s to the singular verb, as in whinnies. In contrast, if you have a plural subject and a plural verb, you will add an s to the plural subject, as in colts, and you will exclude an s in the plural verb, as in whinny.

That doesn’t seem so hard, huh? You may be thinking easy peasy. Unfortunately, it gets trickier and more complicated. You will understand in a moment why I only included the number rules for subject-verb agreement. Now is a good time for everyone to take a deep breath before I continue. Let’s go—breathe in, breathe out. Perfect!

Sometimes, you may encounter a sentence with more than one subject separated by and. How do you ensure the verb agrees with the subject? If you have more than one subject separated by and, the verb will be plural. For example, Christopher Robin and Pooh were the best of friends. Remember, a plural subject (in this case, Christopher Robin and Pooh) requires a plural verb. The verb were is plural and jointly agrees with both subjects (The Chicago Manual of Style Seventeenth Edition, p. 269).

What about more than one subject separated by or or nor? How do you make the verb agree? You focus on the last-named subject closest to the verb (The Chicago Manual of Style Seventeenth Edition, p.269). For instance, Neither the Three Little Pigs nor the Wolf was on friendly terms. A word of caution: This particular rule is tricky for me. When I say this sentence out loud, I want to use the verb were. To my ears, it sounds okay, but it is not the correct choice. Wolf is a singular subject, so you pair it with the singular verb, was.

Moving on to the subject-verb agreement rules regarding indefinite pronouns. According to Towson University, “some indefinite pronouns like some, any, none, all, and most can be either singular or plural. If it’s an uncountable indefinite pronoun, use singular; if it’s countable, use plural” (https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm). An example of a sentence with an uncountable indefinite pronoun is: Some of the flour is on your face. Flour is uncountable, so you would pair the singular subject, Some, with the singular verb, is. In contrast, an example of a sentence with a countable indefinite pronoun is: Most of the playing cards are bent. The playing cards are countable, so you would pair the plural subject, Most, with the plural verb, are.

Next, the subject-verb agreement rule for collective nouns is as follows: When the subject is a collective noun that conveys unity or multitude, the verb is singular (The Chicago Manual of Style Seventeenth Edition, p.269). An example sentence is: The cheerleading squad has won the state championship. The Squad is a singular subject and should pair with the singular verb has because the cheerleading squad conveys the idea of unity. The cheerleading squad acts as one unit (Towson University,

https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm). On the other hand, when the subject is a collective noun that conveys plurality, the verb is plural (The Chicago Manual of Style Seventeenth Edition, p.269). An example sentence is: The jury members have come to an agreement. The jury members convey the idea of plurality; they act as twelve individuals (Towson University, https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm). Thus, the verb is plural.

Lastly, there is a subject-verb agreement rule for inverted subjects. It states that inverted subjects should also agree with the verb in number (Towson University, https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm).

Singular number:

There is a half-eaten apple floating in the horse trough. (singular verb, is, and singular subject, apple)
There is a frantic hiker screaming for help. (singular verb, is, and singular subject, hiker)

Plural number:

There are three half-eaten apples floating in the horse trough. (plural verb, are, and plural subject, apples)
How are the hikers getting down the mountain? (plural verb, are, and plural subject, hikers)

There are many other number rules for subject-verb agreement. I have scratched the surface with some tricky ones and, possibly, some easier ones. My goal was to inform and shed some light. I hope I accomplished that.

The English language never ceases to amaze me. I am most emphatically a super fan and a grammar nerd. Despite the many grammar rules to learn and adhere to, I still find English fascinating and valuable. The varied and numerous rules of subject-verb agreement are also no exception and fit into the most intriguing and valuable category if used correctly. Although I have only covered several number rules, I hope you enjoyed reading through them, had an epiphany, and left with a takeaway. If you are interested in learning about additional subject-verb agreement rules, here are a couple more resources besides those mentioned above:

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