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Subject Verb Agreement

The document outlines 10 rules for subject-verb agreement: Rule 1 states that a subject and its verb must be either both singular or both plural. Rule 2 says that compound subjects joined by "and" require a plural verb. Rule 3 explains that compound subjects joined by "or" or "nor" can take a singular or plural verb depending on the number of the closest subject. Rule 4 notes that collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on if they refer to the group or individuals. Rule 5 identifies indefinite pronouns like "anyone" and "everything" as singular. Rule 6 says that pairs like "that old pair of jeans" are singular. Rule 7 explains that plural titles like "Physics

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102 views1 page

Subject Verb Agreement

The document outlines 10 rules for subject-verb agreement: Rule 1 states that a subject and its verb must be either both singular or both plural. Rule 2 says that compound subjects joined by "and" require a plural verb. Rule 3 explains that compound subjects joined by "or" or "nor" can take a singular or plural verb depending on the number of the closest subject. Rule 4 notes that collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on if they refer to the group or individuals. Rule 5 identifies indefinite pronouns like "anyone" and "everything" as singular. Rule 6 says that pairs like "that old pair of jeans" are singular. Rule 7 explains that plural titles like "Physics

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stellar.edu
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Stellar Grammar Notes

Subject-Verb Agreement
Rule1: Subject-verb agreement means that a subject and its verb must be both singular
or both plural: A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural
verb.

Rule 2: Compound subjects with the word “and” require plural verbs. In the sentence,
“Pizza and cauliflower taste great together,” “pizza” and “cauliflower” are grouped
together to create a compound subject.

Rule 3: Compound subjects with the word “or” or “nor” can take either a singular verb
or a plural verb. If the number of the subject closest to the verb is singular, use a singular
verb. For example, “Either Jeff or Jane knows the answer.” If the number of the subject
closest to the verb is plural, use a plural verb. For example, “Either Jeff or his sisters know
the answer.”

Rule 4: Collective nouns can be singular or plural. Collective nouns like “team,”
“company,” “city,” “state,” “government,” “committee,” and “store” are singular nouns
and thus take singular verbs. Collective nouns like “team members,” “company leaders,”
and “city officials” are plural and thus take plural verbs.

Rule 5: Indefinite pronouns are singular and take singular verbs. The indefinite
pronouns “anything,” “anywhere,” “anybody,” “anyone,” “each,” “each one,” “either,”
“neither,” “everyone,” “everybody,” “nobody,” “somebody,” “someone,” and “no one”
are singular. They take the singular form of verbs. For example, “Nobody likes fondue
anymore.”

Rule 6: A pair is a singular noun and takes a singular verb. For example, “pair” is the
singular subject in “That old pair of jeans has treated me well.”

Rule 7: Plural-form subjects are often singular when presented as a title. For example,
“Physics is an essential subject.”

Rule 8: Gerunds often function as singular nouns, and they take singular verbs. For
example, “Swimming was the sport that taught me how to win.”

Rule 9: The phrase “one of the [plural noun] who/that” requires a singular verb.
Although the phrase will contain a plural noun, it should receive a singular verb to agree
with the noun phrase “one of the [plural noun],” which functions as the subject. Despite
the sentence referencing a group of people or things, the noun phrase is focusing on just
one of them. For example, “Mr. Lee is one of the teachers who coaches sports after
school.” Another example is: “One of the dogs is wagging its tail.”

Rule 10: “They” is a third-person pronoun that can be both singular and plural. “They”
can refer to a group of people or to one individual. Corresponding verbs should be
singular or plural according to the context.

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