Subject-Verb Agreement

Introduction

The main (finite) verb of a sentence must agree with the Number and Person of the Subject and the time frame (Tense) mentioned in that sentence.

Most mistakes are made when we fail to keep the Verb in agreement with the Subject of our sentence.  Though it seems complicated to make both the Subject and the Verb of our sentence agree, it is, in fact, very easy once we learn the following rules which are made simple for us.

1. The first and the foremost point is that the finite verb in Simple Present Tense takes ‘s’ or ‘es’ to agree with the Third Person Singular subject, but with First Person, Singular or Plural, Second Person, Singular or Plural, and the Third person plural, it does not take any additional ‘s’ or ‘es’.

Please, visit ‘Personal Pronouns’.

e.g.

She goes to school regularly.

(‘she’ – third person; the verb word ‘go’ takes “es” (‘goes’—singular verb) to agree with the singular subject ‘she’ singular pronoun in Simple Present Tense)

They go to school regularly.

(‘they’ – third person, plural pronoun; the verb word ‘go’  does not take ‘s’ or ‘es’ in Simple Present Tense to agree with plural subject ‘they’ —  (‘go’ – plural verb)

This little girl wants some toys to play with.

(‘this little girl’ —  singular noun; the verb word ‘want’ takes ‘s’ in Simple Present Tense to agree with singular subject ‘this little girl’ – (wants – singular verb))

Note that most of the singular Nouns are changed to their plural number with the addition of ‘s’ or ‘es’, but the VERB WORD becomes singular with the addition of ‘s’ or ‘es’!

For example:

This boy plays in the classroom.   [‘this boy’ noun – subject – singular number;  “plays” verb – singular (changed to singular with the addition of ‘s’) in simple present tense]

All the boys play in the classroom.  [‘boys’ noun – subject – plural number (changed to plural with the addition of ‘s’);  “play” verb – plural (without ‘s’) in simple present tense]

2. Two or more Singular Subjects connected by the conjunction “and” usually take a verb in the Plural:

e.g.   George and Susan are here.  [plural subject – plural verb]

Fire and water do not agree.   [plural subject – plural verb]

Mike and Liz go to office together.   [plural subject – plural verb]

He and His friend have arrived.         [plural subject – plural verb]

However, there are some exceptions to this rule:

a) when the two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular…

e.g.

My friend and partner has come.

[with only one possessive adjective (or modifying pronoun) ‘My’, the two words ‘friend’ and ‘partner’ become singular which means your friend is your partner and when both words , though joined by ‘and’, represent ‘one person’ which is singular, the verb must be singular – ‘has’]

The orator and statesman is dead.

[with only one article ‘the’, the two words ‘orator’ and ‘statesman’ become singular which means the orator is the statesman and when both words, though joined by ‘and’, represent only ‘one person’ which is singular, the verb must be singular – ‘is’.]

The ARTICLES (a, an & the) or any possessive adjective used only once before two singular nouns joined by ‘and’ indicates that the two singular nouns represent only one person or thing which is singular, and the verb of that singular subject must be singular!

Compare:

My friend and partner has come.     [singular subject – singular verb]

(friend and partner – one person – two roles)

My friend and my partner have come.  [plural subject – plural verb]

(my friend and my partner – two persons – two roles)

b) When two words together express “one idea”, the verb must be in its singular form:

e.g.

Bread and butter is what anyone needs.

[‘bread and butter’ = food – one idea – singular; ‘is’ – singular verb]

Slow and steady wins the race.

[‘slow and steady’ = being careful – one idea – singular; ‘wins’ – singular verb]

c) when the two or more singular subjects, though joined by ‘and’, are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’, the verb is usually singular:

e.g.  Every boy and girl was ready to take the test.

Each detective and each police officer was given a medal.

Every man, woman and child was lost in the floods.

3. When a plural noun word comes between a Singular noun word and its verb, the verb must agree with the real singular verb:

Most often the verb is made to agree with the nearest Plural Noun word instead of the real singular subject.

e.g.

Each of his sisters was stupid.

[the word ‘sisters’ is plural, but the real subject is “each” which is singular — ‘was’ – singular verb]

A variety of pleasing objects catches the eye.

[the word ‘objects’ is plural, but the real subject is “a variety” which is singular – ‘catches’ – singular verb]

The quality of these apples is very poor.

[the word ‘apples’ is plural, but the real subject is “the quality” which is singular – ‘is’ – singular verb]

One of my friends has come to visit me.

(I have several friends, but I am not not talking about all of them.  I am talking about one of them. The word ‘friends’ is plural, but the real subject is “one” which is singular – ‘has’ – singular verb)

Neither of the men wins any prize.

[the word ‘men’ is plural, but the real subject is “neither” (not this one; not that one) which is singular – ‘wins’ – singular verb]

Nevertheless, there are several occasions when “neither” is used with a Plural Verb.  Even the most popular writers, such as Agatha Christie, the queen of the crime fiction, for instance, used plural verbs after the word ‘neither’.  Another more recent example could be the following sentence supposed to be found in Modern English by Seidl/McMordie in English Idioms and How to Use Them, by Oxford University Press…  “Neither of them are coming…”

4. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either…or’ or ‘neither…nor’ take a Singular Verb:

e.g.

No nook or corner was left unchecked.

Neither he nor I was there at the crime scene.

Either Sam or Susan has stolen the watch.

Neither Richard nor Ricky is my friend.

There are some important points to be noted in relation to this rule:

[Please visit “PERSONAL PRONOUNS“.]

a) when the noun or pronoun words joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ are of different Number – singular and plural, the Verb agrees in number with the one nearest to it…

e.g.  Richard or his brothers have done this job.  [‘Richard’ – singular noun; ‘his  brothers’ – plural  noun]  (‘brothers’ – plural noun comes after “or” and is closer to the verb ‘have done’ – plural verb)

Neither the manager nor his workers were responsible.

(‘workers’ – plural noun comes after “nor” and is closer to the verb ‘were’ – plural verb)

b) when the noun or pronoun words joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ are of  different Persons  (first person; second person; third person), the verb must agree in Person with the one nearest to it…

e.g.

Either he or I am wrong.

[‘I’ – first person, singular – comes after ‘or’ and is closer to the verb, and so takes ‘am’ in simple present tense.]

Neither you nor he was to take the responsibility.

[‘He’ – third person, singular – comes after ‘nor’ and is closer to the verb, and so takes ‘was’ in simple past tense.]

‘Anybody’, ‘every’, and ‘everybody’ are followed by a Singular Verb.  However, they are sometimes followed by a Plural Verb:

a) to avoid saying ‘he’ or ‘she’ which may be inconvenient in certain situations and since there is no one word for this purpose in English language, we use the “zero plural” word ‘they’ and its other forms, and the verb that follows ‘they’ must be Plural, for example, ‘Everybody is invited and they have all accepted our invitation.’

b) to avoid using ‘he’ or ‘she’  and using “zero plural” in certain sentences, for example, “Anybody can buy it if they had money!”

5. when two or more noun or pronoun words differing in Number or Person or both are connected by ‘and’, the Verb must always be in its Plural form:

e.g.

He and I are friends.

Her father and she have lived here for years.

You and he are rivals in business.

6. A Collective Noun takes a Singular Verb when the collection is thought of as one; a Plural Verb when the individuals of which it is composed of are thought of separately: some of the Collective Nouns are: council, fleet, committee, team, class, herd, crew, jury, etc.

e.g.

The committee was agreed on the most important question.

[‘The committee’ – a group of members – thought of as ‘one unit’ – singular;   ‘was’ – verb – singular]

The committee were divided in regard to implementing rules.

[‘The committee’ – a group of members – thought of as individuals – plural;  ‘were’ – verb – plural]

Our football team has won the match.

[‘Our football team’ – several players together – thought of as ‘one unit’ – singular; ‘has won’ – verb – singular]

Our football team have taken up their positions on the field.

[‘our football team’ – several players —  thought of as individuals – plural; ‘have taken’ – verb – plural]

Compare:

The committee has agreed on the important question.

But …

The members of the committee have agreed on the question.

[Please refer to item No. 3]

7. Words joined to a Singular Subject noun or pronoun by ‘with’, ‘together with’,   ‘in addition to’, or ‘as well as’ are parenthetical (i.e. they are not included in the Main Subject part), and therefore, do not affect the number of the Verb:

e.g.

The chef, with all his cooks, was dismissed.

[The phrase ‘with all his cooks’ is separated from the main subject by a pair of commas, and is not included in the subject of the sentence; therefore, the noun in the subject part “The chef” is singular and the verb ‘was dismissed’ is singular – simple past – passive voice.]

Jane, and not you, has won the prize.

[The phrase ‘and not you’ is separated from the main subject by a pair of commas, and is not included in the subject of the sentence; therefore, the noun in the subject part ‘Jane’ is singular, and the verb ‘has won’ is also singular – present perfect – active voice.]

8. When the Subject of the sentence is a “relative pronoun” care should be taken to see that the Verb agrees in Number and Person of the antecedent (antecedent = the noun or pronoun that is qualified by the ‘relative pronoun’, which is normally placed before it) of that ‘relative pronoun’:

e.g.

He, who goes there with his friends, is my assistant.

(‘He’ – main subject – 3^rd person singular; antecedent of the relative pronoun ‘who’; “who goes there with his friends” – relative or adjective clause – separated by a pair of commas – not included in the real subject.) Even without the support of the relative clause ‘who goes there with his friends’ we can understand that “He is my assistant”.

Contrast:

When the relative clause is not separated by commas and is necessary for the meaning of the sentence, we make our verb agree with the Plural Subject.

e.g.

She is one of the best teachers who have ever taught me.

She is not the only one who has taught me.

Many teachers have taught me, and she is one of them.

In this example I am not talking about ‘she’ alone, but saying that she is one of the many teachers that have taught me. No commas are used to separate the relative clause ‘who have taught me’ and the relative pronoun ‘who’ is placed immediately after its antecedent ‘teachers’ which is plural. Therefore, in this sentence ‘have taught’, a plural verb, is used to agree with the plural subject ‘teachers’!

Compare:

He is one of the workers who have lost their jobs.

How many workers have lost their jobs? = Several have.

Several workers have lost their jobs, and he is one of them.

But…

He is the only one of the workers who has lost his job.

How many workers have lost their jobs? = Only one has.

Of all the workers only one worker has lost his job.

In this sentence, the adverb word ‘only’ has changed the plural subject into singular! <In fact, while this sentence was being typed, the system cautioned the writer to change ‘has’ into ‘have’!!!>

9. Some Noun words which are Plural in form but Singular in meaning take only a Singular Verb:

e.g.

The news is true.

Mathematics was my favourite subject.

Compare:

Mathematics and Physics are compulsory subjects at school level.

Politics has been his life.

But…

Politics and ethics do not mix.

10. A Noun (usually representing a thing) with a Plural form usually follows a quantifier, and the Verb agrees with the quantifier (i.e. if the quantifier is Singular, the verb must be singular and if the quantifier is plural, the verb must be plural):

e.g.

A pair of scissors is lost.

This pair of trousers (pants) is dirty.

These plural words have no singular forms; they are always plural in form because they have two parts attached together, but they represent only one item (thing). Trousers, for instance, cannot be worn if one part is separated from the pair, so is the case with ‘scissors’ and ‘pliers’.  Therefore, we use such expressions as ‘a pair of’, ‘some’, etc., before those words.

Get me a pair of trousers, please.

I need a pair of scissors to cut this piece of cloth.

Get me some scissors to cut this piece of cloth.

The definite article “the” can be used to talk about the trousers or scissors you have already mentioned.  For example, ‘The scissors I used this morning were very blunt.’

Special points on the use of “None of…”

When we use ‘none of…’ with an uncountable noun, the verb must be in the Singular…

e.g.

None of her money is spent.

When we use ‘none of…’ with a plural noun or pronoun, however, we can use either a Singular or a Plural Verb.  The use of Singular Verb is found mostly in formal British English:

e.g.

None of these buses is going to leave now.

OR

None of these buses are going to leave now.

While expressing percentage, we are faced with some confusion.  The following examples and explanation may clarify some of our doubts:

‘Per cent’ means ‘one part in every hundred’, and is written as ‘cent per cent’ = 100%, ‘ten per cent’ = 10%, etc.

When we use percentages and also expressions such as ‘half of’, ‘a part of’, ‘a majority of’, ‘all of’, ‘any of’, ‘some of’, etc., we use our verb basing on the noun that follows any of these expressions; i.e. if the noun after percentage or any of these expressions, for instance, is a plural noun, we use a plural verb, and if the       noun after percentage or any of these expressions is a singular noun or an uncountable noun, we use a singular verb:

e.g.   Two-thirds of the money goes to charity.

(‘Two-thirds’ — percentage – ‘money’ uncountable noun — singular; ‘goes’ – singular verb)

Two-thirds of these bags of flour go to charity.

(‘Two-thirds’ – percentage; ‘bags’ countable noun – plural; ‘go’ – plural verb)

50% of children play out-door games.

50% of the workforce is/are happy.     {British English}

50% of the workforce is happy.          {American English}

A part of the work is done.

Half of my answers are wrong.

Half the bread is toasted.

Interestingly, the expression ‘more than one’ takes a Singular Verb!

For example, “Luckily, more than one man is available.”

Some other important points related to Pronoun Agreement

Though the following points have little to do with the Subject-Verb Agreement, they are important, and every learner of English must have some knowledge of them. Therefore, we are going to take a quick look at them before going over to the next sub-topic. The Agreement is between the Pronoun used in the Subject part and the corresponding pronoun that is to be followed in the Predicate part, if the context demands:

1. The complement of the Verb ‘to be’ (is, am, are, was & were), when it is expressed by a personal pronoun, should be in the Nominative (subjective) case…

e.g.

I was he.  (not him)

I am she whom you want.

It is I that give away the prizes.

It might have been he.  (not him)

2. The Objective of a Verb or of a Preposition, when it is a Personal Pronoun, should be in the Objective case…

e.g.

Between you and me, matters seem bleak.

Let you and me do it.

Please, let Paul and her go home.

3. A pronoun must agree with its Antecedent in Person, Number and Gender…(‘antecedent’ = the noun that a relative pronoun refers to; please, see rule No. 8 of sub-topic ‘subject-verb agreement’)

e.g.

All passengers are requested to show their tickets to the conductor.

Every man is expected to carry his own bag.

Each of the girls got her answer sheet in time.

4. The Personal Pronoun that follows expressions such as ‘everybody’,

‘every one’, ‘anyone’, ‘each’, etc. is used according to the context…

e.g.

A good father shall be glad to help every one of his boys in his studies.

Each of the ladies is spending her own money.

Compare:

He helped each of his sons with his home-work.

[‘sons’ – male gender; ‘his’ – male gender]

He helped each of his children with their home-work.

[‘children’ – common gender, ‘children’ can be boys or girls or both – ‘their’ – common gender, ‘their’ can be boys or girls or both]

But when the gender is not determined clearly, we use the Pronoun of male (masculine) gender as there is no singular pronoun of the Third Person to represent both male and female:

e.g.

If anybody wants to say something, let him say it now.  (male)

Anyone can buy it if he has enough money.  (male)

OR

Anyone can buy it if he/she has enough money. (male and female)

However, with the strong protest from the Feminist Groups (female groups) the use of the male gender pronoun ‘he’ or ‘him’ is discontinued, and the plural pronoun ‘they’ or ‘them’ or ‘their’ is used as the best alternative. And they are given a new name ‘Zero Plural’…

e.g.

Everyone is asked to show their ID cards at the entrance.

5. The Indefinite Pronoun ‘one’ (representing ‘everybody’, anybody’, ‘you’, ‘me’ or ‘they’) should be used throughout. When it is used in the Subject part, it must be used in the predicate part if the context demands:

e.g.

One should not be careless about what one says.

[‘one’ = any person — Every person should be careful about what he/she says]

Compare:

One should not be careless about what he says.  

One should not be careless about what one says. [correct]

6. Care should be taken while using the relative pronouns ‘who’ and ‘whom’:

e.g.

This is Mr. Smith, who they say is a great philosopher. [not ‘whom’]

They are a gang of thieves whom you should avoid meeting.  [not ‘who’]

Whom does she wish to meet?   [not ‘who’]

Who did they believe her to be?  [not ‘whom’]

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Before concluding this topic, the learners must note an important point:

It is not the end of the topic but only the beginning!  Because…

No one single book or course material can include all the rules and important points on any one particular topic.  There are many, many things one needs to learn.  And one learner may understand a particular point more easily than the other.

It is a matter of a particular learner’s ability that determines the time needed to learn a topic!

Some rules are deliberately avoided in this topic just to give the learner some food for thought!

So, come up with your ‘quarries’ and make learning a lively interactive task.

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