What is
Subject-Verb Agreement?
Subject
verb agreement refers to the fact that the subject and verb in a sentence must
agree in number. In other words, they both must be singular or they both must
be plural. You can’t have a singular subject with a plural verb or vice versa.
The tricky part is in knowing the singular and plural forms of subjects and
verbs.
RULES
1
Singular
subject must be accompanied by singular verb, plural subject must be
accompanied by plural verb.
ex
: She breaks the window intentionally
RULES
2
If
there is a noun phrase containing "of", then the verb is recognized
as a subject and followed by the form is the noun before of.
ex
: The last piece of cake is given to mike
RULES
3
The
singular subject associated with or, either / or, and neither / nor use the
singular verb.
ex
: Apple or orange is okay, i'm not picky
RULES
4
If
the two subjects in the sentence are different (singular / plural), the verb in
the sentence that has or, either / or, and neither / nor follows the closest
subject.
ex
: My brothers or you are going to visit me
RULES
5
Two
subjects that are linked to and use a plural verb (unless the subject is a
compound noun).
ex
: You and I are meant to be together forever
RULES
6
If
there are additional phrases (along with ...,as well as..., besides..., not...,
etc) separating subject and verb, those phrases are not considered in the
agreement.
ex
: Love, as well as hatred, is something every human has
RULES
7
In
sentences that use there or here, the subject is usually behind the verb, and
the verb must still follow the subject.
ex
: Here is the orange juice you ordered
RULES
8
Singular
verb can be used for plural subjects, as long as the plural subject is
considered as singular in the context of the sentence.
ex
: to me, a thounsand dollars is a high digit for salary
RULES
9
In
sentences that use determiner a lot of, all, some, etc, verb follows the form
of the subject that precedes it.
ex
: A lot of mushroom is bought for the Easter day
RULES
10
In
sentences that use collective noun (family, team, population, etc), you can use
plural or singular verb.
ex
: Our team is the best team in the challenge
RULES
11
Verb
to be "were" can be used in any sentence to indicate contrast /
presupposition conditions, no matter the subject is singular or plural.
ex
: if I were taller, would she accept my proposal ?
