Writing Module
Subject/Verb Agreement
Ignore phrases that
come between
subjects and verbs.
Most of you probably have no problem recognizing errors in
subject/verb agreement when the subject and the verb are next to one
another in a sentence.
Let’s study some examples:
the student reads
the instructors grade
the director hires
In these examples, it is very easy to make sure the subject and
verb agree.
Unfortunately, the subject and verb are not always next to each
other. Many times, a phrase is added between the subject and verb or
it is unclear whether the subject is plural or singular. Let’s refresh
your minds on some of the basic rules of subject/verb agreement.
Rule 1: Ignore a phrase that comes between the subject and
verb.
The first area where mistakes commonly occur in subject/verb
agreement is when there is a phrase between the subject and verb.
For example:
The director from human resources is
The employees of marketing are
The researchers that are investigating the effect of global
warming seem
The project teams from production are
Determining whether your subject and verb agree can be challenging
if there is a noun in the phrase between the subject of the sentence
and the verb.
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Check agreement by
covering up the phrase
between the subject
and verb.
Places ending in “s”
are singular.
A word is singular if it
represents a single
entity but is composed
of several things.
The best way to check agreement when you are editing your papers
is to cover up the phrase so you can clearly see whether the subject
and verb agree.
The first rule to remember when checking subject/verb agreement
is: Ignore a phrase that comes between the subject and verb.
Rule 2: Don’t be confused with a subject that looks plural but
isn’t.
The second area where mistakes commonly occur in subject/verb
agreement is when a subject looks plural but isn’t. This type of error
can be broken down into three different types.
1. The name of a place ends in “s”.
2. The subject appears to be plural but isn’t.
3. The subject word ends in “s”.
The first error occurs when the name of a place ends in “s”. For
example:
the Netherlands
the Azores
These items are treated as singular subjects, and the verb should
match. For example:
The Netherlands consists of Aruba and the Netherlands
Antilles.
The second error occurs when a subject appears to be plural but isn’t.
An example of this is when the word is a single entity but composed
of several things. For example:
the family
the audience
the team
the committee
the number
the amount
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Determine whether or
not words ending in “s”
are truly plural.
Common connector
words: and, or.
Using and to connect
two nouns means the
subject is plural.
Using or to connect
two nouns means the
subject is usually
singular.
All of the examples are a single entity that is composed of several
things. These nouns should be treated as a singular subject. For
example:
The family is on vacation.
The third error occurs when the subject looks plural but isn’t. This
happens when the word ends in “s”. For example:
politics
civics
measles
the news
All of these examples are singular subjects. For example:
Measles is a childhood disease that has been largely
eradicated thanks to vaccination programs.
The second rule to remember when checking subject/verb
agreement is: Don’t be confused by a subject that appears to be
plural but isn’t.
Rule 3: Be aware of connectors that are used between two or
more nouns.
The third area where mistakes commonly occur in subject/verb
agreement is when connectors are used between two or more nouns
that comprise the subject.
The two most common connectors are and and or. For example:
Mary and Linda have the information.
Mary or Linda has the information.
When and is used to connect two or more nouns, the subject is
considered plural.
When or is used to connect two or more nouns, the subject is
singular.
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Singular pronouns:
Everybody
Everyone
Everything
An exception to the or rule occurs when the connection is made
between singular and plural nouns. For example:
The manager or the employees are in charge.
The employees or the manager is in charge.
When plural and singular nouns are connected by or, use the noun
closest to the verb to determine whether the subject is singular or
plural.
The third rule to remember when checking subject/verb agreement
is: If a connector is used to couple two or more nouns together to
form the subject, the connector determines whether the subject is
plural or singular; if and is used, the subject is considered plural; if
an or is used, the subject is usually considered singular.
Rule 4: Don’t be confused by a pronoun that appears to be
plural but isn’t.
Another area of confusion with subject/verb agreement occurs when
certain pronouns are used. For example:
Everybody
Everyone
Everything
These pronouns are in fact singular and should be treated as such.
The fourth rule to remember when checking subject/verb agreement
is: Don’t be confused by a pronoun that appears to plural but isn’t.
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When there is no
subject in a sentence,
match the verb with
the noun that
immediately follows it.
Rule 5: If a sentence does not have a subject, match the verb
with the noun following the verb.
The fifth area where mistakes commonly occur in subject/verb
agreement is when a sentence doesn’t have a subject and usually
begins with the word, there. For example:
There is a tool available to determine cost.
There are tools available to determine cost.
In the case of a sentence with no subject, you match the verb with
the noun that immediately follows the verb.
The fifth rule to remember when checking subject/verb agreement
is: When the sentence does not contain a subject, match the verb
to the noun that immediately follows the verb.
If you follow the basic rules provided when writing and proofreading
your papers, you should have no problem with subject/verb
agreement.
Return to the Graduate Success Prep Program available through
the myFranklin Web site and do the exercises for this module.
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