Subject-verb agreement is actually a grammar rule that even native English speakers get wrong time to time, especially if the subject and the verb are not right next to each other. The rule requires a noun to match the plurality of the verb that goes with it. Here are some examples:
- The bus full of third and fourth graders stop every 15 minutes because of a technical issue. → The bus full of third and fourth graders stops every 15 minutes because of a technical issue.
The noun in question in this sentence is bus, which is a singular noun, so the verb that goes with it, stop, should be in its singular form stops. The words between bus and stops (full of third and fourth graders) ends with a plural noun, so you might be tempted to use the stop, the plural form of the verb, but the correct form is stops. An easy way to see which form of the verb you should use is by rewriting the sentence so the noun and verb in question are right next to each other like such: The bus stops every 15 minutes because of a technical issue.
- The groceries, which Jada bought, needs to be refrigerated. → The groceries, which Jada bought, need to be refrigerated.
Again, the noun and verb are separated in this sentence, but because the noun groceries is plural, the correct verb form that goes with it is the plural form verb need.
- The list of hotels and venues were printed out and submitted to the manager. → The list of hotels and venues was printed out and submitted to the manager.
Although the list contains the plural nouns hotels and venues, the list itself is a singular verb that should be matched with the singular verb was.
- A fishing rod and book is all we need for this fishing trip. → A fishing rod and book are all we need for this fishing trip.
When two singular nouns are linked with an and, the correct verb form to use is the plural form, which in this case would be are.
- Her mom or dad are picking her up from school. → Her mom or dad is picking her up from school.
When two singular nouns are linked with an or, however, the singular form of the verb should be used, which in this case is is.
- Neither Jan nor Jordan drive their own car. → Neither Jan nor Jordan drives their own car.
Unlike cases of simply have or, if the sentence has the neither/nor or either/or combination, the verb follows the plurality of the last noun. Because Jordan is singular, the singular verb drives would be correct.
- Either a fork or chopsticks is acceptable. → Either a fork or chopsticks are acceptable.
In this case, chopsticks is the last noun and nearest to the verb, and because it is a plural noun, the correct verb form to use would be the plural are.
- Half of the staff agree with the new school policy. → Half of the staff agrees with the new policy.
With portions, you look at the noun that is being portioned. In this case, the noun in focus would be staff, which is singular in this context. The correct verb form is the singular verb agrees.
- Three-fourths of the cake were eaten by Larry alone. → Three-fourths of the cake was eaten by Larry alone.
Even though this fraction, three-fourths, has an -s at the end, the noun being portioned is the singular noun cake, so the singular verb was (instead of the plural were) is correct.
- 20% of the ministers was sent to jail. → 20% of the ministers were sent to jail.
Here, the noun being portioned is the plural noun ministers. Therefore, the correct verb in this case would be the plural were instead of the singular was.
- The band are releasing a new song this week. → The band is releasing a new song this week. (American English)
Collective nouns are nouns that express a group of individuals. This includes words like band, group, family, team, and herd. In American English, these collective nouns are accompanied by singular verbs like in this case of the sentence above: The band is releasing a new song this week. However, in British English, collective nouns can be used with either a singular or plural noun.
- The agent, along with other agents on the team, are planning to hold a meeting next Thursday. → The agent, along with other agents on the team, is planning to hold a meeting next Thursday.
When the subject and verb are separated by an along with phrase, the easiest way to see whether you should use a singular or plural verb is by taking out the along with phrase: The agent is/are planning to hold a meeting next Thursday. We can see here that the correct verb is the singular is because the noun agent is singular. Just remember that an along with phrase does not make a singular subject plural.
- There is many pigeons in the parking lot. → There are many pigeons in the parking lot.
When the sentence starts off with There is/are, the noun in focus is what follows, which in this case is pigeons. To know whether to use There is or There are, **we look at the plurality of that noun. Pigeons is plural, so the correct verb that follows There should also be the plural are.
- Who are the new physics professor? → Who is the new physics professor?
Similar to sentences starting with There is/are, when looking at sentences that kick off with Who is/are, you should focus on the noun that follows. In this case, that noun is the singular professor which means the correct noun is the singular is instead of the plural are.
Unlike idioms, subject-verb agreement does not involve long exposure or memorization of thousands of phrases and sayings. There are set rules to follow, and by simply knowing the rules, you can apply them to any new sentence that comes your way. Fortunately, subject-verb agreement is one of the more consistent grammar rules of English, so you don’t need to worry about hundreds of exceptions.
If subject-verb agreement still gives you trouble, get your sentences proofread on Engram to check your grammar.
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