SUBJECT- VERB AGREEMENT
1

RULES
Anyone, everyone, someone, no one,
nobody, each: require a singular verb

EXAMPLE
+ Somebody has left her purse
+ Everyone has done his or her homework
+ Every new puppy and kitten destroys its owner's sofa.
+ everyone has finished his or her homework
+ some of the water is gone
+ some of the beads are missing
+ two-thirds of Americans are fat
+ None of the garbage was picked up
+ none of the sentences were punctuated correctly
+ The mayor as well as his brothers is going to his prison.
+ The mayors along with the president are going to their jail.

2

All/some/none/ plenty/ half most/ a lot/
lots/ percent/ majority/ none + of: the
verb agrees with the noun after of

3

Together with/ as well as/ and along with:
the verb agrees with the first subject

4

Neither (không có cái nào hết) / either :
require a singular verb

5

Or…..; neither….., nor…., either……or; not
only…..but also: the verb agrees with the
noun closest to it

6

And: use a plural verb with two or more
subjects connected by and

7

The number vs a number
The number of Noun+ singular verb
A number of Noun + plural verb

8

Sums of money, periods of time, names of
books, etc. when considered as a unit +
singular verb

+ Ten dollars is a high price to pay
+ Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
+ ten dollars were scattered on the floor.

9

Collective nouns (group, jury, family,
audience, population)+ the verb might be
singular or plural, depending on the
meaning

+ the staff is in a meeting (the staff acts as one unit)
+ the staff are in disagreement about the findings (the staff
acts as individuals)
+ the jury deliver/delivers its verdict
+ the jury come/comes in and take /takes their seats.
The Chambers are coming to dinner.

SPECIFIC RULES:

+ neither of the two traffic lights is working
+ neither of my two brothers shows much sense when he
dates women
+ which shirt do you want for Christmas? Either is fine with
me.
+ My aunt or my uncle is driving his car today
+ Either my father or my brothers are going to sell their
house
+ Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell his
house.
+ Is either my father or my brothers responsible?
+ a car and a bike are my means of transportation
+ The new puppy and kitten have destroyed their owner's
sofa.
+ the number of people we need to hire is thirteen.
+ a number of people have written in about this subject.

10

11

12

13
14

families and sports teams- require a plural The Yankees have signed a new third baseman.
verb
Not only Louise but also the Smiths fixed their famous squid
eyeball stew for the picnic.
Band names and musical groups
The Carpenters are one of the best groups of the 70s (plural
verb if the name is plural)
+ Metallica is my favorite band. (singular verb if the name is
singular)
Names of companies and organizations
+ General Motors has announced its fall lineup of new
vehicles.
Plural form subjects
+ the news from the front is bad ( plural form subject with
singular meaning)
+ Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women (plural
form subject with singular meaning)
+ mathematics is my favorite subject (plural form subject
with singular meaning)
The scissors are on the table (plural form subject with plural
meaning)
The goods were found to be faulty (plural form subject with
plural meaning)
NOTE: the pair of scissors is on the table ( “the pair” becomes
the subject)
BE CAREFULL with Modifiers
+ the mayor, who has been convicted along with his four
brothers on four counts of various crimes, is finally going to
jail. (the verb agrees with the subject modified by the relative
clause)
+ John wants to grow up and become a politician who is
famous
+ John is one of the students who are top students of the
class. (implies that others besides John are also top students)
+ It's Mary whose shoes are wet.
Positive vs negative subjects: the verb
+ the department members but not the chair have decided
agrees with the positive subject
not to teach on Valentine's Day.
+ It is not the faculty members but the president who decides
this issue.
+ It was the speaker, not his ideas, which has provoked the
students to riot.
Subjects and subject complements of
different numbers: the verb always agrees
with subject
Sentences start with “there”- “ here”: the
verb agrees with the subject following it

+ My favorite topic is poem by Longfellow
+ Poems by Longfellow are my favorite topic
+ There is a problem with the balance sheet.
+ Here are the papers you requested.