Subject-Verb Agreement

14. Tired of practicing, the orchestra decide to walk out on their astonished conductor.

Corrected: Tired of practicing, the orchestra decides to walk out on 'its' astonished conductor. [Like other collective nouns, 'orchestra' is almost always considered singular.]

Subject and Verb must Both Exist

Fragment: a sentence without a subject or a verb (In other words, it is not a complete sentence!) Example: The electron named in 1894. A sentence that starts with a connecting word and contains no main clause (a clause that could stand alone as is, with its own subject and verb) can also be a fragment. Example: BECAUSE the dog was never mine. Example: WHICH will be approved tomorrow.

4. A number of players on the team 'have improved' since last season.

No correction needed: [A number of is plural]

13. Whoever rented these movies 'has' to take them back before midnight.

No correction needed: [Subject phrases are singular.]

Problem Set (1-15)

The following practice exercises contain the sample sentence on the left side and corrections, if any, on the right.

Subject and Verb Must Agree in Number

The number can be singular (one) or plural (more than one) Singular: The 'dog runs' out of the house. Plural: The 'dogs run' out of the house. Example: The discovery of new medicines (was/were) vital to the company's growth. The subject of the sentence is The discovery...so 'was' must be chosen because it corresponds to a singular subject.

2. I was so thirsty that either of the two drinks were fine with me.

Corrected: I 'was' so thirsty that either of the two drinks 'was' fine with me. [Either as a pronoun is singular.]

Flip it! (part 1)

In most English sentences the subject precedes the verb. In sentences in which the subject follows the verb, flip the word order of the sentence so that the subject preceded the verb. This way, you will identify the subject much more readily. Wrong: Near those buildings SIT a lonely house, inhabited by squatters. Flip it!: A lonely 'house', inhabited by squatters, SITS near those buildings. Right: Near those buildings SITS a lonely 'house', inhabited by squatters. In the original sentence, the singular subject house follows the verb. The verb form 'sit' is mistakenly plural, but your ear may not catch this error because it is near the plural word 'buildings'. By flipping the sentence so that the subject 'house' precedes the verb, we see that we must use the singular form 'sits'.

12. Planting all these seeds 'is' more involved than I thought.

No correction needed: [Subject phrases are singular.]

Subordinate Clauses

Subordinate clauses, which begin with connecting words such as 'who' or 'which', cannot stand alone as sentences. Instead, they are always attached to a main clause. Like prepositional phrases, many subordinate clauses modify other parts of the sentence. Example: When the auditors left, the executive who had been interviewed was/were glad. Example: ...the EXECUTIVE...WAS glad. Reason: Both the subject 'executive' and the verb 'was' are singular.

Collective Nouns: Almost Always Singular

A Collective Noun is a noun that looks singular (it usually does not end with an -s) but can refer to a group of people or objects. Some examples include the following: People: agency, army, audience, class, committee, crowd, orchestra, team Items: baggage, citrus, equipment, fleet, fruit, furniture In 'some' rare circumstances, collective nouns can be considered plural (e.g., when you emphasize the individual actors, not their unity). Example: The CROWD in the stand IS CHEERING loudly as the home TEAM TAKES the field. Example: Our ARMY of a hundred thousand soldiers IS ATTACKING the enemy. Each collective noun (crowd, team, and army) takes a singular verb form.

Prepositional Phrases

A Prepositional Phrase is a group of words headed by a Preposition. Prepositions are followed by nouns or pronouns, which complete the phrase. Prepositional phrases modify or describe other parts of the sentence. Example: Near Galway, the houses on the road to Spiddle is/are gorgeous. Example: ...the HOUSES...ARE gorgeous. In the example above, the subject is 'houses' (plural), and the correct verb is 'are' (also plural).

Use Structure to Decide

A noun in a prepositional phrase cannot be the subject of the sentence, with the exception of a few idiomatic expressions. Example: In the waning days of the emperor's life, the conquest of new lands on the borders of the empire was/were considered vital. Wrong: ...the CONQUEST...WERE CONSIDERED vital. Right: In the waning days of the emperor's life, the CONQUEST of new lands on the borders of the empire WAS CONSIDERED vital. We now see that conquest (singular) requires the singular verb was considered.

10. A new textbook focused on recent advances in artificial intelligence assigned by our instructor.

Corrected: A new textbook focused on recent advances in artificial intelligence 'was' assigned by our instructor. [The original is a fragment. A simple fix is to add a form of the verb 'to be', such as 'was'.]

3. A venomous snake designated the emblem of the rebellion by the insurgency.

Corrected: A venomous snake 'was designated' the emblem of the rebellion by the insurgency. [The original is a fragment, with 'designated' as a past participle. A simple fix is to add a form of the verb 'to be', such as 'was'.]

8. After all the gardening we did, the sun shining on the flowerbeds make a beautiful sight.

Corrected: After all the gardening we did, the 'sun' shining on the flowerbeds 'makes' a beautiful sight. [Omit the middleman phrase 'shining on the flowerbeds.')

15. The proliferation of computer games designed to involve many players at once were first developed before the widespread availability of high-speed internet connections.

Corrected: Computer games designed to involve many players at one 'have proliferated'; such games 'were' first 'developed' before the widespread availability of high-speed internet connections. [The subject and the verb must make sense together. In the original, 'the proliferation...were first developed' does not make sense. Rather, the games themselves were developed. Several solutions are possible..

11. Just around the corner is a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

Corrected: Just around the corner 'are' a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket. [Flip it! A fantastic bakery AND a small supermarket ARE just around the corner. The word and makes the subject plural.]

6. The recent string of burglaries, in addition to poor building maintenance, have inspired the outspoken resident to call a tenants meeting.

Corrected: The recent string of burglaries, in addition to poor building maintenance, 'has inspired' the outspoken resident to call a tenants meeting. ['String' is used here as a singular collective noun. Omit the additive phrase beginning with 'in addition to.']

1. The traveling salesman was dismayed to learn that neither his sons nor his daughter were interested in moving.

Corrected: The traveling salesman 'was' dismayed to learn that neither his sons nor his daughter 'was' interested in moving. [With 'or', the noun nearest the verb agrees with the verb. In this case, that noun is 'daughter'.]

7. There is, according to my doctor, many courses of treatment available to me.

Corrected: There 'are', according to my doctor, many courses of treatment available to me. [The subject comes after the verb with 'there is' or 'there are'. Flip it: many courses...are available.]

Indefinite Pronouns (Part 3)

Don't apply the Of- phrase mechanically. 'None of' and 'any of' followed by a plural noun can be singular. Right: Any of these women IS a suitable candidate for marriage to my son. You are just referring to one woman at a time, in a singular fashion. Note that 'not one' is always singular. 'Not one' of my friends IS here this weekend.

Quantity Words and Phrases (part 2)

In many idiomatic expressions that designate 'quantities' or 'parts', such as 'a number of', the subject of the sentence is in an Of- prepositional phrase. These expressions provide the 'exception' to the rule that the subject cannot be in a prepositional phrase. We have seen the SANAM pronouns as examples of this phenomenon. Other examples include fractions and percents: Example: Half of the pie IS blueberry, and half of the slices ARE already gone.

Flip it! (part 3)

Look for flipped subjects and verbs in subordinate clauses as well: Uncertain: 'Pong' is a classic game from which have/has descended many current computer pastimes. Flip it!: Pong is a classic game from which many current computer 'pastimes HAVE descended.' RIght: Pong is a classic game from which 'HAVE descended' many current computer 'pastimes.'

Other Modifiers

Modifiers: words which modify or describe other portions of the sentence. Example: Limping, the horse once considered one of the favorites was/were taken away. Example: ...the HORSE...WAS taken away.

5. Jack, along with some of his closest friends, 'is sharing' a limo to the prom.

No correction needed: [Omit additive phrases beginning with words such as 'along with'.]

9. The placement of the unusual artwork in the mansion's various rooms was impressive.

No correction needed: [Omit middleman prepositional phrases beginning with 'of' and 'in'.]

Or, either...Or, & Neither...Nor

Occasionally, a subject may include a phrase such as 'or, either...or', or 'neither...nor'. Such phrases link two nouns. If one of the nouns is singular and the other noun is plural, what verb form should be used? The answer is simple; find the noun 'nearest' to the verb, and make sure that the verb agrees in number with this noun. Example: Neither the coach nor the 'players ARE going' to the beach. Example: Neither the players nor the 'coach IS going' to the beach.

Indefinite Pronouns (part 1)

Pronouns are words that replace other nouns or pronouns. An Indefinite Pronoun is not specific about the thing to which it refers. 'Anyone' is an example of an indefinite pronoun. The following indefinite pronouns are considered 'singular' and require singular verb forms. Note that all the pronouns that end in '-one', '-body', or '-thing' fall into this category. [Anyone, anybody, anything] [No one, nobody, nothing] [Each, every (as pronouns)] [Someone, somebody, something] [Everyone, everybody, everything] [Whatever, whoever] [Either, neither (may require a plural verb if paired with or/nor)]

Subject Phrases and Clauses: Always Singular

Sometime the subject of a sentence is an '-ing' phrase or even a whole clause. This sort of subject is always singular and requires a singular verb form. Example: Having good friends IS a wonderful thing. The whole subject is the singular phrase 'having good friends', not the plural noun 'friends'. Example: Whatever they want to do IS fine with me. The subject is the clause 'whatever they want to do', which is considered singular.

Eliminate the Middlemen, and Skip the Warmup

Subjects may be hidden by words in between the subject and the verb (Middlemen). Words 'in front of' the subject may also hide the subject (Warmup).

Quantity Words and Phrases (part 1)

The phrase 'THE number of' takes a singular verb, but 'a number of' takes a 'plural' verb. Example: 'The number' of hardworking students in this class IS quite large. This sentence follows the normal rule: eliminate the middlemen (of hardworking students in this class). The subject is 'the number' (singular), which agrees with the singular verb 'is'. Example: A number of 'students' in this class ARE hard workers. On the other hand, 'a number of' is an idiomatic expression. In modern English, it has become equivalent to 'some' or 'many'. As a result, we consider 'students' the subject.

And vs. Additive Phrases

The word 'and' can unite two or more singular subjects, forming a compound plural subject. Example: 'Joe AND his friends ARE going' to the beach. Example: 'Mathematics, history, AND science ARE' mandatory high-school subjects. These compound subjects take a plural verb form (are). Many other words and phrases besides 'and' can "add" to a subject. These words and phrases are called Additive Phrases. Unlike 'and', additive phrases do not form compound subjects. Rather, additive phrases function as modifiers and therefore cannot change the number of the subject. Example: Joe, as well as his friends, IS GOING to the beach. Example: Mathematics, in addition to history and science, IS a required subject. Only the word 'and' can change a singular subject into a plural one. Singular subjects followed by additive phrases remain singular subjects.

Quantity Words and Phrases

The words 'majority', 'minority', and 'plurality' are either singular or plural, depending on their context. If you want to indicate the many individual parts of the totality, use a plural verb. If you want to indicate the totality itself, then use a singular verb form. Example: The majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers. Example: In the Senate, the majority HAS coalesced into a unified voting block. Treat quantity phrases in the same way as SANAM pronouns: the noun in the Of- prepositional phrase will indicate whether the verb is singular or plural.

Indefinite Pronouns (part 2)

There are, however, five indefinite pronouns that can be 'either singular, or plural' depending on the context of the sentence. You can remember these five by the acronym SANAM. THE SANAM PRONOUNS: Some, Any, None, All, More/Most How can you tell if these pronouns are singular or plural? Think about meaning, and look at the Of- phrase which usually follows the pronoun. You may recall that you are generally supposed to ignore Of- prepositional phrases (since they are misleading middlemen). But with the SANAM pronouns the noun object of the Of- phrase can help you determine the number of the subject. Right: Some of the 'money WAS stolen' from my wallet. ('money' is singular) Right: Some of the 'documents WERE stolen' from the bank. ('documents' is plural)

Subject and Verb Must Make Sense Together (Example)

Wrong: The development of a hydrogen car based on expected performance parameters will be able to travel hundreds of miles without refueling. Reason: It is not the 'development' that will be able to travel. We want to say that the hydrogen car 'itself' will be able to travel. Right: Once developed, a hydrogen CAR based on expected performance parameters WILL BE able to travel hundreds of miles without refueling.

Flip it! (part 2)

Wrong: There IS a young man and an older woman at the bus stop. Flip it!: A young man and an older woman ARE there at the bus stop. Right: There ARE a young man and an older woman at the bus stop. By flipping the sentence so that the subject precedes the verb, we can see that the compound subject 'a young man and an older woman' is plural. In spoken English, 'there is' is often used incorrectly with plural subjects. The subjects of a 'there is' or 'there are' expression follows the verb.

Each and Every: Singular Sensations

You have just learned that as the subject of a sentence, 'each' or 'every' requires a singular verb form. The same is true for any subject preceded by the word 'each' or 'every': Right: Every dog HAS paws. Right: Every dog and cat HAS paws. Right: Each of these shirts IS pretty. You may think that the subjects of the second and third sentences are plural. However, in each case, the subject is preceded by 'each' or 'every'. Therefore, the subject is considered singular. Note that 'each' following a subject has no bearing on the verb form. Example: They each ARE great tennis players. Here, the plural subjects 'they' requires the plural verb form 'are'.

When in Doubt, Think Singular

You may have noticed that confusing subjects are more often singular than plural. Singular subjects dominate the chart. Thus, if you cannot remember a particular rule for determining the number of a subject, place your bet that the subject is singular! Singular Subjects: a singular subject linked to other nouns by an additive phrase; collective nouns; most indefinite pronouns; subjects preceded by 'each' or 'every'; subjects preceded by 'the number of'; subject phrases or clauses Plural Subjects: subjects joined by 'and'; subjects preceded by 'a number of' It Depends: Subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'; SANAM pronouns; other numerical words and phrases