Subject and verb agreement

1. singular

1.1. The student goes to school

2. A singular subject must have a singular verb just as a plural subject must have a plural verb.

3. Measurements and figures ending in -s may be singular when the amount they refer to is a unit:

3.1. Three years is a long time to wait. One-third of the lunchroom has new chairs.

3.2. When the parts of the subject form a single idea or refer to a single thing, the verb is singular.

3.2.1. Ham and cheese is his favorite sandwich.

3.2.2. The new president and CEO arrives in an hour.

3.2.3. (The subject is one person who is both the new president and CEO.)

3.2.4. The new president and his CEO arrive in an hour.

3.2.5. (The subject is two people so the verb has to be plural.

4. Number as a collective noun can be singular or plural. When a comes before number, it is always plural. When the comes before number, it is always singular.

4.1. A number of employees have decided to car pool.

4.2. The number of people without jobs is dropping.

5. Some words that can be part of the subject need to be remembered as always being singular or always plural. Words that are always singular:

5.1. anyone anything no one nothing neither either what whatever whoever somebody something someone each everyone everything everybody

6. Some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural depending on what comes after them. Whether they are singular or plural depends on the meaning of the nouns they refer to.

6.1. some all most any none

7. plural

7.1. The students go to school

8. When you are trying to determine if a subject and verb agree:

8.1. Locate the subject of the sentence

8.2. Decide if the subject is single or plural

8.3. Locate the verb which goes with the subject

8.4. Decide if the verb form matches the subject

9. These words and amounts are plural when they describe single items instead of a whole:

9.1. The statistics show the market will improve.

9.2. One-third of the computers in the office have new memory cards.

9.3. A compound subject, two or more subjects joined by and, takes a plural verb.

9.3.1. Coffee and tea are served hot.

9.3.2. The president, the CEO and the sale manager are having a meeting.

10. Words that are always plural:

10.1. few both several many

11. The relative pronouns who, which and that do not have different singular and plural forms. When used as a subject, its verb should agree with the noun it refers to.

11.1. 1.The manager should listen to the people who work for him. (Who refers to the plural people, so the verb is plural.) 2.Justin is the person who usually fixes our computer problems. (Who refers to the singular person, so the verb is singular.)

12. When parts of a subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the part closest to it. If the closest part is singular, the verb is singular. If the closest part is plural, the verb is plural.

12.1. 1.Neither the secretary nor the receptionist knows the phone number. 2.The engineers or the mechanics have the can of oil. 3.Neither the manager nor the employees were late. (Manager is singular but employees is plural. Employees is closest to the verb so the verb is plural.) 4.Either he or they are early. (He is singular but they is plural. They is closest to the verb so the verb is plural.)