1. Subject/Verb Agreement
What’s the Function?
Subject/Verb Agreement
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2. How does subject/verb agreement contribute to good writing?
Though many students may consider subject/verb agreement to be a rather inconsequential part of writing, it is actually extremely important.
To communicate effectively to an audience, a person must be able to express himself or herself coherently.
Clarity is key, and correct subject/verb agreement contributes to clarity.
Mastering basic skills such as subject/verb agreement builds a foundation for excellent writing.

3. Rule #1 A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural
subject takes a plural verb.
Examples:
She cleverly outsmarts him. (singular subject, singular verb)
They cleverly outsmart him. (plural subject, plural verb)

4. Rule #2 Use a singular verb with two singular
subjects connected by “or” or “nor”.
Example:
Julianne or Toby is going to work the late shift tonight.

5. Rule #3 Use a singular verb with two singular
subjects connected by “either/or” or
“neither/nor.”
Example:
Neither Raul nor Janet is available to drive me to the movies.

6. Rule #4
When “I” is one of the two subjects connected by “either/or” or “neither/nor,” put the “I” second and use a (first-person) singular verb.
Example:
Neither he nor I am planning a birthday party for Lisa.

7. Rule #5 When a singular subject is connected by
“or” or “nor” to a plural subject, put the
plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
The dog or the cats have torn down the window shades in the living room.

8. Rule #6 When a singular and plural subject are
connected by “either/or” or
“neither/nor”, put the plural subject last
and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Henry nor his friends know when the bikes were stolen.

9. Rule #7 Generally, use a plural verb with two
or more subjects when they are
connected by the word “and.”
Example:
Jupiter and Saturn are located in our solar system.

10. Rule #8 When the subject is separated from the
verb by an expression such as “along with,”
“besides,” “as well as,” etc., determine the
verb by using the original subject.
Example:
Stephen, along with his sisters, is attending the school play tonight.

11. Rule #9 Use singular verbs with pronouns such as
“anyone,” “anybody,” “each,” “everyone,”
“every one,” “everybody,” “someone,” and
“somebody.”
Example:
Anyone who speaks during the test gets five points taken away.

12. Rule #10 With “portion words” – such as “percent,”
“fraction,” “part,” “majority,” “some,” “all,”
“none,” “remainder,” etc. – determine the
verb by the object of the preposition.
Example:
The majority of the cake is gone.
A fraction of the cookies are left.

13. Rule #11 The expression “the number” requires a
singular verb, while the expression “a
number” requires a plural verb.
Example(s):
The number of people attending is high.
A number of participants are not coming anymore.

14. Rule #12 Always use singular verbs with “either” and
“neither” as subject.
Example(s):
Neither of the students was willing to admit what happened.
Either of the students is able to enter the contest.

15. Rule #13 The subject follows the verb in sentences
that begin with “here” and “there.”
Examples:
There are four popsicles left in the freezer.
There is one ice-cream sandwich left.

16. Rule #14 Use a singular verb with periods of time or amounts in money.
Examples:
Thirty dollars is a steep price.
Four years seems like such a long time.

17. Rule #15 The pronouns “who,” “that,” and “which” are
made singular or plural depending on the noun
in front of them.
Example(s):
She is the student who collects cans for the clothing drive each year.
He is one of the club members who organize the car wash each year.

18. Rule #16 Collective nouns such as “staff” and “team”
may be either singular or plural, depending on
how they are used in the sentence.
Examples:
The team usually wins the championship.
(referring to the team as a unit)
The team are undecided about the lineup. (referring to individual members)

19. On Your Own
Apply your new knowledge on subject/verb agreement.

20. With a Partner Review your answers with your partner.
Were there observations you found that they did not?
What did they find you didn’t?

21. Application Review one of your already graded writing assignments.
What subject/verb errors do you notice?
Are there trends with subject/verb errors?