Subject-Verb Agreement Explained : Rules, Examples, and Common Mistakes

Subject verb agreement – ever heard of the term? Well, here is a chance to learn what subject-verb agreement means, what the term ‘concord’ refers to, and the rules to help you understand how it works.

What is Subject-Verb agreement?

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the verb or verbs in a sentence must match the number, person, and gender of the subject. In English, the verb needs to match just the number and sometimes the person. For example, the singular subject it and the plural subject they use different versions of the same verb: “it goes…” and “they go…”

 

Subject-Verb Agreement with Noun and Personal Pronouns

Verbs change based on the subject’s number and person.

Subject	Be Verbs	Have Verbs	Do Verbs	Action Verbs
I	was / am	had / have	did / do	V2 / V1
You / We / They	were / are	had / have	did / do	V2 / V1
He / She / It	was / is	had / has	did / does	V2 / V1 + s/es
Singular Noun	was / is	had / has	did / does	V2 / V1 + s/es
Plural Noun	were / are	had / have	did / do	V2 / V1

Examples:

1. I am excited about the event.
2. She has a beautiful voice.
3. They do their assignments on time.
4. He runs five miles every morning.
5. Shahin works very hard to support his family.

 

Indefinite Pronouns and Subject-Verb Agreement

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing. The verb form depends on the pronoun’s number.

2.1 Singular Indefinite Pronouns

These always take singular verbs: Anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, somebody, someone, something, nobody, no one, nothing, one, another, either, neither, each, much. Examples:

1. Everybody enjoys a good story.
2. Someone is calling you.
3. Neither of the books was interesting.
4. Each of the students has a textbook.

 2.2 Plural Indefinite Pronouns

These always take plural verbs: Many, several, few, both, others. Examples:

1. Few understand the importance of time.
2. Both were selected for the final round.
3. Many have applied for the job.
4. Several were absent today.

2.3 Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns

Some pronouns can be singular or plural depending on the noun they refer to: All, none, some, any, part, most. Examples:

1. All of the cake is gone. (Cake is singular.)
2. All of the students have submitted their assignments. (Students are plural.)
3. Some of the water has spilled. (Water is singular.)
4. Some of the cookies are missing. (Cookies are plural.)

 

Additional Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

3.1 Collective Nouns

• Singular verb when the group acts as a unit. Example: The jury is making a decision.
• Plural verb when members act individually. Example: The jury are divided in their opinions.

3.2 “Along with,” “Together with,” “Accompanied by,” and “As well as”

These phrases do not change the number of the subject. The verb agrees with the main subject. Examples:

1. The teacher, as well as the students, wants a break.
2. The captain, along with his teammates, is celebrating the victory.
3. My mother, together with her friends, is organizing the event.
4. The president, as well as the ministers, has arrived.

3.3 Subjects Joined by “Or” or “Nor”

• If both subjects are singular, use a singular verb.
  • Neither the teacher nor the student is ready.
  • Either the cat or the dog is responsible for the mess.
• If one subject is plural, the verb agrees with the closer subject.
  • Neither the students nor the teacher is present.
  • The books or the notebook goes on the shelf.
  • Neither the teacher nor the students are present

 Note: The same rule applies to “not only…but also”.

• Not only the manager but also the employees are attending the meeting. (verb agrees with the closer plural subject “employees”)
• Not only the students but also the professor was surprised. (verb agrees with the closer singular subject “professor”)

3.4 “More than One” Rule

Always takes a singular verb.

• More than one student was late.
• More than one car has been stolen.

3.5 Units of Measurement

Singular verbs are used for measurements.

• Ten dollars is enough.
• Three kilometers is a long walk.

3.6 “A Number of” vs. “The Number of”

“A number of” is followed by a plural noun and takes a plural verb. It refers to several or many individuals or items. Example: A number of students are absent today.

“The number of” is followed by a plural noun but takes a singular verb. It refers to the total count or quantity of something. Example: The number of students in each class varies depending on the subject.

3.7 “None” and Subject-Verb Agreement

“None” can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on the noun it refers to and the intended meaning.

• Use a singular verb when “none” means not one or refers to a collective or uncountable noun. Example: None of the team was prepared for the match.
• Use a plural verb when “none” refers to multiple people or things that are countable. Example: None of the students were present in class today.

 

Rules at a Glance

Singular Subject	Plural Subjects	Subjects can be Singular/Plural
Everyone, Everybody, Everything, Someone, Somebody, Something, No one, Nobody, Nothing, Anyone, Anybody, Anything Each Either of the Neither of the The number of More than one	Many, Several, Few, Both, Others A number of X and Y X, Y and Z	All, Some, Any, Part, Most, Percentage, Majority All of the … Half of the … None of the … X along with/ accompanied by/ together with/ as well as Y Either X or Y Neither X nor Y X or Y Not only X but also Y X not Y Collective nouns (team, family, army, jury…

 

Common Mistakes

Common Subject-Verb Agreement Mistakes

1. Mismatch with “There is” / “There are”

Use “there is” for singular subjects, and “there are” for plural subjects.
Incorrect: There is many students in the hall.
Correct: There are many students in the hall.
“Students” is plural, so use “are.”

2. Incorrect use of “have” and “has”

Use “has” with he, she, it (third person singular), and “have” with I, you, we, they.
Incorrect: He have a new phone.
Correct: He has a new phone.
“He” is third person singular, so use “has.”

3. Wrong verb after compound subjects joined by “and”

Incorrect: My brother and sister is here.
Correct: My brother and sister are here.
Two people = plural subject = plural verb.

The words listed below often cause singular/plural confusion.

Word	Singular or Plural?
Agenda Criteria	Singular (even though it is the plural of agendum) Plural (Unlike data and agendum, criteria has retained its plural status because the singular criterion is still in common usage.)
Data	Singular nowadays (even though it is the plural of datum)
Glasses	Plural (Note: Pair of glasses is singular.)
Measles	Singular
Media	Singular or Plural (Treat media like a collective noun as opposed to the plural of medium.)
News	Singular
Pliers	Plural (Note: Pair of pliers is singular.)
Scissors	Plural (Note: Pair of scissors is singular.)
Underpants	Plural (Note: Pair of underpants is singular.)