Subject-Verb Agreement

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its verb.

Front

When do you use a singular verb?

Back

A singular verb is used when the subject is singular, meaning it refers to one person, place, thing, or idea.

Front

When do you use a plural verb?

Back

A plural verb is used when the subject is plural, meaning it refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

Front

What is the rule for compound subjects joined by 'and'?

Back

When two subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb.

Front

What is the rule for compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

Front

How does the presence of collective nouns affect verb agreement?

Back

Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or as individuals.

Front

What is an example of a subject that takes a singular verb despite being plural in form?

Back

The word 'news' is an example; it takes a singular verb (e.g., 'The news is surprising').

Front

What is the rule for indefinite pronouns in subject-verb agreement?

Back

Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'somebody', and 'each' take singular verbs.

Front

How do you determine the correct verb form with subjects that are separated by phrases?

Back

Ignore the intervening phrases and focus on the main subject to determine the correct verb form.

Front

What is the subject-verb agreement rule for the word 'none'?

Back

The word 'none' can be singular or plural depending on the context; it takes a singular verb when referring to a singular noun and a plural verb when referring to a plural noun.