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

What is the correct verb form for a singular subject?

Back

The correct verb form for a singular subject is typically the base form of the verb plus 's' or 'es' (e.g., 'he runs', 'she watches').

Front

What is the correct verb form for a plural subject?

Back

The correct verb form for a plural subject is the base form of the verb without 's' or 'es' (e.g., 'they run', 'we watch').

Front

How does the presence of 'there' affect subject-verb agreement?

Back

In sentences starting with 'there', the verb agrees with the noun that follows it, not with 'there' itself (e.g., 'There are many books').

Front

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

Back

When subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends').

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 (e.g., 'Either the cat or the dogs are outside').

Front

How does the word 'each' affect subject-verb agreement?

Back

When 'each' is used, it is considered singular, so it takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Each of the students is ready').

Front

What is the effect of collective nouns on subject-verb agreement?

Back

Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals (e.g., 'The team wins' vs. 'The team are arguing').

Front

What is the correct verb form when using 'none' as a subject?

Back

The verb form for 'none' can be singular or plural depending on the context (e.g., 'None of the cake is left' vs. 'None of the cookies are left').

Front

How does the word 'many' affect subject-verb agreement?

Back

The word 'many' is always followed by a plural verb (e.g., 'Many of the students are here').