Compound Subject-Verb Agreement

Front

What is compound subject-verb agreement?

Back

Compound subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the verb must agree in number with the compound subject, which consists of two or more subjects joined by 'and' or 'or/nor'.

Front

When using 'or' or 'nor' with a compound subject, how do you determine the verb form?

Back

When using 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. For example, in 'Neither the teacher nor the students are here', 'students' is closest, so the verb is plural.

Front

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

Back

When subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb. For example, 'The cat and the dog are playing together'.

Front

In the sentence 'Neither my family nor our neighbors _____ the empty lot to be turned into a gas station', which verb form is correct?

Back

The correct verb form is 'want' because 'neighbors' is plural and closest to the verb.

Front

In the sentence 'Either Alice or her assistant ____ to Singapore', which verb form is correct?

Back

The correct verb form is 'flies' because 'assistant' is singular and closest to the verb.

Front

What happens to the verb when the subjects are both singular and connected by 'or'?

Back

The verb remains singular. For example, 'Either the cat or the dog is outside'.

Front

What is the correct verb form in 'Neither he nor Martin ____ with me'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'agrees' because 'Martin' is singular and closest to the verb.

Front

In the sentence 'Your cabbage salad and homemade bread ____ even better than I remember', which verb form is correct?

Back

The correct verb form is 'taste' because 'cabbage salad and homemade bread' is a compound subject and is plural.

Front

What is the rule for subjects joined by 'or' when one is singular and the other is plural?

Back

The verb agrees with the subject closest to it. For example, 'Either the teacher or the students are responsible'.

Front

In the sentence 'It seems like Yardley Academy or Newton High School ____ the tennis tournament', which verb form is correct?

Back

The correct verb form is 'wins' because 'Newton High School' is singular and closest to the verb.