Subject-Verb Agreement

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

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Subject-Verb Agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural).

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When do we use a singular verb?

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A singular verb is used when the subject is singular (e.g., 'The cat runs').

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When do we use a plural verb?

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A plural verb is used when the subject is plural (e.g., 'The cats run').

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What is a compound subject?

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A compound subject consists of two or more subjects joined by 'and' or 'or' (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry').

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How do you determine the verb for a compound subject joined by 'and'?

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Use a plural verb when the compound subject is joined by 'and' (e.g., 'The dog and the cat are friends').

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How do you determine the verb for a compound subject joined by 'or'?

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Use a verb that agrees with the nearest subject when the compound subject is joined by 'or' (e.g., 'Either the teacher or the students are going').

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What is an indefinite pronoun?

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An indefinite pronoun refers to non-specific persons or things (e.g., 'everyone', 'all', 'some').

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How do indefinite pronouns affect verb agreement?

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Some indefinite pronouns are singular (e.g., 'everyone' takes a singular verb), while others are plural (e.g., 'few' takes a plural verb).

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What is the rule for collective nouns?

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Collective nouns (e.g., 'team', 'committee') can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals.

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What is the verb form for 'The committee ____ on big projects'?

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The correct verb form is 'works' because 'committee' is a collective noun.