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?

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

Front

When do you use a plural verb?

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

Front

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

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

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

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When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (e.g., 'Neither the dog nor the cats run.').

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How does the presence of phrases affect subject-verb agreement?

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Phrases that come between the subject and verb do not affect the agreement (e.g., 'The group of students is studying.').

Front

What is a collective noun?

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A collective noun refers to a group of individuals or things (e.g., 'team', 'flock'). It can take either singular or plural verbs depending on context.

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What is an example of a singular subject with a singular verb?

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Example: 'The dog barks.' (singular subject 'dog' with singular verb 'barks').

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What is an example of a plural subject with a plural verb?

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Example: 'The dogs bark.' (plural subject 'dogs' with plural verb 'bark').

Front

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

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Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone' and 'somebody' are singular and take singular verbs (e.g., 'Everyone runs.').