Subject Verb Agreement

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

We use a singular verb when the subject is singular, meaning it refers to one person, place, thing, or idea.

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

When using 'A number of,' the verb should be plural (e.g., 'A number of students were present').

When using 'The number of,' the verb should be singular (e.g., 'The number of students is increasing').

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

When compound subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (e.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students were ready').

The word 'none' can be singular or plural depending on the context. Use a singular verb if 'none' refers to a singular noun and a plural verb if it refers to a plural noun.

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

When 'each' or 'every' is used, the verb should be singular (e.g., 'Each student has a book').