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 should you use a singular verb?

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

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When should you use a plural verb?

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Use a plural verb 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' that share the same verb.

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How do you determine the verb for a compound subject?

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Use a plural verb for a compound subject (e.g., 'The cat and dog are playing').

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What is an example of a subject that requires a singular verb?

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An example is 'The team wins the game.' Here, 'team' is a collective noun treated as singular.

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What is an example of a subject that requires a plural verb?

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An example is 'The children play outside.' Here, 'children' is plural.

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What is a collective noun?

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A collective noun refers to a group of individuals or things treated as a single unit (e.g., 'team', 'flock').

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What is an example of a sentence with a subject-verb agreement error?

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Incorrect: 'The group of students are studying.' Correct: 'The group of students is studying.'

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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 teacher nor the students were ready').