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 with its verb. This means that singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Front

When do you use a singular verb with 'either/or'?

Back

When using 'either/or', the verb should agree with the nearest subject. For example, 'Either Jack or Marty is babysitting.'

Front

When do you use a plural verb with 'and'?

Back

When two subjects are joined by 'and', they typically require a plural verb. For example, 'Macaroni and cheese are my brother's favorite dish.' (Note: 'Macaroni and cheese' is treated as a single dish, so it takes a singular verb.)

Front

What is the correct verb form for collective nouns?

Back

Collective nouns can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or as individuals. For example, 'The team is winning' (singular) vs. 'The team are arguing among themselves' (plural).

Front

What is the rule for 'there is' and 'there are'?

Back

Use 'there is' for singular nouns and 'there are' for plural nouns. For example, 'There is one apple on the table.' vs. 'There are three apples on the table.'

Front

How do you determine the correct verb form with 'many'?

Back

With 'many', always use a plural verb. For example, 'Many of my friends were absent yesterday.'

Front

What is the subject in the sentence: 'The dog barks loudly'?

Back

The subject is 'The dog', which is singular, so the verb 'barks' is also singular.

Front

What is the subject in the sentence: 'The dogs bark loudly'?

Back

The subject is 'The dogs', which is plural, so the verb 'bark' is also plural.

Front

What happens when subjects are joined by 'or'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'or', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. For example, 'Either the teacher or the students are going to the park.'

Front

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

Back

An example is: 'The cat runs fast.' (singular subject and singular verb).