Subject-Verb Agreement

In order for sentences to sound right, their verbs and subjects need to mesh well together. Since the subject is the one performing the action, the verb needs to match it in person and number.

"Person" is a way of saying who the subject is. There are three levels of "person" in English: first person, second person, and third person. To put it simply: In first person, the subject is I or we. Second person is you or you all. Third person is she, he, it, or they.

"Number" is a way of saying how many people (or objects) are in the subject. If only one person is in the subject, it's singular. Otherwise, it's plural.

Thus, a subject has both person and number, and the verb takes on the appropriate form. Take the examples below:

• Singular first person: I work.
• Singular second person: You work.
• Singular third person: He works.
• Plural first person: We work.
• Plural second person: You work.
• Plural third person: They work.

The verb "work" has two different forms, "work" and "works," depending on the subject. 

Unusual Situations

As clear as this all seems, some situations are a bit trickier than others. For example, take an irregular verb like "be."

• Singular first person: I am.
• Singular second person: You are.
• Singular third person: He is.
• Plural first person: We are.
• Plural second person: You are.
• Plural third person: They are.

This verb is highly irregular, and so it can be trickier to make sure that the subject and verb match in tense and number.

This is not the only unusual situation, however. Subject-verb agreement can become a little more complicated when the subject is very long and complex. When faced with situations like these, it is generally best to consider the entire complex subject phrase as one subject, and then think about what kind of thing it represents.

Compound Sentences

Compound sentences (two sentences joined by a clause) have a subject and verb in each clause. Make sure the subject of each clause agrees with the verb of each clause.

• The peanut butter is on the counter and the beans are in the bag.
• The children have a snow day, so I am going home early.

Modifying Phrases

Sometimes modifying phrases can come between the subject and verb of a sentence. This should not affect the subject-verb agreement.

• The idea of serving frankfurters is a good one.
• The children, along with their father, are taking a cab to the station.

Verb Precedes Subject

Sometimes the subject of a sentence can come after its verb. Even in these cases, the verb should still agree with the subject.

• Where are the candles for the cake?
• There is a quiet spot by the pond.

Compound Subjects

Compound subjects (two subjects joined by a conjunction) take plural verbs if they are joined by "and." Think of it this way: you've got more than one subject, so your verb has to be plural. 

• The president and the children are at the party.
• My brothers and I are at the party.

Positive and Negative Subjects

When a positive subject and a negative subject are compounded and have different numbers, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

• It is not the assistant coaches but the head coach who calls the plays.
• It is the soup, but not the appetizers, that has poisoned the queen.

Or

When two nouns differing in number are joined by the word "or," the verb should take the form of the noun closest to it. For example:

• Most viewers of the painting assume that either the monkey's antics or the handler's chagrin causes the young men's laughter.

"Chagrin" is closer to the verb than "antics," so the verb "causes" takes the singular form. Note that this is the case specifically because of the word "or."

Indefinite Pronouns

Five indefinite pronouns always take plural verbs: others, both, many, few, and several.

• Both are arriving at the same time.
• Many people love parties.

However, most indefinite pronouns take singular verbs.

• Everybody is at the party.
• Either restaurant sounds good.

Some indefinite pronouns can take a singular or plural verb based on whether the noun to which they are referring is uncountable (singular) or countable (plural).

• Some (sand) is in my shoe.
• Some (pebbles) are in my shoe.

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (which refer to a group of beings or things as a single unit) are singular, and so take singular verbs.

• The audience was silent at the end of the play.
• The class has plenty of homework for the weekend.

Mass Nouns

Mass nouns, like "water" or "mud" are neither singular nor plural. You can't say "one water" or "two waters" because it's all just a continuous object (unless you are talking about two distinct containers of water). Mass nouns represent a generic, unknown amount of whatever they are. They take a singular verb form.

• My baggage was left at the airport. [The subject baggage is a mass noun, so the verb was is singular.] 
• My bags were left at the airport. [The subject bags is a plural noun, so the verb were is also plural to agree with the subject.]

Amounts

Amounts take singular verbs because they are treated as units, which are singular nouns.

• Ten dollars is enough to buy the book.
• All I need is fifteen minutes to finish the exam.

Some non-amount words end in "s" but also take singular verbs because they refer to units or single entities.

• Economics is an interesting subject.
• The news airs at six o'clock.

Pair Words

Some words ending in "s" refer to single objects but are considered plural and so should take plural verbs, unless they are preceded by "pair of" (in which case "pair" would be the subject).

• Your shoes are bright yellow.
• My favorite pair of pants is in the wash.

Titles

The title of a book or work of art is always singular even if a noun in the title is plural.

• The Three Musketeers is sitting on the shelf by the window.

Sums and products take singular verbs in mathematical equations. Fractional expressions vary depending on the meaning.

• Three plus four equals seven.
• Three-fourths of the professors vote Republican.

The child stands near the door.

The title demonstrates the necessity of subject-verb agreement. The third person subject, "The child," requires that the verb also take a third person singular form, "stands."

Revising

Most of the time, writers use subject-verb agreement automatically. Most of us are so used to doing it that we do not need to think about the rule in order to follow it. Nevertheless, you should be aware of subject-verb agreement when editing your papers, especially if they have gone through many revisions. This is one thing writers may forget to edit. Most mistakes happen because writers are not paying careful attention to the number and person of their subjects. 

To figure out which noun the verb should agree with, begin by crossing out any prepositional phrases or other descriptive clauses. Then focus on the verb and ask yourself, "Who or what is performing this action?" Pare it down to just a subject and verb, and see if it sounds right. Writers need to consider whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural, and whether the subject is first person, second person, or third person. Once this has been determined, the correct conjugation of the verb can be used.