Subject-Verb Agreement
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of subject-verb agreement.
Basic rule
. A singular subject (
she, Bill, car
) takes a singular verb (
is, goes, shines
), whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Example
:
| The
list
of items
is
/are on the desk
.
|
If you know that
list
is the subject, then you will choose
is
for the verb.
|
Rule 1
. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with
of
. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word
of
is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.
Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:
Incorrect
:
| A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room
.
|
Correct
:
| A
bouquet
of yellow roses
lends
. . . (
bouquet lends
, not
roses lend
)
|
Rule 2
. Two singular subjects connected by
or, either/or
, or
neither/nor
require a singular verb.
Examples
:
| My
aunt
or my
uncle
is
arriving
by train today
.
|
Neither
Juan
nor
Carmen
is
available
.
|
Either
Kiana
or
Casey
is
helping
today with stage decorations
.
|
Rule 3
. The verb in an
or, either/or
, or
neither/nor
sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
Examples
:
| Neither the
plates
nor the serving
bowl
goes
on that shelf
.
|
Neither the serving
bowl
nor the
plates
go
on that shelf
.
|
This rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if
I
is one of two (or more) subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence:
Awkward
:
| Neither she, my friends, nor I am going to the festival
.
|
If possible, it's best to reword such grammatically correct but awkward sentences.
Better
:
| Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival
.
|
OR
|
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival
.
|
Rule 4
. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by
and
.
Example
:
| A
car
and a
bike
are
my means of transportation
.
|
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions
:
| Breaking and entering
is
against the law
.
|
The
bed and breakfast
was
charming
.
|
In those sentences,
breaking and entering
and
bed and breakfast
are compound nouns.
Rule 5
. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as
along with, as well as, besides, not
, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Examples
:
| The
politician
, along with the newsmen,
is expected
shortly
.
|
Excitement
, as well as nervousness,
is
the cause of her shaking
.
|
Rule 6
. With words that indicate portionsâ
percent, fraction, majority, some, all,
etc.âRule 1 given earlier is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after
of
. If the noun after
of
is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples
:
| Fifty percent
of the
pie
has disappeared
.
|
Fifty percent
of the
pies
have disappeared
.
|
A
third
of the
city
is
unemployed.
|
A
third
of the
people
are
unemployed.
|
All
of the
pie
is
gone.
|
All
of the
pies
are
gone.
|
Some
of the
pie
is
missing.
|
Some
of the
pies
are
missing.
|
Note
In recent years, the SAT testing service has considered
none
to be strictly singular. However, according to
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage
: “Clearly
none
has been both singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are acceptable beyond serious criticism.” When
none
is clearly intended to mean “not one,” it is followed by a singular verb.
Rule 7
. In sentences beginning with
here
or
there
, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples
:
| There
are
four
hurdles
to jump
.
|
There
is
a high
hurdle
to jump
.
|
Here
are
the
keys
.
|
Note
The word
there's
, a contraction of
there is
, leads to bad habits in informal sentences like
There's a lot of people here today
, because it's easier to say “there's” than “there are.” Take care never to use
there's
with a plural subject.
Rule 8
. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit.
Examples
:
| Three miles
is
too far to walk
.
|
Five years
is
the maximum sentence for that offense
.
|
Ten dollars
is
a high price to pay
.
|
BUT
|
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills)
were
scattered on the floor
.
|
Rule 9
. Some collective nouns, such as
family, couple, staff, audience
, etc., may take either a singular or a plural verb, depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples
:
| The
staff
is
in a meeting
.
|
Staff
is acting as a unit.
|
The
couple
disagree
about disciplining their child
.
|
The couple
refers to two people who are acting as individuals.
|
Note
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a collective noun must take care to be accurateâand also consistent. It must not be done carelessly. The following is the sort of flawed sentence one sees and hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how they want to vote
.
|
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular
is
and the plural
they
to
staff
in the same sentence.
|
Consistent
:
| The staff
are
deciding how
they
want to vote
.
|
Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. The preceding sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are deciding how they want to vote
.
|
Rule 10
. The word
were
replaces
was
in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:
Example
:
| If Joe
were
here, you'd be sorry
.
|
Shouldn't
Joe
be followed by
was
, not
were
, given that
Joe
is singular? But Joe isn't actually here, so we say
were
, not
was
. The sentence demonstrates the
subjunctive mood
, which is used to express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples
:
| I wish it
were
Friday
.
|
She requested that he
raise
his hand
.
|
In the first example, a wishful statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore,
were
, which we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular subject
I
.
Normally,
he raise
would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.
Note
: The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in formal speech and writing.
Clauses and Phrases
Definitions
- A
clause
is a group of words containing a subject and verb. An
independent clause
is a simple sentence. It can stand on its own.
Examples
:
| She is hungry
.
|
I am feeling well today
.
|
- A
dependent clause
cannot stand on its own. It needs an independent clause to complete a sentence. Dependent clauses often begin with such words as
although, since, if, when
, and
because
.
Examples
:
| Although she is hungry
. . .
|
Whoever is hungry
. . .
|
Because I am feeling well
. . .
|
Dependent
| Independent
|
Although she is hungry,
| she will give him some of her food.
|
Whatever they decide,
| I will agree to.
|
- A
phrase
is a group of words without a subject-verb component, used as a single part of speech.
Examples
:
| Best friend
(noun phrase)
|
Needing help
(adjective phrase; see the “Adjectives and Adverbs” section later in this chapter)
|
With the blue shirt
(prepositional adjective phrase; see the “Prepositions” section later in this chapter)
|
For twenty days
(prepositional adverb phrase)
|
Pronouns
Definition
- A
pronoun
(
I
,
me
,
he
,
she
,
herself
,
you
,
it
,
that
,
they
,
each
,
few
,
many
,
who
,
whoever
,
whose
,
someone
,
everybody
, etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun. In the sentence
Joe saw Jill, and he waved at her,
the pronouns
he
and
her
take the place of
Joe
and
Jill
, respectively. There are three types of pronouns:
subject
(for example,
he
);
object
(
him
); or
possessive
(
his
).
Rule 1
. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
I, he, she, we
,
they
,
who
,
whoever
, etc., all qualify and are, therefore, subject pronouns.
Rule 2
. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They will follow
to be
verbs, such as
is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been
, etc.
Examples
:
| It is he
.
|
This is she speaking
.
|
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize
.
|
Note
In informal English, most people tend to follow
to be
verbs with object pronouns like
me
,
her
,
them
. Many English scholars tolerate this distinction between formal and casual English.
Example
:
| It could have been them
.
|
Technically correct
:
| It could have been
they
.
|
Example
:
| It is just me at the door
.
|
Technically correct
:
| It is just
I
at the door
.
|
Rule 3
. This rule surprises even language watchers: when
who
refers to a personal pronoun (
I, you, he, she, we, they
), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.
Correct
:
| It is I who
am
sorry
. (
I
am
)
|
Incorrect
:
| It is I who is sorry
.
|
Correct
:
| It is you who
are
mistaken
. (
you
are
)
|
Incorrect
:
| It is you who's mistaken
.
|
Rule 4
. Object pronouns are used everywhere else beyond Rules 1 and 2 (
direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition
). Object pronouns include
me, him, herself, us, them, themselves
, etc.
Examples
:
| Jean saw
him
.
|
Him
is the direct object.
|
Give
her
the book
.
|
Her
is the indirect object. The direct object is
book
.
|
Are you talking to
me
?
|
Me
is the object of the preposition
to
.
|
Rule 5
. The pronouns
who, that
, and
which
become singular or plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Example
:
| He is the only one of those men who is always on time
.
|
The word
who
refers to
one
. Therefore, use the singular verb
is
.
|
Sometimes we must look more closely to find a verb's true subject:
Example
:
| He is one of those men who
are
always on time
.
|
The word
who
refers to
men
. Therefore, use the plural verb
are
.
|
In sentences like this last example, many would mistakenly insist that
one
is the subject, requiring
is
always on time
. But look at it this way:
Of those men who
are
always on time, he is one
.
Rule 6
. Pronouns that are singular (
I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither
, etc.) require singular verbs. This rule is frequently overlooked when using the pronouns
each, either
, and
neither
, followed by
of
. Those three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows
of
.
Examples
:
| Each
of the girls
sings
well
.
|
Either
of us
is
capable of doing the job
.
|
Neither
of them
is
available to speak right now
.
|
Exception
: When
each
follows a noun or pronoun in certain sentences, even experienced writers sometimes get tripped up:
Incorrect
:
| The women each gave her approval
.
|
Correct
:
| The women each gave their approval
.
|
Incorrect
:
| The words
are
and
there
each ends with a silent vowel
.
|
Correct
:
| The words
are
and
there
each end with a silent vowel
.
|
These examples do not contradict Rule 6, because
each
is not the subject, but rather an
adjunct
describing the true subject.
Rule 7
. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words
than
or
as
, mentally complete the sentence.
Examples
:
| Tranh is as smart as she/her
.
|
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say
Tranh is as smart as she is
. Therefore,
she
is the correct answer.
|
Zoe is taller than I/me
.
|
Mentally completing the sentence, we have
Zoe is taller than I am
.
|
Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me
.
|
We can interpret this sentence in two ways:
Daniel would rather talk to her than to me
.
OR
Daniel would rather talk to her than I would
. A sentence's meaning can change considerably, depending on the pronoun you choose.
|
Rule 8
. The possessive pronouns
yours
,
his, hers
,
its
,
ours, theirs
, and
whose
never need apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like
her's
and
your's
.
Rule 9
. The only time
it's
has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for
it is
or
it has
. The only time
who's
has an apostrophe is when it means
who is
or
who has
. There is no apostrophe in
oneself
. Avoid “one's self,” a common error.
Examples
:
| It's been a cold morning
.
|
The thermometer reached its highest reading
.
|
He's the one who's always on time
.
|
He's the one whose wife is always on time
.
|
Keeping oneself ready is important
.
|
Rule 10
. Pronouns that end in -
self
or -
selves
are called
reflexive pronouns
. There are nine reflexive pronouns:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves
, and
themselves
.
Reflexive pronouns are used when both the subject and the object of a verb are the same person or thing.
Example
:
| Joe helped
himself
.
|
If the object of a preposition refers to a previous noun or pronoun, use a reflexive pronoun:
Example
:
| Joe bought it for himself
.
|
Reflexive pronouns help avoid confusion and nonsense. Without them, we might be stuck with sentences like
Joe helped Joe
.
Correct
:
| I worked myself to the bone
.
|
The object
myself
is the same person as the subject
I
, performing the act of working.
|
Incorrect
:
| My brother and myself did it
.
|
Correct
:
| My brother and I did it
.
|
Don't use
myself
unless the pronoun
I
or
me
precedes it in the sentence.
|
Incorrect
:
| Please give it to John or myself
.
|
Correct
:
| Please give it to John or me
.
|
Correct
:
| You saw me being myself
.
|
Myself
refers back to
me
in the act of being.
|
A sentence like
Help yourself
looks like an exception to the rule until we realize it's shorthand for
You
may help yourself
.
In certain cases, a reflexive pronoun may come first.
Example
:
| Doubting himself, the man proceeded cautiously
.
|
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.
Example
:
| He himself finished the whole job
.
|
Rule 11a
. Avoid
they
and
their
with singular pronouns.
Incorrect
:
| Someone brought their lunch
.
|
Correct
:
| Someone brought
her
lunch
.
|
OR
|
Someone brought
his
lunch
.
|
If the gender is undetermined, you could say
Someone brought
his or her
lunch
(more on this option in Rule 11b).
Rule 11b
. Singular pronouns must stay singular throughout the sentence.
Incorrect
:
| Someone has to do itâand they have to do it well
.
|
The problem is that
someone
is singular, but
they
is plural. If we change
they
to
he or she
, we get a rather clumsy sentence, even if it is technically correct.
Technically correct
:
| Someone has to do itâand he or she has to do it well
.
|
Replacing an ungrammatical sentence with a poorly written correction is a bad bargain. The better option is to rewrite.
Rewritten
:
| Someone has to do itâand has to do it well
.
|
Many writers abhor the
he or she
solution. Following are more examples of why rewriting is a better idea than using
he or she
or
him or her
to make sentences grammatical.
Incorrect
:
| No one realizes when their time is up
.
|
Correct but awkward
:
| No one realizes when his or her time is up
.
|
Rewritten
:
| None realize when their time is up
.
|
Incorrect
:
| If you see anyone on the trail, tell them to be careful
.
|
Correct but awkward
:
| If you see anyone on the trail, tell him or her to be careful
.
|
Rewritten
:
| Tell anyone you see on the trail to be careful
.
|
Rule 12
. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by
and
, mentally remove the
and
+ noun phrase to avoid trouble.
Incorrect
:
| Her and her friend came over
.
|
If we remove
and her friend
, we're left with the ungrammatical
Her came over
.
|
Correct
:
| She
and her friend came over
.
|
Incorrect
:
| I invited he and his wife
.
|
If we remove
and his wife
, we're left with the ungrammatical
I invited he
.
|
Correct
:
| I invited
him
and his wife
.
|
Incorrect
:
| Bill asked my sister and I
.
|
If we remove
my sister and
, we're left with the ungrammatical
Bill asked I
.
|
Correct
:
| Bill asked my sister and
me
.
|
Note
Do not combine a subject pronoun and an object pronoun in phrases like
her and I
or
he and me
. Whenever
and
or
or
links an object pronoun (
her, me
) and a subject pronoun (
he, I
), one of those pronouns will always be wrong.
Incorrect
:
| Her and I went home
.
|
Correct
:
| She and I went home
. (She went and I went.)
|