Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental grammatical rule in English that ensures sentences are grammatically correct and clear. This principle dictates that the verb in a sentence must agree in number with its subject, meaning that the verb should be singular if the subject is singular and plural if the subject is plural.

Cases where the verb is singular:

1. Singular subject:

• Example:
  • The cat sleeps on the mat.
  • My brother works in London.

2. When the subject is a measurement of time, distance, amount, or money:

• Example:
  • Ten minutes is all I need.
  • Two hundred dollars is not enough.
  • Five kilometers is a long distance.
• Note:
  • If these measurements are used to refer to a specific number of objects, the verb will agree with that number.
  • Example:
    • Five kilometers are covered in this race.

3. When the subject is an indefinite pronoun:

• Example:
  • Everything is ready.
  • Someone is knocking at the door.
• Indefinite pronouns usually take singular verbs: everyone, somebody, anybody, nobody, nothing, something, anything, everything.

4. When the subject is a noun clause:

• Example:
  • That he is honest is well-known.
  • What she said is true.

5. When the subject begins with “to V” or “V_ing”:

• Example:
  • To learn English is not easy.
  • Swimming is a good exercise.

6. When the subject begins with the phrase “many a”:

• Example:
  • Many a man has tried to climb this mountain.

7. When the subject is a title:

• Example:
  • “The Lord of the Rings” is a great fantasy novel.

Some nouns that are plural in form but take singular verbs:

• Example:
  • News is spreading fast.
  • Physics is a difficult subject.
  • Maths is my favorite subject.
• These nouns typically refer to a concept or a subject: news, physics, maths, economics, athletics, billiards, measles, mumps, diabetes, rabies.

When the subject begins with each/ every:

• Each/ every + singular noun + singular verb:
  • Example:
    • Every student has to take the exam.
    • Each child needs love and care.
• Each of + plural noun + singular verb:
  • Example:
    • Each of the students has a different opinion.
• Each/ every + singular noun + singular verb and every/ each + singular noun + singular verb:
  • Example:
    • Every boy and every girl has a chance to win.
• Note:
  • When the subject is a plural noun and the word “each” or “every” precedes it, the verb remains singular.
  • Example:
    • Each of the houses has a garden.
    • Every student in the class has a different opinion.

Additionally, there are a few special cases to remember when choosing the verb:

• “None” can take either a singular or plural verb depending on the context.
• Example:
  • None of the students is present.
  • None of the students are present.
• “A number of” takes a plural verb, while “the number of” takes a singular verb.
• Example:
  • A number of students are absent today.
  • The number of students is increasing.
• With “a lot of”, “lots of”, “plenty of”, “a great deal of”, “a good deal of”, “some of”, “most of” the verb agrees with the accompanying noun.
• Example:
  • A lot of people are here today.
  • A lot of time is wasted.
• With “half of”, “a quarter of”, “two-thirds of” the verb agrees with the accompanying noun.
• Example:
  • Half of the students are from the city.
  • A quarter of the money has been spent.

Mastering subject-verb agreement is crucial for writing grammatically correct and professional English. Practice regularly to commit these rules to memory and apply them accurately in your writing.