Verb - Subject Agreement

Verbs should agree with the subject of the sentence in number (singular or plural) and in person (first, second, or third).  

Present Tense forms of Love (a typical verb)

 

Simple past – expresses action which happened in the past

Special Circumstances

Make the verb agree with its subject, not with a word or phrase that comes between.

Word groups often come between the subject and the verb.  Such word groups, usually modifying the subject, may contain a noun that at first appears to be the subject.  By mentally stripping away such modifiers, you can isolate the noun that is in fact the subject.

• The staff in the library are always helpful.
• (Ask yourself what is the real subject?  Who is helpful?)

Treat most subjects joined with and as plural.
A subject with two or more parts is nearly always plural.

• Bill and Bob like to hunt together.

Exception:  When a compound subject is preceded by each or every, treat the subject as singular.

• Each book, magazine article, and newspaper report needs to be read carefully.

Exception:  When the parts of the subject form a single unit or when they refer to the same person or thing, treat the subject as singular.

• Ice cream and cake is a nice dessert.
• Dave's teacher and advisor is always helpful.

Exception:  With subjects connected by or or nor (or by either . . . or or neither . . . nor ), make the verb agree with the part of the subject nearer to verb.

• A book or an article fulfills the assignment.
• A book or two articles fulfill the assignment. Â

Treat most indefinite pronouns as singular.
Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things, words such as anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone, etc.

• Everyone likes ice cream. Â
• Everybody who goes to the game enjoys the experience.

Treat collective nouns as singular unless the meaning is clearly plural.
Collective nouns name a class or a group, for example jury, committee, class, etc.

• The jury reaches a verdict.
• The jury debates among themselves.

Make the verb agree with its subject even when the subject follows the verb.

• There are many hills surrounding Spearfish, SD.

Who, which, and that take verbs that agree with their antecedents.
The relative pronouns who, which, and that have antecedents, that is nouns or pronouns to which they refer.  They, therefore, take verbs that agree with their antecedents.

• The man who lives next to me has been sick.    (Who does the who refer to?)

Collective nouns, titles of works, company names, words mentioned as words, and gerund phrases are singular.

Collective nouns are words such as athletics, economics, mathematics, physics, statistics, measles, and news.

• Economics is required for business majors.
• A Witness of Combines is Kent Meyer's first published book.
• Skiing is a popular winter sport in the Black Hills.