Subject-Verb Agreement is a rule that states that the verb must take the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be in plural form.
In essay writing, subject-verb agreement can:
- Either make or break your grade or essay score
- Show you professor or instructor that your grammar skills are at an A+ or a C level
- Make your writing come across as mature and competent or immature and incompetent
Here is a simple guide to understanding subject-verb agreement once and for all.
An Example to Illustrate the Basic Rule
Let’s look at an example right away to illustrate the basic rule:
"The class that has the most reading and writing assignments are boring."
What is really boring in this sentence – the class or the reading and writing assignments?
Let’s recall the anatomy of any sentence:
Sentence = Subject + Verb (+ optional Object)
A sentence can exist only when a subject does, is, or has something. Let’s ask a few questions about our example:
What is the subject of the sentence (in other words, what is it really about)?
It’s about ‘A class.’
What is the class doing (or having, or being)?
It {has the most reading and writing assignments} and {is boring}.
But which is the MAIN verb here? In other words, what is the author really trying to say about the class?
Here’s a hint: after removing which of these verbs will the sentence no longer exist? Remember the rule about sentences:
Sentence = Subject + Verb
So, let’s experiment and remove the first verb (together with everything that is attached to it):
"The classthat has the most reading and writing assignmentsare boring."
Does the sentence work? Well, if we use the correct verb form, it will work:
"The class is boring."
And now let’s experiment and remove the second verb:
“The class that has the most reading and writing assignmentsare boring.”
Just read the sentence aloud and see if it feels complete.
I hope you did read it aloud and noticed that it is no longer a sentence, but a sentence fragment. In other words, it has become only a part of the sentence.
And why did that happen? It happened because the Subject no longer has a Verb. Therefore, what is the Verb in this sentence? It is the verb to be.
Let’s highlight it in bold in our example:
“The class that has the most reading and writing assignments are boring.”
Now we know that the subject is the class, and the verb is the word ‘are.’ Can you say or write the following:
“The class are boring.”
In fact, when you write it in your word processor, you’ll get a blue underline, or something like that, to bring your attention to it.
What is wrong with this sentence? The Subject and the Verb are not in agreement. Why? Because the Subject is in singular form, and the Verb is plural.
So, what should we do in order to fix the problem?
We can either change the Subject to the plural or the Verb to the singular:
“The classes are boring.”
“The class is boring.”
And it’s really our choice which we would prefer, because both ways work.
So, let’s look at the two versions of the complete corrected example:
“The class that has the most reading and writing assignments is boring.”
“The classes that have the most reading and writing assignments are boring.”
(Note that the verb ‘to have’ must also agree with the subject.)
Using the Correct Number with Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Let’s learn how to avoid a very common subject-verb agreement error that people make all the time – using the verb of the wrong number in sentences with singular indefinite pronouns.
And what are singular indefinite pronouns?
Singular indefinite pronouns are such words as Each, Somebody, Anybody, Something, Everybody, or Nothing.
Let me give you a couple of examples of mistakes people make.
“Everybody love good food.”
In this sentence, the verb “love” is plural, and that’s wrong because it refers to the subject “everybody,” which is singular.
Check out this sentence:
“Each get to do what they want.”
This one actually has two problems – the verb “get” that is plural and the pronoun “they” which is also plural. But the problem is that the subject “each” is singular.
Here’s a sentence written correctly:
“Somebody pays the price.”
The subject “somebody,” which is a singular indefinite pronoun, is singular. Meaning, it is one, not many. And therefore the verb “pays” must also be singular, which it is.
Here are some more examples of correct usage. Note that each verb is in the singular form.
“Each gets recognition just for showing up.” “Somebody does the job.” “Anybody is capable of doing this.” “Something has to happen.” “Everybody loves ice cream.” “Nothing is ever absolutely true.”
Watch out for this common error, and you’ll stand out in your writing and speech, because too many people make this mistake.
Here’s a detailed video of this lesson:
Avoiding a Common Compound Subject Mistake
Let’s learn how to avoid another very common subject-verb agreement error that people make all the time.
Here is an example from a writer whom I happen to like a lot:
“Life and business is like the seasons.”
What is wrong with this sentence?
Well, it has what’s called “a compound subject,” which is a subject that consists of two separate concepts – “life” and “business.”
In this case, the subjects are connected with the word AND, and this makes the compound subject plural.
Now, “life” is singular. And so is “business.” However, together, united by the word AND, they are plural. They are not one thing but two things.
And a plural subject must have a plural verb.
And so we have:
“Life and business are like the seasons,” not is like the seasons.
Here’s a short video of this lesson, if you’re a visual learner:
Avoiding a Common Mid-Sentence Phrase Mistake
This is another very common error – using the verb of the wrong number in sentences with mid-sentence phrases.
Here’s an example:
“The causes of the disaster remains unknown.”
Let me ask you – what is the subject of this sentence? If you said “the causes,” you are correct.
And what is the verb? Well, there is only one verb in this sentence – “remains.”
But what is the subject’s number? “The causes” are plural. They are many, not one.
And therefore, the verb that refers to it must also be plural:
“The causes of the disaster remain unknown.”
“Remains” unknown is incorrect because it is singular.
But what was it that threw this student off? You see, when a sentence contains another phrase in the middle, the noun in the phrase is often confused with the subject.
In the sentence above, “of the disaster” is a mid-sentence phrase.
Note that the sentence works without this phrase if you take it out:
“The causes remain unknown.”
And when you put the phrase in, make sure that your verb still agrees with the subject, not with the noun in the phrase.
In this example, the verb “remain” must agree with the subject “the causes,” not with the noun “disaster” in the mid-sentence phrase. This sentence is about “the causes,” not about “the disaster.”
Watch out for this common error, and you’ll stand out in your writing and speech, because so many people make this mistake.
Here’s a video lesson on this example:
Subject-verb agreement is a concept that has a little over a dozen separate but related rules. Here’s a very good article that outlines them:
14 Subject Verb Agreement Rules
Hope this was helpful!
