Subject - Verb Agreement
- Singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs.
- If the subject of the sentence is singular, match it with the correct verb.
- If the subject is plural, match they with the correct verb.
- Remember (for example): he, she, it walks. I, we, you, they walk
Collective nouns, e.g. everybody, group, or family, usually take a singular verb.
If you have a long subject phrase it is easy to make mistakes - check carefully by mentally eliminating all descriptive phrases to the core subject and then relating this alone to the verb.
For example:
Which is the correct verb here?
A bowl of apples, oranges, apricots and peaches was/were placed on the table.
The ‘core’ subject is a bowl; the fruit is the descriptive part of the phrase. Therefore the verb must also be singular - was.
It is always important to determine what the subject of a sentence is. Another common error occurs in sentences such as this:
The most interesting part of university life is/are the students you meet.
The subject is the most interesting part therefore the verb must be singular - is.
Watch out for sentences where the subject does not appear at the beginning of the sentence!
Grammar Smart The Princeton Review sets out clear rules for matching verbs and subject on pages 80 - 83.
