Editing Out Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:
What They Are And How To Correct Them
WHAT DOES “SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT ERROR” MEAN?
Subject-verb agreement errors occur when the subjects and verbs of a sentence do not agree in
“person” or in “number.”

If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

If the subject is written in first person, the verb must be in first person.
In order to make sure subjects and verbs agree, one must first be familiar with different verb
forms. Some verbs do not change from one form to the next. The verb “walk” is the same in first
person singular, second person singular, and third person plural:
I walk to school.
You walk to school.
They walk to school.
But the verb form does change for third-person singular:
She walks to school
Don’t forget the “S”! The third person singular form of the verb “walk” requires the “s”.
Without the “s”, the sentence would be incorrect:
She walk to school = subject verb agreement error
Almost all regular verbs in English can be put into third person plural form by adding an “s” or
“es” at the end.
Writing Resource Center
Editing Out Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:
What They Are And How To Correct Them
Some verbs are irregular verbs; with irregular verbs, some or all of the forms of the conjugated verb
look different and may not share the same root.
Subject-Verb Agreement errors occur commonly with the verb “to be”.
Examples:
I want some strawberries, but they is all soft and moldy.
“Strawberries” is plural; therefore, we must use to plural form of the verb:
I want some strawberries, but they are all soft and moldy.
The same rule applies for sentences written in past tense:
I wanted some strawberries, but they was all soft and moldy.
Becomes:
I wanted some strawberries, but they were all soft and moldy.
Writing Resource Center
Editing Out Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:
What They Are And How To Correct Them
Now, we’ll review a number of common writing situations in which the number of the
person or subject may be unclear and we will discuss which verb form to use in those cases.
Situation #1
If the subject is separated from the subject by other words—words that modify the subject, such as a
prepositional phrase—find the real subject and make the verb agree with that word or phrase.
Example: The bouquet of flowers rests on the dining room table.
Explanation: “Bouquet” is the subject, and it is singular and third person (an “it”), so one would use the third
person singular form of the verb to make it agree. “Of flowers” is a prepositional phrase that modifies
“bouquet,” so one would not make the verb agree with that, since that phrase is not the subject.
Situation #2
If the subject is a compound subject (meaning that it consists of a noun, the conjunctions “and” or “or”, and at
least one other noun), make the verb form plural, since the subject is about multiple people, places, or things.
Example: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus all taste the same to me.
Explanation: “Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus” are three different vegetables; since the subject consists
of all three of them, use the plural form of the verb.
Situation #3
If the subject is a noun that refers to a group of things, but does not have an “s” at the end to indicate that it is
plural, then there is a choice of what to do. If one is talking about “the group as a single unit,” one may use the
singular form of the verb, but if one is talking about the “multiple members of the group,” one should use the
plural form of the verb (Lunsford 639).
Example 1: The army of ants marches in a line toward the picnic.
Explanation 1: Here, one is referring to a unit—a group that acts as one—so one would use the third person
singular form of the verb.
Example 2: The army of ants scatter poked at them.
Explanation 2: Here, “army” refers to a group in which each member acts individually;
would use
Writingtherefore,
Resourceone
Center
the third person plural form of the verb.
Editing Out Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:
What They Are And How To Correct Them
Situation #4
If the subject of the sentence is an indefinite pronoun, or a pronoun that “[does] not refer to specific persons
or things,” one should consider the context in which the indefinite pronoun is used to figure out the number
(Lunsford 640).
Indefinite pronouns “both, few, many, others, and several” are plural; they all refer to multiple items.
Example 1: In today’s society, many carry cell phones; few choose to use only a home phone.
Explanation 1: Both “many” and “few” refer to groups of people, so one would use the third person plural
form of the verb.
Example 2: None of those shoes match her purse.
Explanation 2: In this sentence, “none” refers to several pairs of shoes, so one would use the third person
plural in this sentence.
Example 3: All of the ice cream is gone!
Explanation 3: In this sentence, “all” refers to the ice cream, which is singular in this sentence.
Situation #5
If the subject of the sentence has an –s at the end of the word, but is actually singular (i.e. statistics, politics, and
measles) one should use a singular form of the verb (Lunsford 642). (Exceptions include blue jeans and pants,
which are short for a pair of blue jeans and a pair of pants, respectively.)
Example: Aerobics is an important part of a healthy exercise schedule.
Explanation: “Aerobics” is a type of exercise, so it takes the third person singular form of the verb.
Situation #6
If one uses the pronouns “who”, “which”, and “that” to connect a dependent clause that describes the subject of
an independent clause to the independent clause it is describing, make the verb in the dependent clause agree
with the subject to which it is referring.
Example: Poetry is a literary genre that can be both formulaic and creative.
Explanation: The dependent clause “can be both formulaic and creative” describes
“poetry,”
the antecedent
(or
Writing
Resource
Center
referent) to “that.” Since “poetry” is singular, use the third person singular form of the verb for it.
Editing Out Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:
What They Are And How To Correct Them
Situation #7
Be sure to make a “linking verb” (which is a form of “to be” that connects the object, which describes or
redefines the subject, to the subject) agree with its subject, not the object in the predicate (Lunsford 641).
Example: Sarah’s worst fear is clowns.
Explanation: One would use the third person singular form of the verb because one is referring to the subject,
which is “fear,” a singular noun.
Situation #8
If the verb comes before the subject in the sentence, be careful to make sure that it matches the person and
number of the verb to the subject (and not to the noun in the predicate).
Example: On the lowest branch perched two small sparrows.
Explanation: In this sentence, the syntax is inverted; rephrased, one could say “Two small sparrows perched on
the lowest branch” so that the subject comes before the verb. In either case, “sparrows,” a plural noun, is the
subject, so one would use the third person plural form of the verb.
Situation #9
If the phrase starts with “as well as, along with, in addition to, [or] together with” right after the singular subject but
before the verb, one would still use the singular form of the verb (Lunsford 638).
Example: The hippopotamus, as well as the platypus, is actually a mammal.
Explanation: “Hippopotamus” is singular, so one would use the third person singular form of the verb. The
phrase about platypuses is an aside.
Writing Resource Center