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What Is Subject-Verb
Agreement?
 When subjects and verbs agree, they
match in number and person.
 In other words, singular subjects require
singular verbs and plural subjects
require plural verbs.
 Third-person subjects require the thirdperson form of the verb.
Example: The purpose of a writer is
to keep civilization from
destroying itself.
— Albert Camus, French writer, philosopher,
and founder of existentialism
The purpose is a singular subject, therefore, it requires a singular verb-- is.
Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement
 In English, regular verbs take the same form for singular
and plural except for the third-person singular form of the
verb.
 Typically, a singular present tense subject requires an (s)
or (es) at the end of the verb.
 Example: Maria loves to sing.
The exception to this is: I/you
 Example: I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound
they make as they fly by.
— Douglas Adams. British author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy
Rules Review:
Subject
Verb
Example
Singular subject = no (s)
Singular verb = (s)
Helicopter lands
Singular personal
pronoun = no (s)
Singular verb = no (s)
I/you land
Plural or Compound
subject = (s)
Plural verb = no (s)
Helicopters land
The “What ifs” of SubjectVerb Agreement
 What if the subject and the verb do not appear together in the
sentence?
 A subject agrees with its verb no matter how far apart the two are. Do not
be distracted by nouns or pronouns placed between the subject and the
verb.
 Example: The basic tool for manipulation of reality is the manipulation of
words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people
who must use the words.
—Philip K. Dick, American science fiction writer, author of A Scanner Darkly
 What if the sentence contains more than one subject?
 When a sentence contains more than one subject, that subject is known as a
compound subject. A compound subject that is linked by the conjunction
“and” functions the same way as a plural verb.
Continue…
“What ifs” Examples
 Both the college newspaper and the literary magazine fail to attract
experienced staff.
 Greta and Andrew both enjoy spelunking during autumn months.
A compound subject linked by the conjunction “or” or
“nor” requires a single verb.
 Either the dean or his assistant addresses the freshman class.
 Neither geology nor astronomy is required for my major.
Continue…
“What ifs” Continued
 What about words like “species” which sometimes refer to one
thing or a group?
o If a collective noun acts as a single unit, it takes a singular verb.
o We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are.
Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why
they write so little.
—Anne Lamott, novelist and nonfiction writer, author of Bird by
Bird.
 What about when the normal order of words, subject then
verb, is switched around?
o When the normal word order is inverted and the subject follows the
verb, the subject and verb must agree in number, still.
o There is no such a thing as writer’s block. That was invented by
people in California who couldn’t write.
—Terry Pratchett, English fantasy author
Pronoun Reference Chart
Singular Indefinite
Pronouns:
another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either,
everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither,
nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone,
something
Plural Indefinite Pronouns:
both, few, many, others, several
Both:
all, any, more, most, none, some
What About Those Pronouns?
0 What are indefinite pronouns and how do they affect
subject-verb agreement?
0 Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things
0 Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs.
0 Each of the members has one vote.
0 The subject “each” is singular, so “has” is the singular verb.
0 Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs.
0 A few of the justices voice their opposition.
0 The subject “few” is plural, so “voice” is the plural verb.
0 Indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural depending on what they
refer to.
0 All of the people clapped their hands.
0 The subject “all” refers to people which is plural. “Clapped” is the plural verb.
0 All of the newspaper was soaked.
0 The subject “all” refers to “newspaper” which is singular. “Was” is singular verb.