Subject-Verb Agreements
…What are they?
What is a Subject-Verb Agreement?
Singular subjects need singular verbs and
plural subjects need plural verbs
Breaking It Down
First of all, what is the subject?
A subject is the person, place or thing in the
sentence. It is who or what is doing the verb.
Example:
The dog is jumping over the fence.
What is the verb?
A verb is the action word describing what the
subject is doing.
Example:
The dog is jumping over the fence.
Example of singular:
The dog is jumping over the fence.
Example of plural:
The dogs are jumping over the fence.
Example of when you are using two or more
nouns connected by ‘and’ :
The boy and his dog are jumping over the
fence.
**make sure to use a plural verb**
Example of when you are using ‘or’ and
‘nor’:
Two singular nouns for two singular verbs
The boy or his dog is jumping over the fence.
When there is a singular and a plural noun, agree the
latter noun with the subject closest to the verb
The boys or their dog jumps over the fence
The boy or his dogs jump over the fence
Words that are singular, and require a
singular verb:
Example using words that are singular, and
require a singular verb:
Everybody ate recalled Maple Leaf chicken.
Each of them is now sick.
Words that imply more than one person:
These words are considered singular so
make sure to use a singular verb.
Example:
The committee is seeking legal
advice.
The group has protested Maple Leaf
products .
Words that don’t change the number of the
subject:
Though these would be considered to
make a sentence plural, they DO NOT
change the number of your subject.
Example:
The teacher, accompanied by the
student, is walking to the office.
All of the cars, including yours, are on the
ferry.
Exceptions using there is or there are:
There are many dogs.
There is a dog.
Using ‘there is’ or ‘there are’ requires the
subject to follow the verb.
Works Cited
Dog stars the entertainment with a difference. 2007. Dog
Stars. 11 October 2008. <http://www.dogstars.co.nz/
pages/pages/Quest%20jump%20fence.html>
Leo: Literacy Education Online. 5 Oct. 1999. The Write
Place at St. Cloud State University. 11 October 2008
<http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/subverag.html>.
“Making Subjects and Verbs Agree.” Owl: Online Writing
Lab. 2004. OWL at Purdue University. 11 October
2008 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/
eslsubverb.html>.