Name: _________________________

Subject Verb Agreement

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.  When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.

She and her friends is/are at the fair.

        He and I is/are going to the movies.

The book or the pen is/are in the drawer.

My mother or father cooks/cook on Sunday nights.

2. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.

The boy or his friends runs/run every day.

His friends or the boy runs/run every day.

3.  Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.

One of the boxes is/are open

The people who listen to that music is/are few.

The team captain, as well as his players, is/are anxious.

The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is/are boring.

4. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.

Each of these hot dogs is/are juicy.

Everybody knows/know Mr. Jones.

Either is/are correct.

5. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, pants, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

These scissors is/are dull.

Those pants is/are made of wool.

6. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

There is/are many questions.

There is/are a question.

7. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.

The team runs/run during practice.

The committee decides/decide how to proceed.

The family has/have a long history.

My family has/have never been able to agree.

8. There are some irregular cases…

Mathematics is/are my worst subject.

The news is/are on at six.

Five dollars is/are a lot of money.

Dollars is/are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

The crew is/are preparing to dock the ship.