What is subject–verb agreement?
Subject–verb agreement means the verb in a sentence must match the subject in number. If the subject is singular, the verb should be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.
Basic rules
- Rule 1: Singular subjects take singular verbs. Plural subjects take plural verbs.
- Rule 2: Third-person singular subjects (he, she, it, one thing) usually add -s or -es to the verb. Other subjects use the base form.
- Rule 3: When two or more subjects are joined by and, use a plural verb.
- Rule 4: When two subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Examples
- She walks to school every day. (She = singular)
- The cat and dog play in the yard. (two subjects joined by and → plural)
- Tom or his friends are arriving soon. (nearest subject is friends, plural)
- Neither the teacher nor the students have finished the assignment. (nearest subject is students, plural)
- The ball bounces easily. The subject is singular; the verb ends with -es or -s for third-person singular.
Common tricky points
- Collective nouns: Team is singular when the group acts as one, but plural when members act separately. The team wins. vs. The team are arguing among themselves.
- There/there is: When starting with there, the verb agrees with the subject that follows. There are several options. There is a problem.
Practice activity
Choose the correct verb form:
- She (is/are) excited for the field trip.
- The dogs (bark/barks) loudly at night.
- Neither the book nor the magazines (is/are) on the shelf.
- My friends and I (enjoy/enjoys) reading together.
Answers: 1) is, 2) bark, 3) are, 4) enjoy