Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement

When Subjects and Verbs Don’t Match

What is subject-verb agreement?

In any sentence, the subject and the verb must match—or agree—in number.

If the subject is singular (one person, place, or thing), the verb must also be singular.

If the subject is plural (more than one), the verb must also be plural.

Example

Singular: The skydiver jumps out of the airplane.

Plural: The skydivers jump out of the airplane.

Verb Endings

Regular verbs (with forms that follow standard English patterns) have two forms in the present tense: one that ends in –s and one that has no ending.

The third-person subjects he, she, it, and singular nouns always use the form that ends in –s.

First-person subjects (I), second-person subjects (you), and plural subjects use the form with no ending.

Verb Endings

Singular Plural

First person

I walk. no –s We walk.

Second person

You walk. no -s You walk.

Third person

He (she, it) walks. Joe walks. The student walks.

all end in –s

They walk. Joe and Alice walk. The students walk.

How can you find subject-verb agreement problems?

First, locate the subject of the sentence. Ask yourself, who or what is the subject about?

In the following sentence, what is the subject? Jeff bite his fingernails all the

time. A) JeffB) biteC) fingernailsD) time

How can you find subject-verb agreement problems?

In the following sentence, what is the subject? Jeff bite his fingernails all the

time.

ANSWER:A) JeffB) biteC) fingernailsD) time

Next, determine whether the subject refers to the first person (I/we), the second person (you), or the third person (he/she/it/they). Jeff bite his fingernails all the

time. The subject of this sentence (Jeff) is in

the:A) First personB) Second personC) Third personD) none of the above

Jeff bite his fingernails all the time.

The subject of this sentence (Jeff) is in the:

ANSWER:A) First personB) Second personC) Third personD) none of the above

Now, determine whether the subject is singular (one person, place, or thing) or plural (more than one). Jeff bite his fingernails all the

time.The subject (Jeff) is:A) SingularB) PluralC) none of the aboveD) both of the above

Jeff bite his fingernails all the time.

The subject (Jeff) is:ANSWER:A) SingularB) PluralC) none of the aboveD) both of the above

Finally, fix the verb by matching it to the subject of the sentence. Jeff bite his fingernails all the

time.If the subject (Jeff) is third-person

singular, which of the following verbs is correct?

A) bittenB) bitesC) biteD) none of the above

Jeff bite his fingernails all the time.

If the subject (Jeff) is third-person singular, which of the following verbs is correct?

ANSWER:A) bittenB) bitesC) biteD) none of the above

Which verb would be correct in the following

sentence?

I tells him not to bite his nails.

A) tellsB) tellC) telledD) none of the above

Which verb would be correct in the following

sentence?I tells him not to bite his nails.

ANSWER:A) tellsB) tellC) telledD) none of the above

How can you find subject-verb agreement errors?

Look for the five trouble spots that often signal subject-verb agreement problems:

1. The verb is a form of be, have, or do.

2. Words come between the subject and the verb.

3. The sentence has a compound subject.

4. The subject is an indefinite pronoun.

5. The verb comes before the subject.

1. The verb is a form of be, have, or do

The verbs be, have, and do do not follow the rules for forming singular and plural verbs; they are irregular verbs.

These verbs can cause problems for writers who in conversation use the same form in all cases (He do the cleaning; they do the cleaning).

People also sometimes use the word be instead of the correct form of be (She be on vacation).

Forms of the verb be, present tense

Singular Plural

First person

I am We are

Second person

You are You are

Third person

She, he, it isThe student is

They areThe students are

Forms of the verb be, past tense

Singular Plural

First person

I was We were

Second person

You were You were

Third person

She, he, it wasThe student was

They wereThe students were

Forms of the verb have, present tense

Singular Plural

First person

I have We have

Second person

You have You have

Third person

She, he, it hasThe student has

They haveThe students have

Forms of the verb do, present tense

Singular Plural

First person

I do We do

Second person

You do You do

Third person

She, he, it doesThe student does

They doThe students do

Making subjects and verbs agree when the verb is be,

have, or doI (am / is / are) a believer in maps. First, find the subject. IAsk: is the subject in the first (I),

second (you), or third person (he/she)?

First person. Ask: Is the subject singular or plural?Singular.

I (am / is / are) a believer in maps.

Choose the verb by matching it to the form of the subject (first person, singular).

A) I am a believer in maps. B) I is a believer in maps. C) I are a believer in maps. D) none of the above

I (am / is / are) a believer in maps.

Choose the verb by matching it to the form of the subject (first person, singular).

ANSWER:A) I am a believer in maps. B) I is a believer in maps. C) I are a believer in maps. D) none of the above

Find and fix the subject-verb agreement problem

All of my friends say that my biggest problem be that I waste time.

Which word should be used in place of the underlined verb?

A) amB) is C) areD) none of the above

Find and fix the subject-verb agreement problem

All of my friends say that my biggest problem be that I waste time.

Which word should be used in place of the underlined verb?

ANSWER:A) amB) is C) areD) none of the above

Find and fix the subject-verb agreement problem

My friend Jocelyn have a word for it: procrastination.

Which word should be used in place of the underlined verb?

A) hasB) haveC) none of the above

Find and fix the subject-verb agreement problem

My friend Jocelyn have a word for it: procrastination.

Which word should be used in place of the underlined verb?

ANSWER:A) hasB) haveC) none of the above

2. Words come between the subject and the verb

When the subject and verb aren’t right next to each other, it is more difficult to find them and to make sure they agree.

Most often, either a prepositional phrase or a dependent clause comes between the subject and the verb.

Prepositional phrase between the subject and the

verbA prepositional phrase starts with a

preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun:

I took a nap on my bed and woke up after dinner.

The subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase.

When you are looking for the subject of a sentence, you can cross out any prepositional phrases. This strategy should help you to find the real subject and decide whether it agrees with the verb.

Making subjects and verbs agree when they are

separated by a prepositional phrase

Students on a tight schedule (know / knows) they shouldn’t

procrastinate. First, underline the subject. Cross out any prepositional phrases.Ask: Is the subject singular or plural?

Plural.

Choose the form of the verb that matches the third person plural subject. Students on a tight schedule (know / knows) they shouldn’t

procrastinate. A) knowB) knows

Choose the form of the verb that matches the third person plural subject. Students on a tight schedule (know / knows) they shouldn’t

procrastinate. ANSWER:A) knowB) knows

Dependent clause between the subject and the verb

A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought.

When a dependent clause comes between the subject and the verb, it usually starts with the word who, whose, whom, that, or which.

The subject of a sentence is never a dependent clause. When you are looking for the subject of a sentence, you can cross out any dependent clauses.

Making subjects and verbs agree when they are

separated by a dependent clause

Dave, who is one of my brothers, (distract /distracts) me

whenever I try to study.

First, underline the subject. Cross out any dependent clause.Ask: Is the subject singular or plural?

Singular.

Choose the form of the verb that matches the third-person singular subject.

Dave, who is one of my brothers, (distract /distracts) me whenever I try to study.

A) distractB) distracts

Choose the form of the verb that matches the third-person singular subject.

Dave, who is one of my brothers, (distract /distracts) me whenever I try to study.

ANSWER: A) distractB) distracts

3. The sentence has a compound subject

A compound subject is two (or more) subjects joined by and, or, or nor.

If two subjects are joined by and, they combine to become a plural subject, and the verb must be plural too.

If two subjects are separated by the word or or nor, they are not combined. The verb should agree with whichever subject is closer to it.

Making subjects and verbs agree in a sentence with a

compound subjectEither Jocelyn or Dan (help / helps) me stay focused when I

have a long paper to write.First, underline the subjects. Circle the word between the subjects. Ask: Does that word join the subjects

to make them plural or keep them separate? Keeps them separate.

Ask: Is the subject that is closer to the verb singular or plural? Singular.

Choose the verb form that agrees with the subject that is closer to the verb. Either Jocelyn or Dan (help / helps) me stay focused when I

have a long paper to write.A) helpB) helps

Choose the verb form that agrees with the subject that is closer to the verb. Either Jocelyn or Dan (help / helps) me stay focused when I

have a long paper to write.ANSWER:A) helpB) helps

4. The subject is an indefinite pronoun

An indefinite pronoun replaces a general person, place, or thing or a general group of people, places, or things.

Often, an indefinite pronoun is followed by a prepositional phrase or dependent clause. Remember that the verb of a sentence must agree with the subject of the sentence, and the subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase or dependent clause.

Indefinite pronouns are often singular, though there are some exceptions.

Always singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each (of), either (of), everybody, everyone, everything, much, neither (of), nobody, no one, nothing, one (of), somebody, someone, something

May be singular or plural: all, any, none, some

Making subjects and verbs agree when the subject is

an indefinite pronoun

One of my worst habits (is / are) procrastinating by watching

movies.

First, underline the subject. Cross out any prepositional phrase or

dependent clause that follows the subject.

Ask: Is the subject singular or plural? Singular.

Choose the verb form that agrees with the subject.

One of my worst habits (is / are) procrastinating by watching

movies.

A) isB) are

Choose the verb form that agrees with the subject.

One of my worst habits (is / are) procrastinating by watching

movies. ANSWER:A) isB) are

5. The verb comes before the subject

In most sentences, the subject comes before the verb. Two kinds of sentences often reverse the usual subject-verb order: questions and sentences that begin with here or there.

In these two types of sentences, you need to check for errors in subject-verb agreement.

Questions

In questions, the verb or part of the verb comes before the subject.

To find the subject and verb, you can turn the question around as if you were going to answer it.

Where is the theater? / The theater is…

Are you leaving? / You are leaving.

Sentences that begin with here or there

When a sentence begins with here or there, the subject often follows the verb.

Turn the sentence around to find the subject and verb.

Here is your purse. / Your purse is here.

There are the car keys. / The car keys are there.

Making subjects and verbs agree when the verb comes

before the subject

What movies (is / are) this theater showing?

If the sentence is a question, turn the question into a statement. This theater (is / are) showing the movies.

Identify the subject in the new sentence. Theater.

Ask: Is the subject singular or plural? Singular.

Choose the form of the verb that matches the subject.

What movies (is / are) this theater showing?

This theater (is / are) showing the movies.

A) isB) are

Choose the form of the verb that matches the subject.

What movies (is / are) this theater showing?

This theater (is / are) showing the movies.

ANSWER:A) isB) are

Making subjects and verbs agree when the verb comes

before the subject

There (is / are) two good films at this theater.

If the sentence begins with here or there, turn it around: Two good films (is / are) at this theater.

Identify the subject in the new sentence. Films.

Ask: Is the subject singular or plural? Plural.

Choose the form of the verb that matches the subject.

There (is / are) two good films at this theater.

Two good films (is / are) at this theater.

A) isB) are

Choose the form of the verb that matches the subject.

There (is / are) two good films at this theater.

Two good films (is / are) at this theater.

ANSWER:A) isB) are

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