See A4 in the Quick Editing Guide for more on editing for subject-verb agreement.
What does it mean for a subject and a verb to agree? Practically speaking, it means that their forms match: plural subjects take plural verbs, third-person subjects take third-person verbs, and so forth. When your subjects and verbs agree, you prevent a mismatch that could distract readers.
| 4a | A verb agrees with its subject in person and number |
subject: The part of a sentence that names something — a person, an object, an idea, a situation — about which the predicate makes an assertion: The king lives.
verb: A word that shows action (The cow jumped over the moon) or a state of being (The cow is brown)
Subject and verb agree in person (first, second, or third):
I write my papers on my laptop. [Subject and verb in first person]
Eamon writes his papers in the lab. [Subject and verb in third person]
Subject and verb agree in number (singular or plural):
Grace has enjoyed college. [Subject and verb singular]
She and Jim have enjoyed their vacation. [Subject and verb plural]
The present tense of most verbs is the infinitive form, with no added ending except in the third-person singular. (See 3g–3l.)
| I enjoy | we enjoy |
| you enjoy | you enjoy |
| he/she/it enjoys | they enjoy |
Forms of the verb be vary.
| I am | we are |
| you are | you are |
| he/she/it is | they are |
| 4b | A verb agrees with its subject, not with any words that intervene |
prepositional phrase: The preposition and its object (a noun or pronoun), plus any modifiers: in the bar, under a rickety table
My favorite of O. Henry’s short stories is “The Gift of the Magi.”
Home sales, once driving the economy, have fallen during recent years.
A singular subject linked to another noun or pronoun by a prepositional phrase beginning with wording such as along with, as well as, or in addition to remains a singular subject and takes a singular verb.
My cousin James as well as his wife and son plans to vote for Levine.
| 4c | Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb |
In most cases, a compound subject takes a plural verb.
“Howl” and “Gerontion” are Barry’s favorite poems.
Sugar, salt, and fat adversely affect people’s health.
compound subject: A subject consisting of two or more nouns or pronouns linked by and: Scott and Liz drove home.
However, phrases like each boy and girl or every dog and cat consider subjects individually, as “each one” or “every one,” and use a singular verb.
Each man and woman in the room has a different story to tell.
Use a singular verb for two singular subjects that form or are one thing.
Lime juice and soda quenches your thirst.
| 4d | With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the part of the subject nearest to it |
Either they or Max is guilty.
Subjects containing not … but follow this rule also.
Not we but George knows the whole story.
You can remedy awkward constructions by rephrasing.
Either they are guilty or Max is.
We do not know the whole story, but George does.
| 4e | Most collective nouns take singular verbs |
collective noun: A singular noun that represents a group of people or items, such as committee, family, jury, trio
When a collective noun refers to a group of people acting as one, use a singular verb.
The jury finds the defendant guilty.
When the members of the group act individually, use a plural verb.
The jury do not yet agree on a verdict.
For more on agreement with collective nouns, see 7e.
If you feel that using a plural verb results in an awkward sentence, reword the subject so that it refers to members of the group individually.
The jurors do not yet agree on a verdict.
| 4f | Most indefinite pronouns take a third-person singular verb |
See A6 in the Quick Editing Guide for a list of indefinite pronouns.
The indefinite pronouns each, one, either, neither, anyone, anybody, anything, everyone, everybody, everything, no one, nobody, nothing, someone, somebody, and something are considered singular and take a third-person singular verb.
Someone is bothering me.
Even when one of these subjects is followed by a phrase containing a noun or pronoun of a different person or number, use a singular verb.
Each of you is here to stay.
One of the pandas seems dangerously ill.
| 4g | The indefinite pronouns all, any, and some use a singular or plural verb, depending on their meaning |
I have no explanation. Is any needed?
Any of the changes considered critical have been made already.
All is lost.
All of the bananas are gone.
Some of the blame is mine.
Some of us are Democrats.
For more on agreement with indefinite pronouns, see 7d.
None — like all, any, and some — takes a singular or a plural verb, depending on the sense in which the pronoun is used.
None of you is exempt.
None of his wives were blond.
| 4h | In a subordinate clause with a relative pronoun as the subject, the verb agrees with the antecedent |
For more information on subordination, see 14d–14f.
To determine the person and number of the verb in a subordinate clause whose subject is who, which, or that, look back at the word to which the pronoun refers. This word, known as an antecedent, is usually (but not always) the noun closest to the relative pronoun.
relative pronoun: A pronoun (who, which, that, what, whom, whomever, whose) that opens a subordinate clause, modifying a noun or pronoun in another clause: The gift that I received is very practical.
I have a roommate who studies day and night.
[The antecedent of who is the third-person singular noun roommate. Therefore, the verb in the subordinate clause is third-person singular, studies.]
I bought one of the new cars that have defective brakes.
[The antecedent of that is cars, so the verb is third-person plural, have.]
This is the only one of the mayor’s new ideas that has any worth.
[Here one, not ideas, is the antecedent of that. Thus, the verb in the subordinate clause is third-person singular, has, not have.]
| 4i | A verb agrees with its subject even when the subject follows the verb |
Introductory expressions such as there or here change the ordinary order so that the subject follows the verb. Remember that verbs agree with subjects and that here and there are never subjects.
Here is a riddle for you.
There are forty people in my law class.
Under the bridge were a broken-down boat and a worn tire.
| 4j | A linking verb agrees with its subject, not its subject complement |
linking verb: A verb (is, become, seem, feel) that shows a state of being by linking the sentence subject with a word that renames or describes the subject: The sky is blue. (See 3a.)
subject complement: A noun, an adjective, or a group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject: This plum tastes ripe. (See 3a.)
When a form of the verb be links two or more nouns, the subject is the noun before the linking verb. Nouns that follow the linking verb are subject complements. Make the verb agree with the subject of the sentence, not the subject complement.
Jim is a gentleman and a scholar.
Amy’s parents are her most enthusiastic audience.
| 4k | When the subject is a title, use a singular verb |
In sixth grade, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was my favorite book.
“People” sung by Barbra Streisand is my aunt’s favorite song.
| 4l | Singular nouns that end in -s take singular verbs |
Some nouns look plural even though they refer to a singular subject: measles, logistics, mathematics, electronics. Such nouns take singular verbs.
The news is that economics has become one of the most popular majors.