9 | Subject-Verb Agreement
9|Subject-Verb Agreement
A subject is the part of a sentence that names something—a person, an object, an idea, a situation—about which the verb makes an assertion (see 2).
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.
9aA verb agrees with its subject in person and number.
Subject and verb agree in person (first, second, or third):
A verb is a word that shows action or a state of being (see 1c and 3).
Subject and verb agree in number (singular or plural):
The present tense of most verbs is the infinitive form, with no added ending except in the third-person singular. (See 8b–8h.)
| 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 |
9bA verb agrees with its subject, not with any words that intervene.
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A prepositional phrase includes the preposition and its object (a noun or pronoun), plus any modifiers (see 1f).
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.
9cSubjects joined by and usually take a plural verb.
A compound subject is a subject consisting of two or more nouns or pronouns linked by and (see 5a).
In most cases, a compound subject takes a plural verb.
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.
Use a singular verb for two singular subjects that form or are one thing.
9dWith subjects joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the part of the subject nearest to it.
Subjects containing not . . . but follow this rule also.
You can remedy awkward constructions by rephrasing.
Either they are guilty or Max is.
We do not know the whole story, but George does.
9eMost collective nouns take singular verbs.
A collective noun is a singular noun that represents a group of people or items. When a collective noun refers to a group of people acting as one, use a singular verb.
When the members of the group act individually, use a plural verb.
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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.
9fMost indefinite pronouns take a third-person singular verb.
Singular indefinite pronouns take a third-person singular verb.
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.
Indefinite Pronouns at a Glance
| Always Singular | ||
| anybody | everything | nothing |
| anyone | much | one (of) |
| anything | neither (of) | somebody |
| each (of) | nobody | someone |
| everybody | no one | something |
| everyone | ||
| Always Plural | ||||
| both | few | many | several | |
| May Be Singular or Plural | |||||
| all | any | either (of) | none | some (of) | |
9gThe indefinite pronouns all, any, and some use a singular or plural verb, depending on their meaning.
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None—like all, any, and some—takes a singular or a plural verb, depending on the sense in which the pronoun is used.
9hIn a subordinate clause with a relative pronoun as the subject, the verb agrees with the antecedent.
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that opens a subordinate clause and modifies a noun or pronoun in another clause (see 1b).
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.
9iA 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.
A linking verb is a verb that shows a state of being by linking the sentence subject with a word that renames or describes the subject (see 1c and 3b).
9jA linking verb agrees with its subject, not its subject complement.
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.
A subject complement is a noun, an adjective, or a group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject (see 3b).
9kWhen the subject is a title, use a singular verb.
9lSingular nouns that end in -s take singular verbs.
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Some nouns look plural even though they refer to a singular subject: measles, logistics, mathematics, electronics. Such nouns take singular verbs.
EXERCISE 9-1 Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Find and correct any subject-verb agreement errors in the following sentences. Some sentences may be correct. Example:
For many college graduates, the process of looking for jobs are often long and stressful.
Not too long ago, searching the classifieds and inquiring in person was the primary methods of job hunting.
Today, however, everyone also seem to use the Internet to search for openings or to e-mail their résumés.
My classmates and my cousin sends most résumés over the Internet because it costs less than mailing them.
All the résumés arrives quickly when they are sent electronically.
There are many people who thinks that interviewing is the most stressful part of the job search.
Sometimes only one person conducts an interview, while other times a whole committee conduct it.
Either the interviewer or the committee usually begin by asking simple questions about your background.
Making eye contact, dressing professionally, and appearing confident is some of the qualities an interviewer may consider important.
After an interview, most people sends a thank-you letter to the person who conducted it.