Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement

• Identify the subject that goes with each verb. Cover up any words between the subject and the verb to identify agreement problems more easily. (33b)
• Check compound subjects. Those joined by and usually take a plural verb. With those subjects joined by or or nor, however, the verb agrees with the part of the subject closer or closest to the verb. (33c)
• Check collective-noun subjects. These nouns take a singular verb when they refer to a group as a single unit, but they take a plural verb when they refer to the multiple members of a group. (33d)
• Check indefinite-pronoun subjects. Most take a singular verb. Both, few, many, others, and several take a plural verb, and all, any, enough, more, most, none, and some can be either singular or plural. (33e)