Subject/Verb Agreement
Chapter Opener
55
none are or none is?
Subject/Verb Agreement
Verbs take many forms to express changing tenses, moods, and voices. To avoid common errors in choosing the correct verb form, follow these guidelines.
Be sure the verb agrees with its real subject. It’s tempting to link a verb to the noun(s) closest to it (in purple below) instead of the subject, but that’s a mistake.
| DRAFT | Cameras and professional lenses that cost as much as a small car makes photography an expensive hobby. |
| CORRECTED | Cameras and professional lenses that cost as much as a small car make photography an expensive hobby. |
| DRAFT | Bottled water from convenience stores or groceries usually cost far more per ounce than gasoline. |
| CORRECTED | Bottled water from convenience stores or groceries usually costs far more per ounce than gasoline. |
Some of the indefinite pronouns described as variable (see chart below) are exceptions to the rule. Whether they are singular or plural depends on the nouns that follow them (see below).
In most cases, treat multiple subjects joined by and as plural. But when a subject with and clearly expresses a single notion, that subject is singular.
Hip-
Blues and folk have their fans too. [subject is plural]
Rock and roll often strikes a political chord. [subject is singular]
Peanut butter and jelly is the sandwich of choice in our house. [subject is singular]
When singular subjects are followed by expressions such as along with, together with, or as well as, the subjects may feel plural, but technically they remain singular.
| DRAFT | James Blake, as well as Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran, were competing for Best New Artist at the 2014 Grammys. |
| CORRECTED | James Blake, as well as Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran, was competing for Best New Artist at the 2014 Grammys. |
If the corrected version sounds awkward, try revising the sentence.
| CORRECTED | James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran were all competing for Best New Artist at the 2014 Grammys. |
When compound subjects are linked by either . . . or or neither . . . nor, make the verb agree with the nearer part of the subject. Knowing this rule will make you one person among a thousand.
Neither my sisters nor my mother is a fan of Kanye West.
When possible, put the plural part of the subject closer to the verb to make it sound less awkward.
Neither my mother nor my sisters are fans of Kanye West.
Indefinite Pronouns
| Singular | Plural | Variable |
| anybody | both | all |
| anyone | few | any |
| Anything | many | more |
| each | others | most |
| everybody | several | none |
| everyone | some | |
| everything | ||
| nobody | ||
| no one | ||
| nothing | ||
| one | ||
| somebody | ||
| someone | ||
| something |
Confirm whether an indefinite pronoun is singular, plural, or variable. Most indefinite pronouns are singular, but consult the chart on this page to double-
Everybody complains about politics, but nobody does much about it.
Each of the women expects a promotion.
Something needs to be done about the budget crisis.
A few indefinite pronouns are obviously plural: both, few, many, others, several.
Many complain about politics, but few do much about it.
And some indefinite pronouns shift in number, depending on the prepositional phrases that modify them.
All of the votes are in the ballot box.
All of the fruit is spoiled.
Most of the rules are less complicated.
Most of the globe is covered by oceans.
None of the rules make sense.
On the Security Council, none but the Russians favor the resolution.
Be consistent with collective nouns. Many of these words describing a group can be treated as either singular or plural: band, class, jury, choir, group, committee.
The jury seems to resent the lawyer’s playing to its emotions.
The jury seem to resent the lawyer’s playing to their emotions.
The band was unhappy with its latest release.
The band were unhappy with their latest release.
A basic principle is to be consistent throughout a passage. If the band is singular the first time you mention it, keep it that way for the remainder of the project. Be sensible too. If a sentence sounds odd to your ear, modify it:
| AWKWARD | The band were unhappy with their latest release. |
| BETTER | The members of the band were unhappy with their latest release. |
For an activity on subject/verb agreement, see Tutorials > LearningCurve Activities > Subject-