Subject-Verb Agreement

In everyday terms, the word agreement refers to an accord of some sort: friends agree to go to a movie; the United States and Russia negotiate an agreement about reducing nuclear arms. In most sentences, making subjects and verbs agree is fairly simple; only a few subject-verb constructions cause confusion.

Chapter contents:

Quick Help: Editing for subject-verb agreement

Understanding subject-verb agreement

Making separated subjects and verbs agree

Making verbs agree with compound subjects

Making verbs agree with collective nouns

Making verbs agree with indefinite pronouns

Making verbs agree with who, which, and that

Making linking verbs agree with subjects

Making verbs agree with subjects ending in -s

Making verbs agree with following subjects

Making verbs agree with titles and with words used as words