Agreement with words such as #em#athletics, economics, mathematics, physics, statistics, measles#/em#, and #em#news#/em#

Words with plural form such as athletics, economics, mathematics, and so on are usually treated as singular.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Politics are among my mother's favorite pastimes. Revised sentence: Politics is among my mother's favorite pastimes. Explanation: The word 'are' has been replaced by 'is.'

EXCEPTION:Occasionally some of these words—especially economics, mathematics, politics, and statistics—have plural meanings:

Example sentence: Office politics often sway decisions about hiring and promotion.

Example sentence: The economics of the building plan are prohibitive.

Subject-verb agreement at a glance

When to use the -s (or -es) form of a present-tense verb

Exercise: Subject-verb agreement 1

Exercise: Subject-verb agreement 2

Exercise: Subject-verb agreement 3

Exercise: Subject-verb agreement 4