Subject / Verb Agreement

 A sentence that has a singular subject must have a singular verb

Example: The student studies. The team is practicing.

 A sentence that has a plural subject must have a plural verb.

Example: The students study. The teams are practicing.

 A sentence that has the word you as a subject must have a plural verb.

Example: You have the notes. Are you sleeping?

Exercise A – Underline the subject of each sentence then circle the correct verb choice.

1. Nicknames given to students often ( stick / sticks ) with them for life.

2. “Stretch” Walker ( stand / stands ) 6 feet 5 inches tall.

3. That’s why everyone ( call / calls ) him “Stretch.”

4. Every year, Stretch ( run / runs ) for class president.

5. Max Berger’s nickname ( is / are ) “Big Max.”

6. His friends ( tremble / trembles ) when Big Max dons an apron.

7. Big Max’s pizzas ( make / makes ) terrific wall hangings.

8. What ( is / are ) your nickname?

9. ( Is / Are ) the nicknames you have for your friends funny or serious?

10. Most people do ( have / has ) at least one nickname.

Example: The pencil and paper have dropped off the desk.

 Compound subjects made up of singular words joined by or must have a singular

Example: Either Jed or Sally has been elected president.

 Compound subjects made up of plural words joined by or must have a plural verb.

Example: Mice or my friends have nibbled my lunch.

 Compound subjects made up of both singular and plural words joined by or take a
verb that agrees with whichever subject is closer.

Example: The bat or the balls have to be left in the bag.

The balls or the bat has to be left in the bag.

Exercise B – Underline the subject of each sentence then circle the correct verb choice.

1. Nipp and Tucker ( are / is ) the comedians of Laurel High.

2. Lockers and teachers (are / is ) two subjects of Nipp and Tucker humor.

3. Carrie or Lisa ( plan / plans ) to compete for Homecoming Queen.

4. Some freshmen and sophomores ( think / thinks ) seniors are superhuman.

5. Tuesday or Thursday ( are / is ) the day of the class meeting.

6. Computers and girls ( were / was ) Elroy’s favorite subject.

7. Wally and his dogs usually ( win / wins ) the local Frisbee Tournament.

8. Neither chips nor buttered popcorn ( is / are ) a healthy snack.

9. Either his daughter or his three sons ( was / were ) in the play.

10. New flags or a new door ( have / has ) been purchased by the student council.
Subject / Verb Agreement cont.
Sometimes the subject of a sentence is not easy to find due to an intervening phrase or the
verb preceding the subject.

Example: One of the band members is ill today.

Most of the students in our class do volunteer work.

The truth, not more stories, is what I want to hear.

In the town square stands a stone monument.

There goes the finest car on the road today.

What is the source of the data in this chart?

Exercise C – Underline the subject of each sentence then circle the correct verb choice.

1. What ( is / are ) the reasons for attending college for four years?

2. What ( make / makes ) this amount of time just right?

3. History, not logic, ( seem / seems ) to have determined this length of time.

4. At the time of Harvard’s opening, students in Cambridge, England ( was / were ) attending
college for four years.

5. Today, some students, though by no means all, ( earn / earns ) their degree in four years.

6. Sixty-four percent of all college students in 1991 ( was / were ) five-year students.

7. In support of this trend ( is / are ) several factors.

8. The soaring cost of a higher education ( is / are ) one of them.

9. Among those in search of a higher education ( is / are ) students on a budget.

10. Hundreds, if not thousands, of today’s students ( take / takes ) time out to work.

11. The end result of the education—not just its cost—also ( motivate / motivates ) students.

12. In the minds of some students ( is / are ) a dual degree, a kind of insurance policy for their
future.
Subject / Verb Agreement cont.
An indefinite pronoun expresses an amount or refers to an unspecified person or thing. Some
indefinite pronouns are always singular and take singular verbs; others are always plural and take
plural verbs.

Singular: Everybody on my soccer team shows up for practice every day.

Singular: No one ever misses a single practice or meet.

Plural: Several of us meet for additional drills and exercises.

Use a singular verb when the indefinite pronouns all, any, most, and some refer to a singular
word. Use a plural verb when these pronouns refer to a plural word.

Singular: All of the water has run out of the tub.

Plural: All of the runners have been training for months.

Singular: Which one may I take? Any is fine.

Plural: Where may I sit? Any of these seats are open.

Exercise D - Underline the subject of each sentence then circle the correct verb choice.

1. Everyone ( know / knows ) about the importance of flossing.

2. One of the benefits ( is / are ) clean teeth.

3. Many of us ( realize / realizes ) the effects of not flossing.

4. Some of the effects ( include / includes ) red, swollen, or tender gums.

5. Everybody in my class ( is / are ) also aware of the possibility of gum disease.

6. No one ( underestimate / underestimates ) the problems of gingivitis, a gum disease.

7. Anyone, at any age, ( need / needs ) to floss.

8. Of all adults age sixty and over, some ( have / has ) lost all their teeth.

9. Some—and perhaps as many as half—of all high school students ( has / have ) gingivitis.

10. Almost nobody at your age ( think / thinks ) about this problem much.