Revision Notes: Subject-Verb Agreement (Subject-Verb Concord)

1. What Is Subject-Verb Agreement?

• Subject-Verb Agreement means the verb in a sentence must agree in number with its
subject:

o Singular subject → singular verb (e.g., The cat runs.)

o Plural subject → plural verb (e.g., The cats run.)

2. Core Rules

A. The “Jumping S” Rule

• If the noun is plural, add s to the noun but not the verb (e.g., books are).

• If the verb is singular, add s/es (e.g., he goes, she runs).

• Never add s/es to both the noun and the verb together.

B. The “And” Rule

• Two subjects joined by “and” usually form a plural subject:

o My friend and I are going…

• Exception: If “and” combines items that form a single entity (e.g., “bread and butter” as
a meal), use singular:

o Bread and butter is a common breakfast.

C. The “And + Article/Possessive” Rule

• If two nouns share the same article or possessive and refer to the same person/thing,
use singular:

o The coach and captain has arrived (one person).

• If two nouns have different articles or possessives, use plural:

o The coach and the captain have arrived (two people).

o My friend and brother has arrived (one person).

o My friend and my brother have arrived (two people).

3. Types of Nouns and Agreement

A. Proper Nouns
 • Always singular, even if they look plural (e.g., Star Wars is, The Beatles is).

B. Uncountable Nouns

• Always use singular verbs (e.g., sugar, news, information).

o The news is interesting.

• Some nouns that appear plural are treated singular: news, ethics, mathematics.

C. Plural-Only Countable Nouns

• These nouns only exist in the plural and require plural verbs (e.g., trousers, scissors,
jeans, surroundings):

o The trousers are new.

o Her earnings have increased.

D. Collective Nouns

• Treat as singular when the group acts as one (The team is winning).

• Treat as plural when referring to individuals within the group (The team are arguing
among themselves, common in British English).

4. Pronouns and Agreement

A. Singular Indefinite Pronouns

• Everyone, anyone, someone, nobody, each, every, another — always take singular verbs:

o Everyone loves music.

o Each of the boys was given a present.

B. Plural Indefinite Pronouns

• Several, few, many, both, various, multiple, others — always take plural verbs:

o Several students are absent.

C. Pronouns That Can Be Singular or Plural

• All, any, more, most, some, none, such — match verb to the noun:

o All of the cake is eaten. (cake = singular, uncountable)

o All of the cookies are eaten. (cookies = plural, countable)

5. Rules Based on Sentence Structure

A. Each, Either/Neither, One of

• Each, either, neither + singular noun → singular verb:

o Each student is ready.

• "One of + plural noun" → singular verb:

o One of the books is missing.

• With relative pronouns: verb agrees with the noun just before the relative clause:

o One of the players who are fit is missing.

B. Either/Or, Neither/Nor, Not Only/But Also

• Verb agrees with the noun closest to it (the “rule of proximity”):

o Neither the teacher nor the students are present.

o Either the cats or the dog is noisy.

C. Much vs. Many

• Much + uncountable noun → singular verb (How much milk is there?)

• Many + countable noun → plural verb (How many books are there?)

6. Special Cases

Situation Rule Example

Amount, time, distance Always singular Fifty kilometers is a long

way.

Nouns joined by as well as, along The verb matches the first Sunita, along with her
with, together with, etc. subject friends, is joining.

Gerunds (verb-ing as subject) Always singular Swimming is good

exercise.

Wishes (“I wish”) Use “were” (subjunctive— I wish I were there.

formal English)

Here/There sentences Verb matches closest noun Here are your keys.

The + adjective (the rich, the poor) Plural verb The rich get richer.
7. Common Tricky Areas

• A number of … means “many” → plural verb (A number of students are waiting.).

• The number of … refers to the total quantity → singular verb (The number of students is
increasing.).

• “Many a + singular noun”: use singular verb (Many a student has tried.).

• “Majority/minority”:

o Unspecific = singular (The majority holds no view.)

o Specific % = singular/plural possible (A 60% majority have/has voted; both

allowed, context decides.)

o “A majority/minority of + group” = plural (A majority of voters have chosen…).

8. Quick Exercise (Practice)

Fill with the correct form (is/are, was/were, etc.):

1. Each of the girls ___ playing.

2. The team ___ celebrating its win.

3. My friend and brother ___ here.

4. A number of issues ___ discussed.

5. The number of candidates ___ growing.

(Answers at the end)

Practice Answers

1. is

2. is

3. has (if same person) / have (if different people)

4. were

5. is

Tip: Always check if the subject and verb “match” in number!

Quick Reference Table

 Subject Type Example Verb Form

Singular noun The book is/was

Plural noun The books are/were

Collective noun (group as one) The team is/was

Collective noun (individuals) The team (ref. people B.E.) are/were

Uncountable noun Information is/was

Plural-only noun Trousers are/were

Each/Either/Neither/One of One of the boys is/was

More than one More than one player is/was

More than two More than two players are/were

A number of A number of students are/were

The number of The number of students is/was

Review these notes before your exam for a quick recap of subject-verb agreement basics and
tricky points!