Workshop 2 : Subject/Verb Agreement

Presents:
The Dirty Dozen
Workshop Series

Workshop Two:
Subject/Verb
Agreement

Which sentence is
correct
Packing your own lunches save money.
Packing your own lunches saves money.

Packing your own lunches save money.
Packing your own lunches saves money.
Why
“Lunches” may look like the subject, but
actually “Packing your own lunches” is
what saves money, not the lunches
themselves. Whenever such a verb phrase
serves as the subject, consider it singular.
Why does knowing the subject to be singular or plural matter

Rule of thumb: The subject
and verb of each clause must
agree in number.

What do we mean by
“agree” & “number”
When we talk about agreement, we mean making sure subjects
and verbs agree in number— and in English, there are only two
numbers: singular and plural.
So, if you have a singular subject, you
will need a singular verb. If you have a
plural subject, you need a plural verb.

Singular
Subject
Singular
Verb
Correct!

Plural
Subject
Plural
Verb
Correct!
Let’s take a closer look at those two sentences…

Packing your own lunches save money.
Packing your own lunches saves money.
The subject of each sentence is “Packing your own
lunches”. This subject is singular; therefore, the verb
must also be singular.
“Saves” is a singular verb — a present tense singular
verb to be precise. Most subject/verb agreement
errors occur when dealing with these verbs. Why
Because we intuitively think of “s” and “es” as plural.

Present tense verbs require an “s” or an “es” at
the end of the verb when the subject
performing the action is third-person singular
(i.e. he, she, it) or is a word for which these
pronouns could substitute (i.e. “girl” and
“she” are interchangeable).
Examples:
She goes to town.
He causes trouble.
The girl thinks the earth is flat.

Tip: To determine whether a verb is singular
or plural, ask which form of the verb you
would use after the subject “it” and which
form you would use with the subject “they”.
Like this:
It eats, sleeps, runs, wishes, dreams, loves
They eat, sleep, run, wish, dream, love

“It” uses singular verbs.
“They” uses plural verbs.

There are many rules of
subject-verb agreement.
Let’s look at them, starting
with the most common.
(All examples in this section are correct.)

A subject and a verb must agree,
even when other words or phrases
come between them.
Example:
The flock of geese is flying south
for the winter.
The subject is “flock,” so the verb should be “is
flying.” Ignore the prepositional phrase “of geese”
when determining verb number.

Subjects joined by “and”
usually take a plural verb.
Example:
Dave and Bree went on a date.
Exception: For phrases like “each girl and boy” or
“every cat and bird,” where the subjects are considered
individually, use a singular verb.
Each actor and actress had a
line in the play.

Collective nouns can either be
singular or plural depending on
the context of the sentence.
Pssst! Collective nouns are words that
refer to groups of people or things
(e.g. class, family, jury, herd).

Rule of thumb:
If the context of the sentence makes
you visualize the group doing
something together, as one unit,
then the noun is singular and takes a
singular verb.
If you visualize different members
of the group performing different
actions, then the noun is plural and
takes a plural verb.

Examples:
The group agrees that new curtains
would improve the space.
(The group is acting as a unit, so the
word group is singular.)
The old group have gone their
separate ways.
(The group members are acting
individually, so the word group is plural.)

The indefinite pronouns all, any,
more, most, none, and some can be
either singular or plural,
depending on whether the word
they refer to is singular or plural.

Examples:
All the cupcake batter gets poured
into a greased pan.
(Here, “all” refers to “batter,” which is singular.)
All the cupcakes are topped with
cream cheese frosting.
(Here, “all” refers to “cupcakes,” which is plural.)

The indefinite pronouns each, either,
every, much, and neither require
singular verbs.
Example:
Each of us has enormous
potential to succeed in life.

The indefinite pronouns both, few,
many, and several take plural verbs.
Example:
Both of us have enormous
potential to succeed in life.

The verb must agree with its
subject even when the subject
follows the verb.
Questions, sentences beginning with here or
there, and sometimes sentences beginning with
a prepositional phrase place the subject after
the verb.

Examples:
Is success measured by people’s wealth or
their happiness
Are wealth and happiness the same thing
Walking down the street were three dogs
and their owner.
Here are my car keys.
There is my uncle’s house.

Subjects that look plural (because
they end in s) but refer to only one
thing are singular.
Examples:
The lens is broken.
Economics is a field of study.
Psst! Many nouns ending in –ics (economics, statistics, and politics)
take singular or plural verbs, depending on how they are used.

Some nouns (such as glasses, pliers,
scissors, and trousers) are considered
plural unless they are preceded by the
phrase pair of.
Example:
My trousers require tailoring.
This pair of trousers requires
tailoring.

With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb
should agree with the subject closer to it.
Examples:
Neither the principal nor the
teachers like the new budget cuts.
Either her brothers or Tammy waters
the front lawn every day.
Psst! For a more natural-sounding sentence, place the
plural part of a compound subject second. Example: Either
Tammy or her brothers water the front lawn every day.

Which verb correctly completes
this sentence Remember, watch
out for prepositional phrases in
between subjects and verbs.
The sale of apples and pears
(accounts/account) for a large
amount of the farmer’s income.

The sale of apples and pears accounts for
a large amount of the farmer’s income.
The sale of apples and pears account for
a large amount of the farmer’s income.
Remember rule #1: A subject and a verb must
agree even when other words or phrases come
between them. Frequently, prepositional phrases
come between subjects and verbs. Ignore these
prepositional phrases.

In the following pairs, one
sentence is correct, and the
other sentence has a subjectverb
agreement error. Which
sentence is correct
A) My collection of silver spoons and tea
sets often impresses others.
B) My collection of silver spoons and tea
sets often impress others.

A) My collection of silver spoons
and tea sets often impresses others.
B) My collection of silver spoons
and tea sets often impress others.
Why
The subject is collection, which is a singular noun, so the
verb must be singular. The correct verb is impresses.
Remember, the object of the preposition (silver spoons
and tea sets) is never the subject of the sentence.

Which verb correctly completes
this sentence
A) However, there is more luxurious
accommodations in this hotel.
B) However, there are more luxurious
accommodations in this hotel.

A) However, there is more luxurious
accommodations in this hotel.
B) However, there are more luxurious
accommodations in this hotel.
Why
Remember rule #7: The verb must agree with its
subject even when the subject follows the verb.
Questions, sentences beginning with here or there,
and sometimes sentences beginning with a
prepositional phrase, place the subject after the verb.
Example: Here are several ideas.

In the following pairs, one
sentence is correct, and the
other sentence has a subjectverb
agreement error. Which
sentence is correct
A) Here is the pole and bait that
you will need to go fishing.
B) Here are the pole and bait that
you will need to go fishing.

A) Here is the pole and bait that
you will need to go fishing.
B) Here are the pole and bait that
you will need to go fishing.
Why
Remember rule #2: Here the subject is
compound (the pole and bait), which makes it
plural. Therefore, the verb must also be plural.

Join us next time…
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Errors