When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor , the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject.
The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
Note: The word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs.
There are two parts to these things. In sentences beginning with "there is" or "there are," the subject follows the verb. Since "there" is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as group, team, committee, class, and family. Learn the forms of these verbs in the present tense to avoid errors in subject-verb agreement. Recognizing the sources of common errors in subject-verb agreement will help you avoid these errors in your writing.
This section covers the subject-verb agreement errors in more detail. A compound subject is formed by two or more nouns and the coordinating conjunctions and , or , or nor.
A compound subject can be made of singular subjects, plural subjects, or a combination of singular and plural subjects. Two singular subjects: Alicia and Miguel ride their bikes to the beach.
Two plural subjects: The girls and the boys ride their bikes to the beach. Singular and plural subjects: Alicia and the boys ride their bikes to the beach. Compound subjects combined with or and nor are treated separately. The verb must agree with the subject that is nearest to the verb. Two singular subjects: Neither Elizabeth nor Rianna wants to eat at that restaurant.
Two plural subjects: Neither the kids nor the adults want to eat at that restaurant. Singular and plural subjects: Neither Elizabeth nor the kids want to eat at that restaurant. Plural and singular subjects: Neither the kids nor Elizabeth wants to eat at that restaurant. Two singular subjects: Either you or Jason takes the furniture out of the garage.
Two plural subjects: Either you or the twins take the furniture out of the garage. Singular and plural subjects: Either Jason or the twins take the furniture out of the garage.
Plural and singular subjects: Either the twins or Jason takes the furniture out of the garage. If you can substitute the word they for the compound subject, then the sentence takes the third person plural verb form. As you read or write, you may come across a sentence that contains a phrase or clause that separates the subject from the verb.
Often, prepositional phrases or dependent clauses add more information to the sentence and appear between the subject and the verb. However, the subject and the verb must still agree. If you have trouble finding the subject and verb, cross out or ignore the phrases and clauses that begin with prepositions or dependent words.
The subject of a sentence will never be in a prepositional phrase or dependent clause. The students with the best grades win the academic awards. The puppy under the table is my favorite. The car that I bought has power steering and a sunroof. The representatives who are courteous sell the most tickets. Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified person, thing, or number.
When an indefinite pronoun serves as the subject of a sentence, you will often use a singular verb form. However, keep in mind that exceptions arise. Some indefinite pronouns may require a plural verb form. To determine whether to use a singular or plural verb with an indefinite pronoun, consider the noun that the pronoun would refer to.
If the noun is plural, then use a plural verb with the indefinite pronoun. View the chart to see a list of common indefinite pronouns and the verb forms they agree with.
The indefinite pronoun everybody takes a singular verb form because everybody refers to a group performing the same action as a single unit. Plural: All the people in the kitchen sing along when that song comes on the radio. The indefinite pronoun all takes a plural verb form because all refers to the plural noun people. Because people is plural, all is plural. Singular: All the cake is on the floor.
In this sentence, the indefinite pronoun all takes a singular verb form because all refers to the singular noun cake. Because cake is singular, all is singular. A collective noun is a noun that identifies more than one person, place, or thing and considers those people, places, or things one singular unit. Because collective nouns are counted as one, they are singular and require a singular verb. Some commonly used collective nouns are group , team , army , flock , family , and class.
Singular: The class is going on a field trip. In this sentence, class is a collective noun. Although the class consists of many students, the class is treated as a singular unit and requires a singular verb form.
You may encounter sentences in which the subject comes after the verb instead of before the verb. In other words, the subject of the sentence may not appear where you expect it to appear. To ensure proper subject-verb agreement, you must correctly identify the subject and the verb. In sentences that begin with here or there , the subject follows the verb. Here is my wallet! There are thirty dolphins in the water.
If you have trouble identifying the subject and the verb in sentences that start with here or there ; it may help to reverse the order of the sentence so the subject comes first. My wallet is here! Thirty dolphins are in the water. When you ask questions, a question word who , what , where , when , why , or how appears first. The verb and then the subject follow. Who are the people you are related to? When am I going to go to the grocery store? If you have trouble finding the subject and the verb in questions, try answering the question being asked.
When am I going to the grocery store? I am going to the grocery store tonight! On your own sheet of paper, write the correct verb form for each of the following sentences. Improving your writing requires understanding these instances to ensure grammatical correctness.
It should be noted that if the members of the noun are not acting in unity as a group, then the noun should be treated as plural and matches with a plural verb. However, fractions are singular if they are used to modify singular nouns. They are plural if they are used to modify plural nouns:. Using these conventions is important for proper English writing. In academic writing, neglecting subject-verb agreements has serious consequences.
These include not getting your message across, confusing your readers, and reducing your credibility. Academic writing is characterized by perfect syntax, sentence structure, and grammar.
These things cannot be ignored and you need to pay attention to your subject-verb agreements when writing your manuscript. However, it is essential and even critical for you to master. Do you get confused when using subject-verb agreements? How difficult or easy do you find to implement these rule? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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