Subject-Verb Agreement

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in number (singular or plural).  Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its verb must also be plural.

The pronoun it at the start of a sentence takes a singular verb.

 Ex. It is his charisma that swayed people to believe in him.

It is the suggestions that count a lot in a thesis defense.

The personal pronoun you always takes a plural verb. 

Ex. You are the answer to my problems.

     You are the apple of my eyes.

The phrase many a followed by a singular noun takes a singular verb. 

Ex. Many a newspaper today has been in circulation.

Many a youngster nowadays has already been aware of AIDS.

Subjects preceded by the number of or the percentage of are singular, while subjects preceded by a number of or a percentage of are plural.

Ex. The number of chemistry students is small.

 A number of chemistry students are in the lab.

The verb agrees with the agrees with the affirmative, not with the negative subject. 

Ex. The president , not the secretary, attends the Educators’ Congress.

The DOJ, not the NBI personnel, pursues the Vizconde massacre. 

An amount of money, time expression, or unit of measurement even in plural forms, should take singular verbs. 

Ex. Five dollars is too much to ask.
     Ten days is not nearly enough time.

Some nouns are always plural and always take a plural verb. (Trousers, pants, slacks, shorts, briefs, jeans, glasses, sunglasses, scissors, pliers, tweezers, proceeds, police etc.)

Ex. The scissors are on the table.

      The pants need ironing.

If you add “pair of” to the front of any of these, then they become singular.

Ex. The pair of scissors is on the table.

       The pair of pants needs ironing.

Mathematical expressions of subtraction and division require singular verbs, while expressions of addition or multiplication take either singular or plural verbs.

Ex. Ten divided by two is five.

      Five times seven equals (OR equal) thirty-five.

Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.

Ex. The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.

     Great Expectations is my favorite novel.

Adjectives used as subjects take plural verbs.

Ex. The rich are not always happy.

      The brave are to be emulated.

A collective noun, when regarded as a unit, takes a singular verb; when regarded as individuals, take plural verb.

1. SINGULAR

Collective nouns nearly always emphasize a group as a UNIT.

Ex. The jury [a collective unit, therefore singular] is returning to the courtroom.

     The class respects the teacher.

2. PLURAL

Occasionally, a collective noun is treated as plural to draw attention to the INDIVIDUAL members of the group.

Ex. The jury [refers to twelve people as individuals, therefore plural] are arguing among themselves.

      The class members are debating amongst themselves.

Some words such as none, any, all, more, most, some, majority, half may take either singular or plural verbs depending on the noun or pronoun they refer to.

Ex. Most of the news is good.  (singular)

     Most of the flowers were yellow.  (plural)

     All of the pizza was gone.  (singular)

     All of the children were late.  (plural)

Prepositional phrases beginning with the compound prepositions such as along with, together with, in addition to, and as well as should be ignored, for they do not affect subject-verb agreement.

Ex. The delinquent, as well as his mom and dad, was in the detention hall.

     A driver's license, together with two other pieces of identification, is required.