English Grammar Lesson: Subject-Verb Agreement

1. What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Definition: Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. This means that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

2. Basic Rules

Here are the basic rules for subject-verb agreement:

2.1 Singular Subjects

Rule: A singular subject takes a singular verb.

Examples:

• She runs every morning.
• The cat sleeps on the bed.

2.2 Plural Subjects

Rule: A plural subject takes a plural verb.

Examples:

• They run every morning.
• The cats sleep on the bed.

3. Special Cases

There are some special cases to consider in subject-verb agreement:

3.1 Collective Nouns

Rule: Collective nouns may take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals.

Examples:

• The team is winning. (acting as a unit)
• The team are arguing among themselves. (acting as individuals)

3.2 Compound Subjects

Rule: When a subject is composed of two or more nouns joined by ‘and,’ it takes a plural verb. If the nouns are joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor,’ the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.

Examples:

• Tom and Jerry are friends.
• Either the manager or the employees are responsible for this.
• Neither the manager nor the employee is available.

3.3 Indefinite Pronouns

Rule: Some indefinite pronouns are always singular (e.g., ‘everyone,’ ‘someone’), and some are always plural (e.g., ‘both,’ ‘several’).

Examples:

• Everyone is here.
• Several are missing.

4. Common Errors

Here are some common errors to avoid:

• Incorrect: The group are meeting.
• Correct: The group is meeting.
• Incorrect: My friend like to travel.
• Correct: My friend likes to travel.