20 Rules About Subject-Verb Agreement by Mark Nichol

Is, or are? Go, or goes? Whether a verb is singular or plural depends on any one of a complicated set of factors. Here is a roster of rules for subject-verb agreement (or Here are some rules . . .): 1. Use verbs that agree with a subject, not with a noun that is part of a modifying phrase or clause between verb and subject: The pot of eggs is boiling on the stove. 2. Use singular or plural verbs that agree with the subject, not with the complement of the subject: My favorite type of movie is comedies, but Comedies are my favorite type of movie. 3. Use singular verbs with singular indefinite pronouns each, the -bodies, -ones, and things (anybody, everyone, nothing), and the like: Neither is correct. (And, just as in rule number 1, the presence of a modifier is irrelevant: Neither of them is correct.) 4. Use plural verbs with plural indefinite pronouns: Many outcomes are possible. 5. Use singular verbs with uncountable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun: All the paint is dried up. 6. Use plural verbs with countable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun: All the nails are spilled on the floor. 7. Use plural verbs with compound subjects that include and: The dog and the cat are outside.

8. Use plural verbs or singular verbs, depending on the form of the noun nearest the verb, with compound subjects that include nor or or: Either the dog or the cats are responsible for the mess. (Either the cats or the dog is responsible for the mess is also technically correct but is awkward.) 9. Use singular verbs with inverted subjects that include singular nouns: Why is my hat outside in the rain? 10. Use plural verbs with inverted subjects (those beginning with the expletive there rather than the actual subject) that include plural nouns: There are several hats outside in the rain. 11. Use singular or plural verbs with collective nouns depending on meaning: His staff is assembled, but Staff are asked to go to the conference room immediately. (In the first sentence, the emphasis is on the body of employees; in the second sentence, the focus is on compliance by each individual in the body of employees.) 12. Use singular verbs for designations of entities, such as nations or organizations, or compositions, such as books or films: The United Nations is headquartered in New York. 13. Use singular verbs for subjects plural in form but singular in meaning: Physics is my favorite subject. 14. Use singular or plural verbs for subjects plural in form but plural or singular in meaning depending on the context: The economics of the situation are complicated, but Economics is a complicated topic. 15. Use plural verbs for subjects plural in form and meaning: The tweezers are in the cupboard. 16. Use plural verbs in constructions of the form one of those (blank) who . . .:

I am one of those eccentrics who do not tweet. 17. Use singular verbs in constructions of the form the only one of those (blank) who . . .: I am the only one of my friends who does not tweet. 18. Use singular verbs in constructions of the form the number of (blank) . . .: The number of people here boggles the mind. 19. Use plural verbs in constructions of the form a number of (blank) . . .: A number of people here disagree. 20. Use singular verbs in construction of the forms every (blank) . . . and many a (blank) . . .: Every good boy does fine; Many a true word is spoken in jest. 7 Classes of Noun/Verb Agreement by Mark Nichol

Below youll find seven classes of noun/verb agreement you need to understand. 1. Indefinite Pronouns Most indefinite pronouns correspond to singular verbs: Someone has left her plate on the table. Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion. Each boy is responsible for his actions. To confirm, test for the proper verb form by writing a simple sentence in which is follows the pertinent pronoun: Someone is missing (not Someone are missing). The proper verb form for some indefinite pronouns depends on the reference: All of the soup is gone. (Soup is a single entity.)

Some of the comments are favorable. (The comments are counted as separate entities.) The indefinite pronoun none can be singular or plural depending on the context: None of the jewels are missing. (None of the components of the whole entity in question are missing.) None of the jewelry is missing. (Not one part of the whole entity is missing.) 2. Conjunctive Phrases The simple conjunction and cannot necessarily be replaced by such phrases as along with, as well as, and together with: The doe along with its fawns is resting in the meadow. (This sentence is correct, however, if along with its fawns is inserted into the sentence The doe is resting in the meadow, which requires bracketing commas. The same is true of the other phrases.) 3. Either/Or and Neither/Nor Neither and either refer to two compared or associated objects as individual entities and are therefore usually employed with singular verbs: Neither she nor I are ready for that. Either option will work for me. Informally, however, an exception is made in such constructions as Are either of you ready? In either/or and neither/nor constructions with a mixture of singular and plural nouns, the verb form is determined by whether the closest noun is singular or plural: Either the captain or one of the lieutenants are leading the patrol. Neither the students nor the teacher remembers hearing anything. However, because the plural noun and the singular verb still clash in the second sentence despite their lack of proximity, it is advisable to construct the sentence so that the singular pronoun precedes the plural one: Neither the teacher nor the students remember hearing anything. 4. Positive and Negative Subjects in Combination

A subject consisting of positive and negative sentiments that differ in singular and plural form should be followed by a verb that corresponds with the positive element: The delivery of the speech, not its contents, is the issue. As with either/or and neither/nor constructions, perhaps it is best to rearrange the sentence so that the singular noun is in proximity with the verb: It is not the contents of the speech, but its delivery, that is at issue. 5. Expletives In sentences beginning with such expletives as here and there, the actual subject, which follows the verb, determines the verb form: There is a word for that. Here are several choices. 6. Plural Nouns for Single Objects Plural nouns that name single objects, such as scissors and pants, are matched with plural verbs unless the phrase pair of precedes the noun; in that case, pair is the subject: Scissors are dangerous. A pair of scissors is required for this activity. Some other nouns ending in s are also singular in meaning: The mumps is a disease you dont hear much about anymore. Meanwhile, others stand for a single thing but call for a plural verb: Thanks are in order. 7. Fractional Phrases Phrases referring to a mathematical portion may, depending on the context, be singular or plural: A small percentage of the employees are opposed.

A large percentage of the cargo was damaged. Three-fourths of the land is forested. One-third of the trees are oaks. Numbers expressed as part of a mathematical operation are linked with a plural verb, but the outcome of a computation is expressed as a single entity: Ten and six are added together to equal sixteen. Ten minus six is four.