The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and,

therefore, require singular verbs.

Everyone has done his or her homework.

Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are singular or plural depending on what
they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to
accompany such pronouns.

Some of the beads are missing.

Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it
often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb unless something else in the
sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will
choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but when something else makes us
regard none as meaning not one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")

None of you claims responsibility for this incident?

None of you claim responsibility for this incident?

None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their
precludes the use of the singular verb.

Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody

(listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person and, therefore, students
are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is
often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus
confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.
You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing
will change that.
Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.

Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular
Each is responsible.
Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase
introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it
does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).

The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.

The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to
be referring, in a sense, to two things.

Neither of the two traffic lights is working.

Which shirt do you want for Christmas?

Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are
followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative
constructions: "Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking
this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash between notional and actual agreement."*
The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the subject closer to
the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb
doesn't matter; the proximity determines the number.

Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.

Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.

Are either my brothers or my father responsible?

Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house" sounds
peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever that is
possible.
The words there and here are never subjects.

There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.

There is no reason for this.

Here are two apples.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb but still
determines the number of the verb.
Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words
can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .
Sometimes modifiers will get betwen a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse
the agreement between the subject and its verb.
The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four
counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several
political lives, is finally going to jail.
Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're
really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section
on Collective Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are
regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which
case the word pair becomes the subject).

My glasses were on the bed.

My pants were torn.

A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require
singular verbs.

The news from the front is bad.

Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and
require a plural verb.

My assets were wiped out in the depression.

The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.

Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami Heat have
been looking , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent . See the section on plurals
for help with this problem.
Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes
singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when
all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are
expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough)
takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."

Some of the voters are still angry.

A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.

Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.

Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.

Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.

Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.

Two and two is four.

Four times four divided by two is eight.

If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other
singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on
Valentine's Day.

It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.

It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural.
Problems occur in the present tense because one must add an -s or -es at the end of the verb when
the subjects or the entity performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or words for
which these pronouns could substitute.
Notice the difference between singular and plural forms in the following examples:
Singular

Plural

The student sings. (He or she

sings)

Your children sing. (They sing)

The bird does migrate. (It does)

Those birds do migrate. (They

do)

In order to find out if your subject and verb agree, you need to be able to identify the subject of
your sentence. Here are some helpful hints that will help you to decipher where your subject is
and where it is not.

Where is my subject?

Most likely, your verb will agree with the first noun to the left of the verb:
The Supreme Court judge decides the
appropriate penalty.
Subject: judge

Verb: decides

The committee members were satisfied with

the resolution.
Subject: members

Verb: were

Occasionally, a sentence has the subject after the verb instead of before it. This strategy
is often used for poetic effect.
Over the ripples glides a small canoe.
Subject: a small canoe

Verb: glides

There was a well-known writer at the meeting.

Subject: a well-known writer

Verb: was

You will not find the subject in a modifying phrase (MP), a phrase that starts with a
preposition, a gerund, or a relative pronoun and that modifies the meaning of the noun or
subject under discussion.
The group of students is going on a field trip.
Subject: the group MP: of students Verb: is
The survey covering seven colleges reveals a
growth in enrollment.
Subject: the
survey

MP: covering
seven colleges

Verb:
reveals

The speaker whom you saw at the lecture is

one of the state senators from Minnesota.
Subject: the
speaker

MP: whom you saw

Verb: is
at the lecture

If subjects are joined by and, they are considered plural.

The quarterback and the coach are having a
conference.
Subject: the quarterback and
the coach

Verb: are
having

If subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the closer subject.
Either the actors or the director is at fault.
Subjects: actors, director

Verb: is

Either the director or the actors are at fault.

Subjects: director, actors

Verb: are

The relative pronouns (who, whom, which, and that) are either singular or plural,
depending on the words they refer to.
The sales manager is a good researcher who
spends a great amount of time surfing the Web
for information.
Subject: the sales manager Verbs: is, spends

Sales managers are good researchers who

spend a great amount of time surfing the Web
for information.
Subject: sales managers

Verbs: are, spend

Indefinite pronouns (someone, somebody, each, either one, everyone, or anyone) are
considered singular and need singular verbs although they convey plural meaning.
Anyone who wants to pursue higher education
has to pass entrance exams.
Subject: anyone

Verbs: wants, has

Everyone on the committee is welcome to

express his/her ideas.
Subject: everyone

Verb: is

A few nouns can be either plural or singular, depending on whether they mean a group
or separate individuals. These words are rarely used as plurals in modern writing.
The jury is sequestered.
Subject: jury

Verb: is

The jury are having an argument.

Subject: jury

Verb: are having

A few subjects look plural but are really singular or vice versa.
The news of the discovery is spreading.
Subject: news

Verb: is

The mass media have publicized the facts.

Subject: mass media

Verb: have publicized

The data amaze everyone.

Subject: data

Verb: amaze

NOTE: We will use the convention of a thin underline for subjects and a thick underline for
verbs.
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of agreement.
Example:
The list of items is/are on the desk.
Being able to identify the subject and verb correctly will also help you with commas and
semicolons as you will see later.
Basic Rule

The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a
plural verb.
NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is
recognizing a singular or plural verb.
Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which
verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or she and
which verb you would use with they.
Example:
talks, talk
Which one is the singular form?
Which word would you use with he?
We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular.
We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.
Rule 1

Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.

Example:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Rule 2

Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1.

Examples:
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3

When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow
it with the singular verb am.
Example:
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Rule 4

When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last
and use a plural verb.
Example:
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
Rule 5

When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural
subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Jenny nor the others are available.
Rule 6

As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example:
A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
Rule 7

Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as,
besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural
verb.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Rule 8

The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody
are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Every one of the cakes is gone.
NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the
meaning is each one.
Rule 9

With words that indicate portionspercent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder,
and so forth look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether
to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If
the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.
One-third of the people are unemployed.
NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
None of the garbage was picked up.
None of the sentences were punctuated correctly.
Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.
NOTE: Apparently, the SAT testing service considers none as a singular word only. However,
according to Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, "Clearly none has been both
singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of
unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a

singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are
acceptable beyond serious criticism" (p. 664).
Rule 10

The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is
followed by a plural verb.
Examples:
The number of people we need to hire is thirteen.
A number of people have written in about this subject.
Rule 11

When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs.
Examples:
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Rule 12

The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate
place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Rule 13

Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.

Examples:
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Rule 14

Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence.
The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in
front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:
Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports.
The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.
He is one of the men who does/do the work.
The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
Rule 15

Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in
the sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit here.
The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.
The sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.