What is subject/verb agreement?

“The dogs eats food.” ❌

“The dogs eat food.” ✅

Subject/verb agreement is a fundamental rule in English grammar that states that a verb must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject. In simpler terms:  

• Singular subjects take singular verbs.  
• Plural subjects take plural verbs.  

Singular subjects and singular verbs

• If the subject is singular (one person, place, thing, or idea), the verb must also be singular.
  • Example: “The dog barks.” (Dog is singular, barks is singular)  

Plural subjects and plural verbs

• If the subject is plural (more than one), the verb must also be plural.
  • Example: “The dogs bark.” (Dogs is plural, bark is plural)

Common challenges

• Compound subjects
  • When a subject is made up of two or more nouns joined by “and,” it’s usually plural.
    • Example: “The cat and the dog are playing.”
  • But, if the compound subject refers to a single idea, it’s singular.
    • Example: “Macaroni and cheese is my favorite meal.”
• Collective nouns
  • As we discussed earlier, whether a collective noun (like “team,” “family”) takes a singular or plural verb depends on whether the group is thought of as a single unit or as individual members.  
• Indefinite pronouns
  • Some indefinite pronouns (like “everyone,” “each,” “someone”) are singular, even though they may seem plural.
    • Example: “Everyone is ready.”
  • Some other Indefinite pronouns like “several” or “many” are always plural.
• “There is/there are“
  • As previously said, the verb must match the number of the noun that comes after the verb.

Why you should use them correctly

• Correct subject/verb agreement is essential for clear and grammatically correct writing and speaking.  
• Errors in subject/verb agreement can cause confusion and make your communication less effective.

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