In Subject-Verb Agreement Situation, Part 1, we looked at two tricky situations that make it hard to find the subject of a sentence. Now, we will look at three more situations that cause writers to make mistakes with subject-verb agreement. We will also study three rules that will help with those tricky situations.
Situation 3: Subject-verb agreement with multiple subjects.
There are many times when a sentence has more than one subject. See the sentence below:
Fresh fruit and water are a good way to start the day.
When a sentence has two subjects joined by the word and, the subject is plural. This means the sentence also needs a plural verb: are. Let’s look at another example. In the sentence below, there are two subjects: bath and book. Because there are two subjects combined, the plural verb, make, is correct. See below:
A bath (subj.) and a good book (subj.) make (v.) the perfect end to a busy day.
However, when the word or joins two subjects, there is a different rule. In that case, the subject that is closest to the verb determines whether the verb will be plural or singular.
In the example below, the subject that is closest to the verb (was) is necklace, which is singular. So, the verb is in singular form:
Either my shoes (subj.) or my necklace (subj.) was (v.) stolen.
In this next example, the subject that is closest to the verb (were) is shoes, which is plural. So, the verb is in plural form:
Either my necklace (subj.) or my shoes (subj.) were (v.) stolen.
Situation 4: Subject-verb agreement with collective nouns.
Some nouns indicate multiple people or things, but function as a single unit. These are called collective nouns. A few common collective nouns are: family, team, nation, gang, herd, committee, and class.
When a collective noun is the subject, it is considered singular, so the verb should also be in singular form. See the examples below:
Incorrect: I have a big family, and they are getting bigger.
Correct: I have a big family, and it is getting bigger.
Incorrect: The whole football team are in need of new helmets.
Correct: The whole football team is in need of new helmets.
Situation 5: Subject-verb agreement when a verb comes before a subject.
Usually, a subject comes before the verb in the sentence. However, sometimes a verb comes before a subject. This happens most often when a sentence begins with there’s (there is) and here’s (here is).
In the example below, the subject is papers, which is plural. So, the verb needs to be plural, which is are. See below:
Incorrect: Here’s the papers I borrowed.
Correct: Here are the papers I borrowed.
You can see the same pattern in this example. The subject, sodas, is plural, so the verb needs to be plural. See below:
Incorrect: There’s more sodas in the fridge.
Correct: There are more sodas in the fridge.
Practice Problems
1. True or False: There cannot be more than one subject in a sentence.
2. What is/are the subject(s) in the following sentence?: James or Miguel are coming.
3. What is/are the subject(s) in the following sentence?: That sound is wolves howling.
4. What is/are the subject(s) in the following sentence?: My keys and wallet are all I need.
5. What is/are the subject(s) in the following sentence?: What time are we meeting?
6. What is the correct verb to complete the sentence below? Goes, or go?
Blood, sweat, and tears ___ into this sport.
7. What is the correct verb to complete the sentence below? Wants, or want?
The committee ___ this done immediately.
8. What is the correct verb to complete the sentence below? Works, or work?
A drill or hammer ___.
9. What is the correct verb to complete the sentence below? Sounds, or sound?
A hamburger and fries ___ nice right now.
10. Choose the correct subject and verb to complete the following sentence: A hamburger and fries ___ nice right now.
- they are
- it is
11. What is the correct verb to complete the sentence below? Are, or is?
Wood or stone ___ all that is on sale right now.
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