Grammar

Refresher
Subject–Verb
Agreement

Kae Trisha Gonzaga/Proofreader – ARG 12/4/19

BASIC RULE OF SUBJECT–VERB
AGREEMENT

Singular Subject Plural Subject

= =
Singular Verb Plural Verb

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Rules to Remember

1. The verb must agree with its subject in number.

• The tipsy guy staggers to his room.
• The Russian spies capture an FBI agent.
• He likes reading.

2. The verb does not agree with any noun or pronoun that intervenes within it and the
subject.
• The pack of cigarettes is stored in the cabinet.
• The books on the shelf are in alphabetical order.
• One of the houses on the east side of the street gets more sunlight.
• The president, together with his aides, is on his way to STI.

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Rules to Remember

3. A collective noun takes a singular verb, except when the members act individually.

• The jury is going to announce its decision.
• A team in basketball tries to stop its opponent from making a score.
• The faculty are arguing whether to reconsider Henry’s absences or give him a failing grade this
time.

4. A relative pronoun assumes the grammatical number of the noun it refers to.
• She is one of the lawyers who are considered assets of the profession.
• Mark is the kind of person that never lets you down.
• Anne is the only one among the freshmen who plans to join the poetry reading session.

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Rules to Remember

5. The verb does not agree with the predicate nominative or subject complement.

• The lesson for today is pertinent provisions of the Penal Code.
• Next to God, my hope in life is my parents.
• This group of words is a noun and its complement.

6. Compound subjects connected by and demand a plural verb, except when the

subjects refer to the same person or thing. 
• Malou, Christina, and Joanne enjoy reading Eleanor & Park.
• My best friend and counsel is my mother.
• The Pope and Bishop of Rome was Paul VI.

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Rules to Remember

6. NOTE: To distinguish one person or thing from another, repeat the determiners (a,

an, the) [a] before the two (2) nouns and [b] before the adjectives qualifying the
same nouns.
Hand me the black and white briefcase.  refers to only one (1) briefcase 
Hand me the black and the white briefcase.  refers to two (2) different briefcases 

Hand me the black and the white briefcases.  refers to two (2) distinct briefcases 

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Rules to Remember

7. When subjects are connected by or or nor, the verb must agree with the nearer or

nearest subject.
• Either Chel or her classmates know that violation of the uniform incurs penalty.
• Neither Vince nor Joseph displays immature behavior during class hours.
• There is no index nor table in this report.

8. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning require a singular verb.

• Mathematics is one of the most challenging subjects.
• Politics in the Philippines seems to be getting worse.
• The news on the rapid growth of the Philippine economy polarizes the business sector.

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Rules to Remember

9. Nouns plural in form and in meaning demand a plural verb.

• The scissors are on top of Emi’s table.
• Your pants need ironing to remove the crease.
• The beggar’s clothes are all tattered and filthy.

10. Some nouns (mass/uncountable nouns and abstract nouns) have no plural form
and demand a singular verb.
• The advice is ignored by Kim.
• Love begets love.
• Rice is the common staple food in Asian countries.

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Rules to Remember

11. Proper nouns, even if in the plural form, are generally treated as singular. This
applies to titles of books, plays, stories, musical compositions and other creative
works, as well as names of countries*.
• Great Expectations is one of Charles Dickens’ works.
• Watchers, written by Dean Koontsz, deals with genetic experimentation.
• The United Nations was forced to vote on the issue.
• The UP Madringal Singers is featured in the concert.
• The Beatles was so popular in the ’70s.

*Countries or regions with plural names commonly take singular verbs except when their names refer
to the countries’ representatives or delegates.
• The Philippines is considered the pearl of the orient.
• The Philippines have done well in the ASEAN Games.
• The United States remains to be an economic superpower.
• As expected, the United States dominate the recent Olympics.
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Rules to Remember

12. The indefinite pronouns—none, all, some, most, any, enough—take a singular verb
when they indicate how much, and a plural verb when they indicate how many.
• None are so blessed as those who cherish the Faith.
• None of the fish is left.
• All have arrived for the meeting.
• All of the palay was eaten by rodents to the dismay of the farmers.
• Is there any sugar in the cupboard? There is none left.
• Nowadays, most women gain benefits from gender equality movement.
• Most of the land they own is inhabited by squatters.

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Rules to Remember

13. The following indefinite pronouns, whether singular or plural in meaning, are used
with singular verbs: each, every, everyone, everything, everybody, anybody,
anyone, anything, something, somebody, someone, one, no one, nothing,
nobody, either, neither, another, and the other.
• Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion.
• Either of the two women is alluring and intelligent.
• Each of the ladies holds a silver crucifix.
• Neither knows the answer to the riddle*.

*Note: It is possible to use a plural verb with neither.

• Neither is/are to blame.
• Neither of the answers is/are correct.

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Rules to Remember

14. The following indefinite pronouns are ordinarily used with the plural verb: both,
few, many, and several.
• Both have danced well earlier.
• Many are called, but few are chosen.
• Several have witnessed the incident.

15. Quantities, sums, or multiples of numbers that express a single idea take a singular
verb.
• Thirty years is a long time to spend in jail.
• Forty kilos of baggage is all you are allowed to carry when you ride a plane.
• Two thousand pesos is too much for a dress.

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Rules to Remember

16. Fractions may take either a singular or plural verb depending on the object of the
“of-phrase”.
• Two-third of the case is won.
• Half of the time was spent in forming committee.
• One-fourth of the funds have been spent.

17. There and here take a singular verb when followed by a singular noun, and a plural
verb when followed by a plural noun.
• There is no reason to believe that we will lose the case.
• There are dogs in the park just now.
• Here are the tapes that you have requested.
• Here is my phone number in Manila.

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