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by Koon Wei Ho, Rachel Mingo, and Ellen Beck
The rules of Subject-Verb Agreement are about the use of S-endings on either the subject or verb (but not both).
| Subject | Example sentences HINT: In each sentence, the group of (black) bold word(s) is the subject and the group of remaining word(s) is the predicate. HINT: The key word that decides if the verb adds -S or not, is in maroon (bold) and all verbs and helping verbs are underlined. |
| Count Noun | |
| Singular | A computer
costs a lot of money. The kitten is cute. |
| Plural | These chairs
are broken. Those monkeys love climbing. |
| Non Count Noun | |
| Verb is always singular. | Water
is not always clean. Rice always tastes good. |
| Group Noun | |
| Singular | The football team
practices daily. His class screams when the teacher announces a test. |
| Plural | Two gangs
are fighting. Three teams are competing for first place. |
| Pronoun | |
| Singular | She
cries too much. He eats an apple a day. It runs on electricity. |
| **Exception** for Singular | I like
her. You are a happy person. |
| Plural | We
study together often. They are reading books. |
| Indefinite Pronoun | |
| Singular | Everything
is fine with me. Someone is knocking at the door. |
| Plural | A few of
the good books are left. Some people like chocolate while others like vanilla. |
| either Singular or Plural | None of
his friends is going to the theatre. Most of his friends love pizza. |
| Noun Phrase with adjective | |
| Singular | Mary's red pen
is out of ink. This thick book is interesting. |
| Plural | High school boys
play football games on Saturdays. Those cute puppies are barking. |
| Noun Phrase with preposition | |
| Singular Note: The subject is never the noun after the preposition. |
The cat
on the fence is John's. This folder under the table contains some articles and journals. |
| Plural | The books
on the top shelf are about American
history. The girls in my class are smart. |
| Clauses with that, who, whom or which | |
| Singular | The girl
who is sitting across from me is looking
at me now. The newspaper which I need is under the table. |
| Plural | The elephants
that walk around the zoo are from
Africa. The children whom Mary loves are orphans. |
| Gerund | |
| is always considered as Singular | Walking
regularly helps us to improve our
health. Eating vegetables and fruit is good for us. |
| Infinitive | |
| is always considered as Singular | To love
everyone is a good action. To make the Dean's List requires a lot of studying. |
| Subject with "and" | |
| Notice: If you use and to show two subjects, the verb doesn't need an S-ending. | Watering
the plants and sweeping
the floor are John's daily duties. To read books and to write letters are different skills. John and Mary have become good friends. |
| Subject after verb | |
| Singular | There has been
a car parked
there since yesterday. There is my book on the table. |
| Plural | There are five
children playing. There are three big trees in the yard. |
| Questions | |
| Singular | Does she
get mad at you often? Is the puppy yours? |
| Plural | Do they
believe you? Are those books good for our children? |