Grammar 101: Subject-Verb Agreement
Grammar 101: Subject-Verb agreement with examples from Ouran High School Host Club, Harry Potter, and Panic at the Disco.
First things first! In order to be able to tell if the subject and verb in your sentence agree with each other, you must be able to pick them out. The subject will generally be the easiest thing to identify, since it is the noun, pronoun, or phrase anchor that the rest of the sentence is tethered around. If you’re still not sure, another way to identify the subject is to ask ‘who’ or ‘what’ the sentence is talking about.
Tamaki balked. It was unusual for Kyouya to disagree with him in such a straightforward manner. Ever the Shadow King, he usually preferred to change things around to his will while working in the background.
When trying to determine which subject the verb is supposed to agree with, look to the left of the verb. The noun or pronoun you find there will most likely be the subject your verb is supposed to agree with. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, because sometimes an author will place the subject after the verb for poetic effect.
Draco was sneering and Harry felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. He was across the room with his face a millimeter from Draco’s before he had even thought about it.
"And up goes the note, while down goes the stupid boy," Ryan said. Jon and Spencer laughed as Brendon got to his feet.
In the examples that follow I am going to outline a couple of rules that, if you remember and practice them, will be helpful when it comes to proofing your own work, or that of others.
The Problem With Prepositional Phrases
One important thing to keep in mind when dealing with subject-verb agreement, is how tricky prepositional phrases can be! In case you need a refresher course, mendax has covered prepositional phrases here.
The reason prepositional phrases are a sticky subject when dealing with subject-verb agreement is that sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! Any noun or pronoun within the prepositional phrase must be the preposition’s object and, therefore, cannot be misidentified as a verb’s direct object.
Match Singular to Singular and Plural to Plural
Singular subjects need singular verbs, plural subjects need plural verbs.
”Parakeets are one of God’s most noble creatures,” Honey said. Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose and made a note to see what Tamaki was slipping into the cake.
There are some words that can be confusing, because they are indicators rather than flat out nouns. The most prevalent of these words are each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one. It is important to remember that these words are singular and will always require a singular verb.
Correct: “Somebody is watching us,” Remus said.
Incorrect: “Somebody are watching us,” Remus said.
Correct: Everyone throws a coin in the fountain and Brendon hums ‘Be Prepared’ in a low voice as they walk away.
Incorrect: Everyone throw a coin in the fountain and Brendon hums ‘Be Prepared’ in a low voice as they walk away.
Another rule to remember is that both, few, many, others and several are plural indefinite pronouns, always needing to be paired with plural verbs.
Correct: Many of them are just waiting for us to screw it up, Brendon thought.
Incorrect: Many of them is just waiting for us to screw it up, Brendon thought.
Correct: Others of them don’t know what to make of the Host Club King.
Incorrect: Others of them doesn’t know what to make of the Host Club King.
Sometimes things are not so clear cut, though. None, all, and some are indefinite pronouns that can be either plural (as in 'not any') or singular (as in 'not one'). You will have to be careful to consider the overall meaning of the sentence when trying to determine if you should us a singular or plural verb.
None were prepared for what happened when they entered the club room.
"None is less than one," Sirius reminds him, and smiles sadly as he looks away.
It will be helpful to note that even though neither and either are singular, in informal English they can sometimes take on a plural verb when they are followed by prepositional phrases beginning with of. (In more formal settings they will retain their singular status regardless of the prepositional phrase.)
Neither of the twins are inclined to give thought to what the people outside of their bubble are thinking.
Harry thought that either one was a good candidate, but neither of them were willing to try out and he wasn’t going to push them.
When you join more than one subject, such as in the case of using nor or or, you get what is known as a compound subject. When you see two or more singular nouns or pronouns connected by the words or or nor, you must use a singular verb.
Correct: Neither Kyouya nor Tamaki was prepared for the other members of the club to find out what had happened between them.
Incorrect: Neither Kyouya nor Tamaki were prepared for the other members of the club to find out what had happened between them.
Correct: Castle or hut, either was fine with Harry as long as they were safe and together.
Incorrect: Castle or hut, either were fine with Harry as long as they were safe and together.
When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.
Neither Mori nor the twins were sure what to do about Tamaki’s funk.
“If it’s either the paparazzi or Gabe that is going to get to us first,” Jon said, “I think I’d rather have the paparazzi.”
When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, you always use a plural verb.
Harry and Ron were running from the hippogryph.
Phrases like with, together with, including, accompanied by, along with, in addition to, and as well modify subjects, but do not make a compound subject.
Ryan, along with everyone in the audience, is shocked to see Brendon get up again, grinning weakly, after the bottle hit him.
The word doesn't is a contraction of the phrase does not and should only be used with a singular subject. The word don't is a contraction of the phrase do not and should be used in every situation in which 'do' would be the correct form.
Mori doesn’t believe in rule by strength alone, which is why he often acquiesces to some Tamaki’s more dubious schemes, trusting where intellect and compassion can lead them.
It isn’t that the boys don’t believe Zack has their best interest in mind, it’s just that sometimes they’d rather do what is amusing instead of what is right.
”You don’t even know what you’ve done,” Haruhi whispered, which frightened Kaoru far more than his brother’s earlier tantrum.
Ginny was laughing. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it.
Indicators and Specific Cases
Sometimes you can use indicator words in the sentence to help you find the subject and verb, if you’re not quite sure which words you should be careful of pairing.
In sentences that begin with there is or there are, the subject will follow the verb. Since the word there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.
There are an estimated five thousand kneazles in the greater area of the United Kingdom, and Harry thinks that he’s looking at roughly three quarters of them.
”There is not enough alcohol in the world to make me forget this,” Brendon groans, and rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands.
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb. Don’t let these modifiers confuse you as you’re trying to make your subject and verb agree.
You cannot always count on an s at the end of a noun to indicate that you should use a plural verb. Many nouns such as civics, mathematics, measles, and news require singular verbs. This is because they represent the whole of a larger, more complicated concept. The same concept works for collective nouns. These are words that, even though they imply more than one person or thing, are considered singular and take a singular verb. Some examples of these are: group, team, band, class, and family.
Correct: The news from the label was bad, and Brendon sat down so hard on the couch it cracked beneath him.
Incorrect: The news from the label were bad, and Brendon sat down so hard on the couch it cracked beneath him.
Correct: Family is the most important thing to Mrs. Weasley, as everyone in the order would come to know.
Incorrect: Family are the most important thing to Mrs. Weasley, as everyone in the order would come to know.
On the other hand, if a noun represents a singular object that is made up of two or more parts, it will take a plural verb. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs.
There are a lot of rules to remember concerning subject-verb agreement. They become easier to remember with practice, so don’t be afraid to ask someone else if you’re not positive on what to do. Once you become used to the mechanics you’ll be able to easily notice when something is wrong with your pairings, even if you’re not quite sure to begin with what the problem is.
First things first! In order to be able to tell if the subject and verb in your sentence agree with each other, you must be able to pick them out. The subject will generally be the easiest thing to identify, since it is the noun, pronoun, or phrase anchor that the rest of the sentence is tethered around. If you’re still not sure, another way to identify the subject is to ask ‘who’ or ‘what’ the sentence is talking about.
Tamaki balked. It was unusual for Kyouya to disagree with him in such a straightforward manner. Ever the Shadow King, he usually preferred to change things around to his will while working in the background.
When trying to determine which subject the verb is supposed to agree with, look to the left of the verb. The noun or pronoun you find there will most likely be the subject your verb is supposed to agree with. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, because sometimes an author will place the subject after the verb for poetic effect.
Draco was sneering and Harry felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. He was across the room with his face a millimeter from Draco’s before he had even thought about it.
"And up goes the note, while down goes the stupid boy," Ryan said. Jon and Spencer laughed as Brendon got to his feet.
In the examples that follow I am going to outline a couple of rules that, if you remember and practice them, will be helpful when it comes to proofing your own work, or that of others.
The Problem With Prepositional Phrases
One important thing to keep in mind when dealing with subject-verb agreement, is how tricky prepositional phrases can be! In case you need a refresher course, mendax has covered prepositional phrases here.
The reason prepositional phrases are a sticky subject when dealing with subject-verb agreement is that sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! Any noun or pronoun within the prepositional phrase must be the preposition’s object and, therefore, cannot be misidentified as a verb’s direct object.
Match Singular to Singular and Plural to Plural
Singular subjects need singular verbs, plural subjects need plural verbs.
”Parakeets are one of God’s most noble creatures,” Honey said. Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose and made a note to see what Tamaki was slipping into the cake.
There are some words that can be confusing, because they are indicators rather than flat out nouns. The most prevalent of these words are each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one. It is important to remember that these words are singular and will always require a singular verb.
Correct: “Somebody is watching us,” Remus said.
Incorrect: “Somebody are watching us,” Remus said.
Correct: Everyone throws a coin in the fountain and Brendon hums ‘Be Prepared’ in a low voice as they walk away.
Incorrect: Everyone throw a coin in the fountain and Brendon hums ‘Be Prepared’ in a low voice as they walk away.
Another rule to remember is that both, few, many, others and several are plural indefinite pronouns, always needing to be paired with plural verbs.
Correct: Many of them are just waiting for us to screw it up, Brendon thought.
Incorrect: Many of them is just waiting for us to screw it up, Brendon thought.
Correct: Others of them don’t know what to make of the Host Club King.
Incorrect: Others of them doesn’t know what to make of the Host Club King.
Sometimes things are not so clear cut, though. None, all, and some are indefinite pronouns that can be either plural (as in 'not any') or singular (as in 'not one'). You will have to be careful to consider the overall meaning of the sentence when trying to determine if you should us a singular or plural verb.
None were prepared for what happened when they entered the club room.
"None is less than one," Sirius reminds him, and smiles sadly as he looks away.
It will be helpful to note that even though neither and either are singular, in informal English they can sometimes take on a plural verb when they are followed by prepositional phrases beginning with of. (In more formal settings they will retain their singular status regardless of the prepositional phrase.)
Neither of the twins are inclined to give thought to what the people outside of their bubble are thinking.
Harry thought that either one was a good candidate, but neither of them were willing to try out and he wasn’t going to push them.
When you join more than one subject, such as in the case of using nor or or, you get what is known as a compound subject. When you see two or more singular nouns or pronouns connected by the words or or nor, you must use a singular verb.
Correct: Neither Kyouya nor Tamaki was prepared for the other members of the club to find out what had happened between them.
Incorrect: Neither Kyouya nor Tamaki were prepared for the other members of the club to find out what had happened between them.
Correct: Castle or hut, either was fine with Harry as long as they were safe and together.
Incorrect: Castle or hut, either were fine with Harry as long as they were safe and together.
When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.
Neither Mori nor the twins were sure what to do about Tamaki’s funk.
“If it’s either the paparazzi or Gabe that is going to get to us first,” Jon said, “I think I’d rather have the paparazzi.”
When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, you always use a plural verb.
Harry and Ron were running from the hippogryph.
Phrases like with, together with, including, accompanied by, along with, in addition to, and as well modify subjects, but do not make a compound subject.
Ryan, along with everyone in the audience, is shocked to see Brendon get up again, grinning weakly, after the bottle hit him.
The word doesn't is a contraction of the phrase does not and should only be used with a singular subject. The word don't is a contraction of the phrase do not and should be used in every situation in which 'do' would be the correct form.
Mori doesn’t believe in rule by strength alone, which is why he often acquiesces to some Tamaki’s more dubious schemes, trusting where intellect and compassion can lead them.
It isn’t that the boys don’t believe Zack has their best interest in mind, it’s just that sometimes they’d rather do what is amusing instead of what is right.
”You don’t even know what you’ve done,” Haruhi whispered, which frightened Kaoru far more than his brother’s earlier tantrum.
Ginny was laughing. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it.
Indicators and Specific Cases
Sometimes you can use indicator words in the sentence to help you find the subject and verb, if you’re not quite sure which words you should be careful of pairing.
In sentences that begin with there is or there are, the subject will follow the verb. Since the word there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.
There are an estimated five thousand kneazles in the greater area of the United Kingdom, and Harry thinks that he’s looking at roughly three quarters of them.
”There is not enough alcohol in the world to make me forget this,” Brendon groans, and rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands.
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb. Don’t let these modifiers confuse you as you’re trying to make your subject and verb agree.
You cannot always count on an s at the end of a noun to indicate that you should use a plural verb. Many nouns such as civics, mathematics, measles, and news require singular verbs. This is because they represent the whole of a larger, more complicated concept. The same concept works for collective nouns. These are words that, even though they imply more than one person or thing, are considered singular and take a singular verb. Some examples of these are: group, team, band, class, and family.
Correct: The news from the label was bad, and Brendon sat down so hard on the couch it cracked beneath him.
Incorrect: The news from the label were bad, and Brendon sat down so hard on the couch it cracked beneath him.
Correct: Family is the most important thing to Mrs. Weasley, as everyone in the order would come to know.
Incorrect: Family are the most important thing to Mrs. Weasley, as everyone in the order would come to know.
On the other hand, if a noun represents a singular object that is made up of two or more parts, it will take a plural verb. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs.
There are a lot of rules to remember concerning subject-verb agreement. They become easier to remember with practice, so don’t be afraid to ask someone else if you’re not positive on what to do. Once you become used to the mechanics you’ll be able to easily notice when something is wrong with your pairings, even if you’re not quite sure to begin with what the problem is.