Subject/Verb Agreement

You know that in order to have a sentence you need a subject and a verb. If these two most basic parts of a sentence don't agree, then your sentence has basic problems. Subjects and verbs must agree in number and in person. Both subject and verb must be singular or both must be plural. If the subject is in the third person, so must be the verb ("He knows." vs. "I know."). Sometimes identifying the subject itself is difficult when words intervene between the subject and the verb or when the verb precedes the subject. At other times deciding whether the subject is singular or plural is difficult.

I. Difficult Sentence Structures

A. Sentences with intervening elements:

The letter with its several attachments was received this morning.
["attachments" is not the subject.]
His sworn statement, together with copies of the testimony and statements from others connected with the case, was made a part of the file.
[The parenthetical phrase has no effect on subject.]
Our letters, like our speech, are indications of our knowledge of English.
["speech" has no bearing on the verb.]

B. Sentences in which the verb precedes the subject:

Walking down the hall are the men we are waiting for.
['men' is the subject here.]
From these books come some of our best ideas.
['some' is the subject.]
Where is the case filed?
['case' is the subject.]
Here are the messages for which we were waiting.
['messages' is the subject.]
There are two books on the table.
['books' is the subject.]

II. Difficult Subjects

A. Sentences with Indefinite Pronouns as the Subject:

Neither of the plans is workable.
[Think 'neither one.']
Everyone of the students buys his or her own book.
[Emphasize the 'one' in 'everyone.']
Every student and teacher knows his or her homeroom.
[Think 'every single.']
Nothing escapes the ravages of time.
[Think 'not one thing.']

B. Sentences with Subjects joined by or or nor:

Neither the headmaster nor the principals know whether snow will close the roads.
Neither the principals nor the headmaster knows whether snow will close the roads.
[The subject closer to the verb determines the number.]

III. Verb Agreement within Subordinate Clauses

The verbs inside subordinate clauses, such as adjective clauses, have to agree with the word they modify. For instance:

Fred is one of those boys who love football.
['love' is plural because the clause - who love - modifies boys. Most people would mistakenly think that love was about Fred.]
Note this exception: Fred is the only one of those boys who loves football.
[Including 'only' changes the meaning so that Fred alone loves football. The sense, therefore, is singular.]

Note the following:
The 'Mary Jane' is one of those boats on the wharf that collapses in every storm.
[In this case the "that" clause refers to the wharf, not to the boats, and is singular.]

Quiz

1. The number of a verb of a subordinate clause beginning with who, which, or that is determined by -
A. the number of the sentence's subject
B. the number of the clause's subject
C. the number of the word the clause modifies

2. Is an indefinite pronoun such as "everyone" or "each" singular or plural?
A. singular
B. plural

3. The supervisor, instead of the agents who had been assigned the case, is scheduled to visit the office.
A. This sentence is correct.
B. This sentence has a subject/verb agreement error.

4. Either the sheriff or his deputies are lying.
A. This sentence is correct.
B. This sentence has a subject/verb agreement error.

5. Jesse was not one of those people who stands around doing nothing.
A. This sentence is correct.
B. This sentence has a subject/verb agreement error.

6. Find the error: Fingerprint matching, aided^a by a new breed of computer, once again provide^b police with an intergral^c and viable piece of information, which they use^d in their law enforcement efforts.No Error^e
A. B. C. D. E.

7. Find the error: The comments composed^a by the teacher makes^b the student's progress look^c rosier than it really is^d. No Error.^e
A. B. C. D. E.

8. How could one correct: Neither volunteering at the library nor fundraising for the hospital and schools has stopped Mr. King to help his local church.
A. has stopped Mr. King to help
B. have stopped Mr. King to help
C. have kept Mr. King to help
D. has stopped Mr. King helping
E. has stopped Mr. King from helping

9. How could one correct: The height and simplicity of the Washington monument explain its popularity among tourists and patriots.
A. explain its popularity
B. explains its popularity
C. explain their popularity
D. explains why it is popular
E. are the reasons for their popularity

10. Although Helen, along with most of the school's pupils, are passive and unrebellious, she still has her individuality and her vision of death as an escape from her agony.
A. This sentence is correct.
B. This is a subject/verb agreement error.

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