Subject-Verb Agreement: Rules & Examples

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental rule of English grammar: the verb in a sentence must agree in number with its subject. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. While the basic principle is simple, English has many tricky cases that can cause confusion, from collective nouns to indefinite pronouns to sentences where the subject and verb are far apart. This guide covers all the major rules you need to master subject-verb agreement.

How Subject-Verb Agreement Works

The core structure is straightforward. In the present simple tense, third-person singular subjects (he, she, it) require a verb with an -s ending, while all other subjects use the base form.

Basic Agreement Pattern:

Subject	Verb Form	Example
I	base verb	I walk to work.
You	base verb	You walk to work.
He / She / It	base verb + -s	She walks to work.
We	base verb	We walk to work.
They	base verb	They walk to work.

With the verb "to be":

Subject	Present	Past
I	am	was
He / She / It	is	was
You / We / They	are	were

Key principle: The verb agrees with the subject, not with any other noun in the sentence. Finding the true subject is the most important step.

When Agreement Gets Tricky

Most errors happen in situations where the subject is hard to identify. Here are the most important rules.

Rule 1: Ignore words between the subject and verb

Prepositional phrases and other modifiers between the subject and verb do not change the agreement.

The list of items is on the table. (Subject: list, singular)
The students in the class are ready. (Subject: students, plural)
The quality of these products has declined. (Subject: quality, singular)

Rule 2: Compound subjects joined by "and"

Two or more subjects joined by and are usually plural.

Tom and Sarah are coming to dinner.
The teacher and the principal have agreed.

Exception: When the two nouns refer to a single concept or person, use a singular verb.

Bread and butter is my favorite snack. (One concept)
The CEO and founder is giving a speech. (One person with two roles)

Rule 3: Subjects joined by "or" or "nor"

The verb agrees with the subject closer to it.

Neither the teacher nor the students were aware of the change.
Neither the students nor the teacher was aware of the change.
Either my brothers or my sister is going to help.

Rule 4: Indefinite pronouns

Some indefinite pronouns are always singular, some are always plural, and some can be either.

Always Singular	Always Plural	Singular or Plural
everyone, everybody, everything	both, few, many, several, others	all, any, most, none, some
someone, somebody, something
anyone, anybody, anything
no one, nobody, nothing
each, every, either, neither

Everyone is welcome. (Singular)
Few are willing to volunteer. (Plural)
Some of the cake is left. (Singular: uncountable)
Some of the cookies are left. (Plural: countable)

Rule 5: Collective nouns

Collective nouns (team, family, group, government, audience, class, company) can be singular or plural depending on meaning.

The team is winning. (Acting as a unit)
The team are arguing among themselves. (Acting as individuals; more common in British English)

In American English, collective nouns are usually treated as singular.

Rule 6: There is / There are

The verb agrees with the noun that follows it.

There is a book on the table. (Singular)
There are three books on the table. (Plural)

Rule 7: Amounts, distances, and time periods

When referring to a single unit, use a singular verb.

Ten dollars is not enough for lunch. (One amount)
Three miles is a long distance to walk. (One distance)
Two hours is all the time we have. (One period)

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Correct Version	Why
The news are bad today.	The news is bad today.	"News" is uncountable and singular.
Each of the students have a book.	Each of the students has a book.	"Each" is always singular.
The group of tourists are lost.	The group of tourists is lost.	Subject is "group" (singular).
There's many reasons.	There are many reasons.	"Reasons" is plural; use "are."
Neither she nor I is going.	Neither she nor I am going.	The verb agrees with the closer subject ("I").
Mathematics are difficult.	Mathematics is difficult.	Subject names ending in -s that are singular: mathematics, physics, economics, news.
Everybody have their own opinion.	Everybody has their own opinion.	"Everybody" is singular.

Practice Examples

Identify the subject in each sentence and check the verb agreement.

The price of these items has increased significantly.
Either the manager or the employees are responsible for the error.
Each of the proposals needs to be reviewed carefully.
There are several reasons why we should postpone the meeting.
My family is planning a vacation for the summer.
None of the information was useful.
The United States is a large and diverse country.
Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared for the fire drill.

Quick Reference

Basic rule: Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.
Ignore distractions: Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb do not affect agreement.
And = plural: Two subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb.
Or/Nor = closest: The verb agrees with the subject closer to it.
Indefinite pronouns: Everyone, someone, each, every, nobody are always singular.
Collective nouns: Usually singular in American English; can be plural in British English when referring to individuals.
There is/are: The verb agrees with the noun that follows.
Finding the subject: Strip away prepositional phrases and modifiers. The remaining noun is your subject.

Subject-verb agreement is one of those grammar rules that seems easy in principle but requires careful attention in practice. The best strategy is to always identify the true subject before choosing your verb form. When in doubt, simplify the sentence by removing everything between the subject and the verb, and the correct form will usually become obvious.