Agreement of subjects and verbs
Compound Subjects with and
Compound Subjects with or or nor
Inverted Order (Verb before Subject)
Indefinite Pronouns
Relative Pronouns (who, which, that)
Collective Subjects
Subjects with Identical Singular and Plural Forms
Singular Nouns Ending in s
Subjects with a Subject Complement
Titles
Idioms
A verb must agree in number (either singular or plural) with its subject.
The snow is early this year. [A singular noun, snow, takes a singular verb, is.] The bands new uniforms are blue. [A plural noun, uniforms, takes a plural verb, are]
In tenses that use helping verbs, the first helping verb is the only part of the verb that indicates singular or plural.
The snow has started early this year.
The neighbors have been painting their house.
Pronouns as subjects must agree with their verbs in both number and person.
I am certain, although we are still arguing about it, that he is to blame, [first- person singular: I am; first-person plural: we are; third-person singular: he is]
Do not let intervening phrases and clauses mislead you. This problem is especially likely to occur when a plural noun falls between a singular subject and its verb.
One in five of the children has the disease.
COMPOUND SUBJECTS WITH AND
When two or more elements are connected by and, the subject is usually plural and requires a plural verb.
Chemistry and accounting are both prerequisites for this position.
However, if the elements connected by and are thought of as a unit or refer to the same thing, the subject is regarded as singular and takes a singular verb.
Bacon and eggs is a high-cholesterol meal.
If each or every modifies the elements of a compound subject, use the singular verb.
Each man and woman has a patriotic duty to vote. Every man and woman has a patriotic duty to vote.
