Subject verb agreement
61 flashcards covering Subject verb agreement for the ACT English & Reading section.
Subject-verb agreement is a basic grammar rule that ensures the verb in a sentence matches the subject in number—singular subjects pair with singular verbs, and plural subjects with plural verbs. For example, "The dog runs" is correct because "dog" is singular, but "The dogs run" works for a plural subject. This concept is essential for clear, effective communication and prevents common errors that can make writing sound awkward or confusing.
On the ACT English section, subject-verb agreement appears in questions that ask you to identify and fix errors in sentences or passages, often within multiple-choice options for sentence corrections. Common traps include phrases that interrupt the subject and verb, making it easy to miscount the subject's number, or collective nouns that can be tricky (like "team" being singular). Focus on locating the main subject and ignoring any misleading elements, as these questions test your ability to spot subtle disagreements quickly.
Remember to cross out prepositional phrases to clarify the subject's number.
Terms (61)
- 01
Subject-verb agreement
The rule that a verb must agree in number with its subject, meaning a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
- 02
Singular subject with singular verb
A subject that refers to one person, place, thing, or idea requires a verb form that also indicates singularity, such as 'runs' for 'the dog runs'.
- 03
Plural subject with plural verb
A subject that refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea requires a verb form that indicates plurality, such as 'run' for 'the dogs run'.
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Compound subject with 'and'
When two or more subjects are joined by 'and', they are usually treated as plural and require a plural verb, except when they form a single unit.
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Compound subject with 'or'
When subjects are joined by 'or', the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb, which determines whether it is singular or plural.
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Compound subject with 'nor'
When subjects are joined by 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb, ensuring number agreement based on that subject.
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Collective nouns as singular
A collective noun, such as 'team' or 'family', is treated as singular when it refers to the group as a whole, requiring a singular verb.
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Collective nouns as plural
A collective noun can be treated as plural if it emphasizes the individual members of the group, requiring a plural verb in that context.
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Indefinite pronoun 'everyone'
The indefinite pronoun 'everyone' is always singular, so it requires a singular verb, such as 'Everyone is ready'.
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Indefinite pronoun 'anybody'
The indefinite pronoun 'anybody' is singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'Anybody is welcome to join'.
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Indefinite pronoun 'none'
The indefinite pronoun 'none' can be singular or plural depending on the context, but it often takes a singular verb when referring to an amount.
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Indefinite pronoun 'all'
The indefinite pronoun 'all' is singular when referring to a collective amount but plural when referring to individuals, affecting verb agreement.
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Indefinite pronoun 'some'
The indefinite pronoun 'some' is singular if it refers to a single item but plural if it refers to multiple items, determining the verb form.
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Each as singular
The word 'each' is always singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'Each student has a book'.
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Every as singular
The word 'every' is singular and requires a singular verb, such as 'Every car needs maintenance'.
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Either as singular
The word 'either' is singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'Either option works'.
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Neither as singular
The word 'neither' is singular and requires a singular verb, such as 'Neither parent is home'.
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Subjects with prepositional phrases
In a sentence, prepositional phrases that follow the subject do not affect verb agreement, so the verb agrees with the subject, not the object of the preposition.
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Intervening adjectives
Adjectives or adjective phrases between the subject and verb do not change the agreement; the verb must still match the subject's number.
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Relative pronouns and agreement
A relative pronoun like 'that' or 'which' must agree with its antecedent in number, influencing the verb in the relative clause.
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The number of as singular
The phrase 'the number of' is singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'The number of students is increasing'.
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A number of as plural
The phrase 'a number of' is plural and requires a plural verb, such as 'A number of students are absent'.
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Fractions with singular verbs
A fraction is singular if it refers to a singular noun, requiring a singular verb, like 'Half of the pie is gone'.
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Fractions with plural verbs
A fraction is plural if it refers to a plural noun, requiring a plural verb, as in 'Half of the pies are gone'.
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Percentages with singular verbs
A percentage is singular when it refers to a single unit, so it takes a singular verb, like 'Fifty percent of the effort is wasted'.
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Percentages with plural verbs
A percentage is plural when it refers to multiple items, requiring a plural verb, such as 'Fifty percent of the apples are ripe'.
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Money amounts as singular
A sum of money is treated as singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'Five dollars is enough'.
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Time periods as singular
A period of time is singular and requires a singular verb, like 'Ten years is a long time'.
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Measurements as singular
A measurement is singular when considered as a unit, so it takes a singular verb, such as 'Two miles is the distance'.
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Along with phrases
Phrases like 'along with' do not change the subject's number, so the verb agrees with the main subject, not the added phrase.
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Together with phrases
Words like 'together with' are parenthetical and do not affect subject-verb agreement; the verb matches the main subject.
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As well as phrases
The phrase 'as well as' does not make a compound subject, so the verb agrees with the main subject only.
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Inverted word order
In sentences with inverted order, such as questions, the verb must still agree with the subject, regardless of its position.
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Questions and agreement
In questions, the verb agrees with the subject even if the subject follows the verb, as in 'Are the books on the shelf?'.
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Expletive 'there is'
In sentences starting with 'there', the verb agrees with the real subject that follows, such as 'There is a book on the table'.
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Expletive 'there are'
Use 'there are' when the real subject is plural, ensuring agreement like 'There are books on the table'.
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Gerunds as singular subjects
A gerund phrase acting as the subject is singular and requires a singular verb, as in 'Swimming is fun'.
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Infinitives as singular subjects
An infinitive phrase as the subject is singular, so it takes a singular verb, like 'To err is human'.
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Clauses as singular subjects
A subordinate clause acting as the subject is singular and requires a singular verb, such as 'What he said is true'.
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Words ending in -s as singular
Nouns like 'news' or 'physics' end in -s but are singular, so they require a singular verb, as in 'Physics is interesting'.
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Plural words as singular
Some words like 'mumps' are plural in form but singular in meaning, requiring a singular verb.
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Names of countries as singular
The name of a country is singular and takes a singular verb, such as 'The United States is a large country'.
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Titles of books as singular
A book title is treated as singular, so it requires a singular verb, like 'The Great Gatsby is a classic'.
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One of the constructions
In phrases like 'one of the', the verb is plural because it refers to the items in the group, as in 'One of the students is late'—wait, no, it's singular for 'one'.
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The only one of the constructions
In 'the only one of the', the verb is singular because it refers specifically to 'one', as in 'She is the only one of the girls who is ready'.
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Agreement in compound sentences
In compound sentences, each clause must have subject-verb agreement independently, linking related ideas correctly.
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Avoiding interruptions in agreement
Interruptions like commas or phrases between subject and verb do not affect agreement; always match the subject.
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Strategy for identifying errors
To spot subject-verb agreement errors, identify the main subject and ensure the verb matches its number, ignoring intervening words.
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Common trap: Plural noun after 'of'
A plural noun following 'of' does not make the subject plural; the verb agrees with the actual subject, as in 'A basket of eggs is full'.
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When subjects are connected by 'and' but singular
If subjects joined by 'and' form a single unit, like 'peanut butter and jelly', treat them as singular for verb agreement.
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Neither...nor with different numbers
In 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it, even if the numbers differ, to maintain correct agreement.
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Either...or with different numbers
In 'either...or', the verb matches the number of the noun closest to it for proper subject-verb agreement.
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Agreement with 'who' clauses
In clauses with 'who', the verb agrees with the antecedent of 'who', ensuring number consistency in the sentence.
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Subjects in appositives
An appositive renames the subject but does not affect verb agreement; the verb still matches the main subject.
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Agreement in lists
In a list of subjects, the verb agrees with the overall subject structure, such as treating a series as plural if connected by 'and'.
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Hypercorrection errors
Avoid overcorrecting by making verbs plural when the subject is singular, a common mistake in complex sentences.
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Distinguishing subject from object
To ensure correct agreement, identify the true subject and not confuse it with objects or complements in the sentence.
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Worked example: Simple sentence
In the sentence 'The cat sleeps', the singular subject 'cat' correctly pairs with the singular verb 'sleeps' to show agreement.
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Worked example: With prepositional phrase
In 'The box of apples is heavy', the singular subject 'box' agrees with 'is', ignoring the plural 'apples' in the phrase.
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Worked example: Indefinite pronoun
In 'Everyone has a role', the singular indefinite pronoun 'everyone' correctly takes the singular verb 'has'.
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Strategy for ACT questions
On the ACT, cross out interrupting phrases to quickly check if the subject and verb agree in number.