Cheatsheet: Subject-verb Agreement

1. Basic Rules

1.1 Core Principle

1.2 Present Tense Verb Forms

2. Compound Subjects

2.1 Subjects Joined by "And"

• Two or more subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb: The teacher and the student are present.
• Exception: When compound subjects refer to one person or single unit, use singular verb: Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite sandwich.

2.2 Subjects Joined by "Or" or "Nor"

3. Intervening Phrases

3.1 Prepositional Phrases

• Subject and verb must agree despite intervening prepositional phrases
• The box of chocolates is on the table. (Subject: box, not chocolates)
• The students in the classroom are studying. (Subject: students, not classroom)

3.2 Common Intervening Expressions

4. Indefinite Pronouns

4.1 Always Singular

• each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody
• Everyone is ready for the test.
• Each of the students has a pencil.
• Neither of the answers is correct.

4.2 Always Plural

• both, few, many, several
• Both are correct.
• Many of the students were absent.

4.3 Singular or Plural (Depends on Context)

5. Special Subject Types

5.1 Collective Nouns

• Common collective nouns: team, committee, jury, family, group, class, audience, crowd

5.2 Inverted Sentences

• Verb still agrees with subject even when subject follows verb
• There is a book on the table. (Subject: book)
• There are books on the table. (Subject: books)
• Here comes the bus. (Subject: bus)
• Among the flowers was a bee. (Subject: bee)

5.3 Titles and Names

• Titles of books, movies, plays, etc. take singular verbs: The Grapes of Wrath is a novel.
• Company names take singular verbs: General Motors is hiring.
• Amounts and measurements take singular verbs when referring to a unit: Five dollars is the price.

6. Relative Pronouns

6.1 Who, Which, That

6.2 Common Patterns

• One of the [plural noun] who/that + plural verb: One of the books that are missing
• The only one of the [plural noun] who/that + singular verb: The only one of the books that is missing

7. Tricky Situations

7.1 Words Ending in -s

7.2 Fractions and Percentages

• Agree with the noun in the prepositional phrase following the fraction/percentage
• Half of the cake is gone. (cake is singular)
• Half of the cookies are gone. (cookies is plural)
• Thirty percent of the students are present.

7.3 Expressions of Quantity

8. Distance, Time, and Money

8.1 Units as Single Entities

• When referring to a total amount, use singular verb
• Ten miles is a long distance.
• Five years is enough time.
• Twenty dollars is the cost.
• Three hours is required.

8.2 Arithmetic Operations

• Mathematical expressions take singular verbs
• Two plus two equals four.
• Five times three is fifteen.

9. Common Errors to Avoid

9.1 Subject-Verb Separation

• Incorrect: The list of items are on the desk.
• Correct: The list of items is on the desk. (Subject: list)

9.2 Misleading Plural Forms

• Incorrect: The United States are large.
• Correct: The United States is large. (Country name is singular)
• Scissors, pants, glasses take plural verbs unless preceded by "pair": The scissors are sharp / The pair of scissors is sharp.

9.3 Each and Every

• Each/every + singular noun = singular verb: Each student has a book.
• Each of + plural noun = singular verb: Each of the students has a book.
• Every one of + plural noun = singular verb: Every one of them is ready.

10. Quick Reference

10.1 Agreement Checklist

1. Identify the true subject (ignore intervening phrases)
2. Determine if subject is singular or plural
3. Check for compound subjects and conjunctions used
4. Watch for indefinite pronouns and their number
5. Consider collective nouns and context
6. Verify inverted sentence structure

10.2 Key Reminders

• Subject and verb must agree in number (singular/plural)
• Prepositional phrases between subject and verb do not affect agreement
• Compound subjects with "and" are plural; with "or/nor" agree with nearest subject
• Most indefinite pronouns ending in -one, -body, -thing are singular
• Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on meaning
• "There/here" are not subjects; find the true subject after the verb