Subject-Verb Agreement: 20 Rules You Need to Know

Subject-verb agreement means choosing a verb form that matches the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. That sounds easy until extra words get in the way. A phrase between the subject and verb, an unusual word order, an indefinite pronoun, or a collective noun can make the real subject harder to spot.

The 20 rules below move from the simplest cases to the ones that trip people up. Use them to identify the true subject, decide whether it is singular or plural, and choose the verb that fits.

How Subject-Verb Agreement Works

English verbs often shift form according to whether the subject is singular or plural. In the present tense, the clearest signal is the "-s" or "-es" ending used with third-person singular subjects:

• The bird sings. (singular subject, singular verb)
• The birds sing. (plural subject, plural verb)

This pattern can feel backward at first. With nouns, "-s" usually marks a plural: bird → birds. With verbs, "-s" usually marks a singular: sing → sings. That reversal is one reason agreement errors are so common.

Rules 1–5: Core Agreement Patterns

Rule 1: Use singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects.

• "The baby laughs at the puppet." (singular)
• "The babies laugh at the puppet." (plural)

Rule 2: Let the subject control the verb, not the words in between.

Modifiers, relative clauses, and prepositional phrases may appear between a subject and its verb. They do not change the subject’s number:

• "The stack of folders is on my desk." (Subject is "stack," not "folders.")
• "The runners on the track are warming up." (Subject is "runners.")
• "The ending of the stories was unexpected." (Subject is "ending.")

Rule 3: Add-on phrases such as "together with," "along with," "as well as," and "in addition to" do not make the subject plural.

• "The principal, together with the coaches, is attending the meeting." (Subject is "principal.")
• "The manager, as well as the assistants, was late." (Subject is "manager.")

Rule 4: Subjects connected by "and" are normally plural.

• "The laptop and the charger are in my bag."
• "Soup and salad are included with lunch."

Rule 5: If two "and" subjects name one person, one thing, or one idea, use a singular verb.

• "My neighbor and best friend is moving away." (one person who is both neighbor and best friend)
• "Macaroni and cheese is a popular comfort food." (one dish or concept)
• "The cause and effect of the policy is still being studied." (one topic)

Rules 6–10: Joined and Compound Subjects

Rule 6: With "or" and "nor," match the verb to the nearer subject.

• "Either the supervisor or the interns are closing the office." (closest: interns → plural)
• "Either the interns or the supervisor is closing the office." (closest: supervisor → singular)
• "Neither the cats nor the dog likes the vacuum." (closest: dog → singular)

Rule 7: When "either" or "neither" stands alone as the subject, treat it as singular.

• "Either is fine with me." (Either one)
• "Neither was available yesterday." (Neither one)

Rule 8: "Each," "every," and "many a" before a subject call for a singular verb.

• "Every guest receives a name tag."
• "Each player has a locker."
• "Many a traveler has missed that narrow turn."

Rule 9: Use singular verbs after "each of," "one of," and "every one of."

• "One of the keys is bent."
• "Each of the volunteers has signed in."
• "Every one of the finalists was nervous."

Rule 10: "A number of" is plural, but "the number of" is singular.

• "A number of employees were working remotely." ("A number of" = many)
• "The number of employees was higher than expected." ("The number" = a specific quantity)

Rules 11–15: Pronouns, Groups, and Special Nouns

Rule 11: Singular indefinite pronouns need singular verbs.

These pronouns are always singular: anyone, everyone, someone, no one, anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody, anything, everything, something, nothing, each, either, neither.

• "Someone has left a notebook in the hall."
• "Everything looks ready for the event."
• "No one knows the new password."

Rule 12: Plural indefinite pronouns need plural verbs.

These pronouns are always plural: both, few, many, several, others.

• "Several have applied for the grant."
• "Both were excellent choices."
• "Few remain after the first round."

Rule 13: Some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on what they mean.

These pronouns can work either way: all, any, more, most, none, some. Their number comes from the noun they point to:

• "Most of the soup is cold." (soup = singular)
• "Most of the bowls are chipped." (bowls = plural)
• "Some of the paint has dried." (paint = singular)
• "Some of the brushes have disappeared." (brushes = plural)

Rule 14: Collective nouns may be singular or plural based on the intended meaning.

Collective nouns (team, family, group, committee, audience, jury) are singular when the group acts as one body. They can be plural when the members are acting separately:

• "The committee is voting this afternoon." (acting as one unit)
• "The committee are disagreeing among themselves." (acting as individuals — more common in British English)

American English usually treats collective nouns as singular. British English allows more flexibility.

Rule 15: Plural-looking nouns with singular meanings take singular verbs.

• "Physics is harder than I expected."
• "The news was encouraging."
• "Politics involves negotiation and compromise."
• "Mumps is contagious."

Rules 16–20: Harder Sentence Patterns

Rule 16: After sentence openers such as "there" and "here," look after the verb for the subject.

The word "there" or "here" is not the subject in these patterns:

• "There is a message on your phone." (subject: a message → singular)
• "There are two messages on your phone." (subject: two messages → plural)
• "Here comes the train." (subject: the train → singular)

Rule 17: In questions, the subject may sit between the helping verb and the main verb.

• "Does he remember the address?" (subject: he → singular)
• "Have the documents been signed?" (subject: documents → plural)

Rule 18: Titles of books, films, and other works take singular verbs, even when the title looks plural.

• "Little Women is still widely read."
• "Stranger Things was released by Netflix."

Rule 19: Amounts of money, time, and distance usually use singular verbs when viewed as one unit.

• "Twenty dollars is enough for lunch."
• "Two weeks is not much time to prepare."
• "Five miles is a short drive."

Rule 20: "Who," "which," and "that" take verbs that match their antecedents.

• "He is the applicant who has the strongest résumé." (antecedent: applicant → singular)
• "They are the applicants who have the strongest résumés." (antecedent: applicants → plural)
• "This is one of those rules that are easy to forget." (antecedent: rules → plural)

Agreement Mistakes Writers Often Make

Agreement problems show up even in polished writing. These are the patterns most likely to cause trouble:

• "There is" with plural subjects: "There's several options" should be "There are several options."
• Intervening phrases: "The tray of glasses were near the sink" should be "was near the sink" (subject is "tray").
• "None": "None of the guests has arrived" (singular emphasis) and "None of the guests have arrived" (plural emphasis) are both acceptable, though style guides disagree about which form they prefer.
• Collective nouns: "The staff are meeting today" is common in British English, but American English usually prefers "The staff is meeting today" when the staff acts as one unit.

Clean agreement helps your sentences sound clear and controlled. When a verb feels uncertain, strip away extra phrases and find the real subject. Then decide whether that subject is singular or plural, and make the verb match. These 20 rules cover the agreement patterns you are most likely to need.