The rule in one minute
A verb must agree with its subject in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb.
In the present tense, this usually shows as an s on the verb: She writes, but they write. The dog barks, but the dogs bark. In the past tense, most verbs stay the same. That is why most agreement mistakes appear in the present tense and with the verb to be (I am, he is, we are, they were).
The catch is that the subject is not always the noun nearest the verb. English can put phrases and lists between them.
Words such as each, everyone and neither are also tricky. Your eye grabs the nearest noun, the verb matches the wrong word, and the sentence breaks.
So find the true subject before you choose the verb.
Why it costs marks
Examiners rarely penalise one slip. But agreement mistakes are habits, so they repeat.
In First Language writing, repeated errors lower the accuracy mark. In ESL writing, correctness is marked directly, and a plural noun beside a singular verb is easy to see.
These are not marks lost to weak ideas. They are lost to a small pattern that you can fix.
Wrong and right
The real subject controls each verb:
- Wrong: The bunch of ripe bananas were left on the counter. Right: The bunch of ripe bananas was left on the counter. The subject is bunch, not bananas.
- Wrong: Neither the captain nor the players was ready. Right: Neither the captain nor the players were ready. With neither… nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject, here players.
- Wrong: Everyone in the two classes are expected to attend. Right: Everyone in the two classes is expected to attend. Everyone is singular.
- Wrong: There is several reasons for the delay. Right: There are several reasons for the delay. The real subject is reasons.
Notice that the trap is often a phrase, such as of ripe bananas, between the subject and the verb.
If this is where marks are going missing, a trial hour with an experienced teacher can work on it one-to-one.
Spot the mistake
Find the agreement mistake in each sentence, then check below.
- The quality of the essays have improved this term.
- My brother, along with his friends, are coming later.
- Each of the answers were marked twice.
- The team celebrate their win loudly.
- Mathematics are her favourite subject.
Answers: (1) The quality of the essays has improved this term. The subject is quality. (2) My brother, along with his friends, is coming later. The subject is brother. Along with his friends is an extra phrase. (3) Each of the answers was marked twice. Each is singular.
(4) British English accepts celebrate when the team acts as separate people. For exams, The team celebrates its win loudly is the safer choice. (5) Mathematics is her favourite subject. It looks plural, but it is singular.
Make it a habit
Before every present-tense verb, take two seconds: name the subject, decide if it is one or more than one, then choose the verb. Say the subject and verb together without the middle: quality… has, brother… is.
The right form is usually clear. Cross out any of… or along with… phrase so it cannot mislead you.
Learn the singular words that feel plural: each, every, everyone, everybody, someone, neither, either. Add nouns that end in s but are singular, such as news, mathematics and physics.
Be careful with There is / There are. It moves the subject to the end of the sentence, where it is easy to miss.
Where students get stuck, and how we help
Students often know the rule but lose it in a long sentence when a phrase comes between the subject and the verb. In our English as a Second Language lessons, a teacher reads your own writing closely and works on this exact pattern until it stops.
Lessons start from RM70/hr. You can book a paid one-hour trial to see how it works.
Next step
Do more examples in the practice area. Then read about pronoun agreement and tense consistency.
Our proofreading guide shows how to check agreement in your own essays. For exam day, use the last-ten-minutes checking routine.