Making SubjectS &Verbs Agree

Many writers have problems with subject-verb agreement (having singular nouns with singular verbs, and plural nouns with plural verbs). 

The basics

Sometimes, these slip-ups are glaringly obvious:

ex. Bob are a college student.

In many sentences, however, word groups intervene between the subject and verb:

ex. Today, writing papers with online tools such as thesauruses, style checkers, and citation-builders are much easier. (what's the problem here?)

The easiest way to check your subject-verb agreement is to take out any word groups (usually subject modifiers) between the subject and verb:

ex. Today, writing is much easier.

Changing the sentence in this manner, however, changes the meaning. Reorganizing the sentence clears up the problem while retaining meaning:

ex. Online tools make writing papers much easier.

When you edit, look for these common trouble spots

• Make the verb agree with its subject, not with the words that come between the subject and verb:

ex. The woman who made those cakes is our next-door neighbor. (woman is, not cakes are)

• Use a plural verb for subjects connected by "and":

ex. The dog and cat seem to be good friends.

• Use a singular verb for subjects joined by "or" or "nor":

ex. Either John or Karen is available to answer your questions this afternoon.

• When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by "or", "nor", or "neither . . . nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject:

ex. Neither the zoo keeper nor the police were able to find the missing boa constrictor.

• With collective nouns when the verb depends upon the nature of the subject:

ex. A number of companies are hiring generative AI specialists. (Here, a plural verb because the companies are not acting as one body but rather as a number of individuals).

ex. The consortium of companies is hiring more generative AI specialists. (Here, "consortium of companies" implies that the companies are acting together as a single entity).