Introduction

Verbs need to agree with the subject in both person and number. It is important to conjugate verbs according to the singular or plural state of the subject.

Person: The person is referring to the subject. (I, we, he, she, it, you, you all, they) 

Number: The number determines if the subject is singular or plural. 

Correct – Five (number) girls (subject) ordered (verb) cappuccinos. 

Incorrect – Five (number) girl (subject) ordered (verb) cappuccinos.

Key Points

Verbs must agree with their subject in person and number.

A first-person subject is I or we. Second person is you or you all. Third person is she, he, it, or they.

A singular subject is a subject where there is only one person or thing; a plural subject is more than one person or thing.

It’s good to double-check whether your verb agrees with your subject, as there are situations where it may be unclear.

Key Terms

verb: A word that indicates an action, an event, or a state of being.

plural: More than one in number.

mass noun: A thing or concept usually referred to as a whole, rather than counted individually (e.g. advice or water).

collective noun: A number of people or things taken together and spoken of as a whole.

Subject-Verb Agreement

In order for sentences to sound right, their verbs and subjects need to mesh well together. Since the subject is the one performing the action, the verb needs to match it in person and number.

“Person” is a way of saying who the subject is. There are three levels of “person” in English: first person, second person, and third person. To put it simply: In first person, the subject is I or we. Second person is you or you all. Third person is she, he, it, or they.

“Number” is a way of saying how many people (or objects ) are in the subject. If only one person is in the subject, it’s singular. Otherwise, it’s plural.

Thus, a subject has both person and number, and the verb takes on the appropriate form. Take the examples below:

• Singular first person: I work.
• Singular second person: You work.
• Singular third person: He works.
• Plural first person: We work.
• Plural second person: You work.
• Plural third person: They work.

The verb “work” has two different forms, “work” and “works,” depending on the subject.

Compound Sentences

Compound sentences (two sentences joined by a clause ) have a subject and verb in each clause. Make sure the subject of each clause agrees with the verb of each clause.

The peanut butter is on the counter and the beans are in the bag.

The children have a snow day, so I am going home early.

Modifying Phrases

Sometimes modifying phrases can come between the subject and verb of a sentence. This should not affect the subject-verb agreement.

The idea of serving frankfurters is a good one.

The children, along with their father, are taking a cab to the station.

Unusual Situations

As clear as this all seems, some situations are a bit trickier than others. For example, take an irregular verb like “be.”

• Singular first person: I am.
• Singular second person: You are.
• Singular third person: He is.
• Plural first person: We are.
• Plural second person: You are.
• Plural third person: They are.

This verb is highly irregular, and so it can be trickier to make sure that the subject and verb match in tense and number.

This is not the only unusual situation, however. Subject-verb agreement can become a little more complicated when the subject is very long and complex. When faced with situations like these, it is generally best to consider the entire complex subject phrase as one subject, and then think about what kind of thing it represents. You should also take indefinite pronouns into account when considering irregular subject-verb agreement situations.

Indefinite Pronouns

Five indefinite pronouns always take plural verbs: others, both, many, few, and several.

• Both are arriving at the same time.
• Many people love parties.

However, most indefinite pronouns take singular verbs.

• Everybody is at the party.
• Either restaurant sounds good.

Some indefinite pronouns can take a singular or plural verb based on whether the noun to which they are referring is uncountable (singular) or countable (plural).

Some (sand) is in my shoe.

Some (pebbles) are in my shoe.

Summary

In order for a sentence to follow the proper grammatic structure, verbs must match the subject in person and number. Verbs must be conjugated according to the singular or plural state of the subject. 

The subject includes the person.  (I, we, he, she, it, you, you all, they) 

The subject being singular or plural is determined by the number. 

Correct – The (number) cat (singular subject) meows. (verb) 

Incorrect – The (number) cat (singular subject) meow. (verb)

Subjects: 

First-person subject: I or we. 

Second person subject: you or you all.

Third person subject: she, he, it, or they.

A singular subject is a subject where there is only one person or thing; a plural subject is more than one person or thing.

Verbs 

Verbs must agree with their subject in person and number.

Key Terms

verb: A word that indicates an action, an event, or a state of being.

plural: More than one in number.

mass noun: A thing or concept usually referred to as a whole, rather than counted individually (e.g. advice or water).

collective noun: A number of people or things taken together and spoken of as a whole.

Sources:

“Agreement and Parallelism.” By Lumen Learning. Retrieved from: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/agreement-and-parallelism/ Licensed under: CC-BY-SA