Subject-Verb Agreement


Solution

Subject-verb agreement can also be complicated by special kinds of subjects and verbs. However, you'll be able to solve these special agreement problems if you remember what you've learned so far:

Start by correctly identifying the subject and verb
Remember the


Now lets look at these special cases.
  • A collective noun subject agrees with a singular verb.

    A collective noun is a word used to refer to a group of people or things as a single unit. Some common examples are team, class, committee, board, gear, and collection. Even though each of these nouns refers to a group of people or things, by using a collective noun we are treating them as a single unit rather than as individual entitites. Each of these collective nouns requires a singular verb.

    • The team prefers to practice at 5:00 a.m.
    • The senior class votes on graduation options Friday.
    • The executive committee has made its decision.
    • The advisory board makes recommendations to the company president.
    • My scuba gear is stowed in the trunk.
    • The collection remains on display until the end of the month.

    Notice that each collective noun subject does not end in -s and that most of the verbs do end in -s. Although it's not foolproof, the   is a useful guideline to help you choose verbs to agree with collective nouns.

  • A linking verb agrees with its subject, not its predicate noun.

    Frequently, a plural predicate noun renames a singular subject. You might be tempted to choose a verb that agrees with the predicate noun rather than the subject. Don't give in--just do what you know is right: choose a verb that agrees with the subject. Look at the following examples:

  • Watch out for singular nouns that end in -s. These nouns violate the .

    A few abstract nouns end in -s, even though they may be singular! Some examples of these are statistics, politics, series and economics. When these nouns are used to refer to a profession or an abstract idea, we treat them as singluar nouns that agree with a singular verb.

    • Statistics demonstrate the usefulness of a freshman orientation class.
    • During election years, politics monopolizes the front page of most American newspapers.
    • I enjoy politics, but economics is much more intriguing.