Plural Subjects
6. Subjects joined by and or both ... and ... take a plural verb (but see Rule 2).
S S V
A red Honda and a blue Ford are parked outside.
S S V
Both tigers and elephants are becoming extinct.
7. Several, many, both, few are plural words and always take a plural verb.
S V
Both are going to attend the University of Texas.
S V
Only a few have passed the exam.
8. Some nouns are always plural in form and always take plural verbs.
clothes: trousers, pants, jeans, sunglasses.
tools: scissors, pliers, tweezers
abstract: riches, thanks, means
However, some of them are followed by a singular verb when used in expressions such as
a pair of …, a word of ...
S V S V
His pants are still at the cleaners, but: That pair of pants is dirty.
S V S V
Your thanks are enough for me. but: A word of thanks is enough.
Exercise 3
Objective: To improve your understanding of rules 6-8 concerning subject-verb agreement.
Questions 1-5
Directions: Underline the subject of the missing verb. Fill in the blank with is or are.
1. Few ___ strong enough to finish the race.
2. There ___ a pair of sunglasses lying on the floor.
3. Both my good trousers and my old Jeans ___ at the laundry.
4. Many of you ___ going to score above 500 on the TOEFL.
5. There ___ several on the top shelf of the bookcase.
Questions 6-10
Directions: Underline the subjects and the verbs. Put a check ( ) beside correct sentences and an X beside incorrect sentences.
6. That pair of Dior sunglasses must have cost a lot of money.
7. When the bell rang, a few were still working on the test.
8. The screwdriver along with the pliers were left out in the rain.
9. Several of the fish appears to be dying.
10. The scissors is in the bottom drawer.
Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement (continued):
Alternatives
9. When subjects are joined by the following structures, the verb must agree with the closer subject.
S1 S2 V
Neither the students nor the teacher is allowed to smoke.
S1 S2 V
Either the teacher or the students have your books.
S1 S2 V
Not only the nurses but also the doctor is coming soon.
10. Many words may be singular or plural depending on what they refer to:
None, all, some, any, majority, most, half, etc.
When these words are followed by a prepositional phrase, the number of the object of the preposition will determine whether the words are singular or plural.
S V
All of the book has been destroyed.
11. The expression a number of is plural, and the expression the number of is singular.
S V
A number of students were missing from class.
S V
The number of Mexican students in class is small.
Exercise 4
Objective: To improve your understanding of rules 9-11 concerning subject-verb agreement.
Directions: Underline the subject of the missing verb and fill in the blank with is or are.
1. Neither the doctor nor the nurses ___ here.
2. The number of nurses in the city ___ very large.
3. All of the nurses ___ very good.
4. All of the medicine ___ gone.
5. Some of the water ___ used for irrigation.
6. Most of the money ___ counterfeit.
7. Not only the money but also the jewels ___ locked up in the safe.
8. Neither the jewels nor the money ___ mine.
9. All of the cookies ___ gone.
10. Half of the furniture ___ in the truck.
Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement (continued):
Unusual Singular Subjects
12. Expressions stating one amount of time, money, weight, volume, etc. are plural in form but take a singular verb.
S V
Two weeks is enough time for a nice vacation.
S V
Five hundred dollars is required as a down payment.
S V
Ten extra pounds is a lot to lose in a week.
S V
Twenty gallons of gasoline costs a lot of money.
13. Some words are always plural in form but singular in meaning. These words require singular verbs.
academic subjects: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, civics...
diseases: measles, mumps, herpes...
abstract nouns: news, ethics, politics...
S V
Mathematics is a difficult subject.
S V
The news was very good.
14. Titles of books and movies, even if plural in form, take singular verbs.
S V
The New York Times is a good newspaper.
S V
Star Wars was a good movie.
Exercise 5
Objective: To improve your understanding of rules 12-14 concerning subject-verb agreement.
Directions: Underline the subjects and verbs in each sentence.
Put a check ( ) beside correct sentences and an X beside incorrect sentences.
1. German measles cause red spots on the chest and arms.
2. News of the peace talks has not yet reached the island.
3. Politics usually attract ambitious individuals.
4. There were extra copies of The New York Times in all the offices.
5. Two weeks are ample time for a camping trip to the state park.
6. According to the champion, one hundred pounds are easy to lift.
7. Two thousand dollars is a lot for him to pay for tuition.
8. Both mathematics and physics are interesting.
9. Jaws, a movie about sharks, was seen by a record number of people.
10. Mumps cause inflammation and swelling of the glands.
Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement (continued):
Singular and Plural Subjects with the Same Form
15. Collective nouns are usually singular, but may be plural if the members are functioning independently. Watch the pronouns for clues to the singular or plural nature of the subject. Some of these words are
class, team, police, committee, audience, family, faculty, etc.
S V
That class has its final test on Friday.
S V
The class are working on their individual projects today.
16. Some nouns use the same form for both singular and plural meanings. The pronouns and modifiers with these words will indicate whether they are singular or plural in meaning.
always with s: species, series, etc.
S V S V
That species is rare. Those species are common.
never with s: sheep, deer, etc.
S V S V
That deer is young. Those deer are old.