Grammar guide Updated 2026-09-10
Subject-Verb Agreement: Rules, Tricky Subjects and Mistakes
Subject-verb agreement sounds like the simplest rule in English: one subject, one matching verb. Then you meet The list of names is on the desk and every instinct says are. The rule has not changed — the subject has simply been hidden behind a prepositional phrase, and that is where nearly every agreement error comes from. This guide covers the standard cases and the specific traps that examiners and editors test.
Agreement at a glance
| Subject | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| singular noun / he, she, it | singular (verb + -s in the present) | The report is ready. She works here. |
| plural noun / they, we, you | plural (base verb) | The reports are ready. They work here. |
| everyone, somebody, nobody, each, either, neither | singular | Everyone is here. Each of the boys has a bag. |
| two subjects with and | plural | Tom and Ana are coming. |
| two subjects with or / nor / either … or | agrees with the nearer subject | Either the manager or the staff are responsible. |
| collective nouns (team, family, government) | singular in American English, either in British | The team is winning. (BrE also: The team are winning.) |
Find the real subject first
Most agreement mistakes happen because the writer matches the verb to the nearest noun instead of to the subject. Anything between the subject and the verb — a prepositional phrase, a relative clause, an appositive — does not change the verb.
The box of chocolates is on the table. The subject is box; of chocolates is extra information. The students who failed the exam have to retake it. The subject is students, and the clause in the middle changes nothing.
The practical technique is to cross out everything between the subject and the verb, then read the sentence again. The list [of names] is long. Two of the answers [in the last section] were wrong.
The subjects that are always singular
A group of subjects looks plural but behaves as singular. Indefinite pronouns: everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, nothing, each, either, neither, one. Each takes a singular verb: Everybody knows. Nobody was there. Each of the answers is correct.
Uncountable nouns take singular verbs even when they end in -s: The news is bad. Physics is difficult. Mathematics is my favourite subject. Time, money and distance are treated as single units: Ten years is a long time. Fifty euros is too much. Twenty kilometres is a long walk.
Gerunds and infinitives as subjects are singular: Swimming is good exercise. To travel alone takes courage.
And, or, nor, and the words that flip the rule
Two subjects joined by and make a plural: Tom and Ana are coming. The exception is when the two nouns describe one thing: Fish and chips is my favourite meal. Bread and butter is all we need.
With or, nor, either … or and neither … nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it: Neither the students nor the teacher was ready. Either the twins or their father is driving.
Some phrases complicate the count. As well as, along with, together with and including do not add to the subject: The teacher, along with her students, is waiting. But both … and always makes a plural: Both the manager and the staff are here.
Collective nouns, there is, and quantities
Collective nouns — team, family, government, company, class, audience — are singular in American English and can be plural in British English when the members are acting individually: The team is winning (AmE) versus The team are arguing among themselves (BrE). Choose one convention and stay with it through a text.
There is and there are agree with what follows them: There is a problem. There are two problems. With a list, agree with the first item: There is a pen, two notebooks and a ruler on the desk.
Fractions and percentages agree with the noun that follows: Half of the cake is gone. Half of the students are absent. Sixty per cent of the land is farmed.
The mistakes learners make most often
Almost every wrong sentence in this area is one of the five below. Read the pair out loud — the wrong version then the right one — and the contrast does the teaching.
✘ The box of chocolates are on the table. → ✔ The box of chocolates is on the table.
The subject is box, singular. The phrase of chocolates does not change the verb.
✘ Everyone in my class have a laptop. → ✔ Everyone in my class has a laptop.
Everyone is grammatically singular, like each and nobody, and takes a singular verb.
✘ The news are getting worse. → ✔ The news is getting worse.
News is uncountable and singular in English despite the final -s.
✘ Neither the students nor the teacher were ready. → ✔ Neither the students nor the teacher was ready.
With neither … nor the verb agrees with the nearer subject — here the teacher.
✘ There is many reasons to study grammar. → ✔ There are many reasons to study grammar.
There is / there are agrees with the noun that follows: reasons is plural, so there are.
How to practise subject-verb agreement
Agreement is a habit, not a piece of knowledge: you have to catch the subject before the verb every time you write. Short, repeated drills build that reflex faster than a long explanation.
The free subject-verb agreement drill runs thirty questions, including the tricky-subject cases above, in multiple choice, gap fill and listening dictation, each with an explanation. Then check how it holds up at speed in the mixed review or today's Quiz of the Day. Teachers can print the drill as a worksheet with an answer key, or build a proofreading sheet in the worksheet builder.
Take the Subject–Verb Agreement drill (30 questions) → Build a worksheet Quiz of the Day
Frequently asked questions
What is subject-verb agreement?
The verb must match its subject in number: singular subjects take singular verbs (She works) and plural subjects take plural verbs (They work). It matters most in the present simple, where the third person singular takes -s, and with all forms of be.
Which subjects look plural but take a singular verb?
Everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, each, either, neither and one are singular. Uncountable nouns ending in -s are singular too: the news is, physics is, mathematics is. Distances, sums of money and periods of time are treated as one unit: Twenty kilometres is a long way.
Do collective nouns take a singular or plural verb?
In American English they are usually singular: The team is winning, The family has arrived. In British English a plural verb is common when the members act individually: The team are arguing among themselves. Both are correct — keep one convention inside a single text.
How do I avoid agreement mistakes in long sentences?
Find the subject before you check the verb, and cross out everything in between: The list [of names] is long. The students [who failed] have to retake it. With or, nor and either … or, agree with the subject nearest the verb.
Keep reading
Every guide on this blog is paired with a free drill: the same rules, applied question by question, with explanations and a printable worksheet.