Subject-Verb Agreement: Rules and Examples
Do you sometimes get confused about whether to use is or are, has or have? Subject-verb agreement is one of the most common grammar problems for Indian learners, partly because Hindi and other Indian languages mark agreement differently from English. A sentence like “The players is playing well” sounds wrong to any listener, and slips like it cost marks in exams such as IELTS, where grammatical accuracy is one of the four criteria in Writing and Speaking. This lesson covers every rule you need, from the basic one to tricky cases like none, a number of and one of, with examples and practice.
A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
✅ Singular: Neha has long hair. She works for a multinational company. He plays football for his club.
✅ Plural: Children love ice cream. People have gathered to discuss the problems in their town. They play football on weekends.
Subjects Joined by ‘and’
When two or more nouns or pronouns are joined by ‘and’, they usually form a plural subject and take a plural verb.
✅ Ravi and Anil are playing chess.
✅ Sheila and Hari work in the same office.
✅ Knowledge and wisdom have no connection.
When the two nouns refer to the same person or form a single idea or unit, use a singular verb.
✅ Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast.
✅ Law and order is the government’s responsibility.
✅ Slow and steady wins the race.
✅ The director and actor is here. (one person who is both)
If each noun has its own article, they are separate people or things and take a plural verb: ✅ The director and the actor are here. (two people)
Subjects Joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’
When two or more singular subjects are joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’, the verb stays singular.
✅ Our happiness or our sorrow is largely because of our own actions.
✅ Ravi or Anil is coming.
✅ Our failure or success depends on our efforts.
✅ No nook or corner was left unexplored.
✅ The Principal or the HOD inaugurates the science exhibition every year.
Either … or / Neither … nor
In sentences with either … or or neither … nor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.
✅ Either a man or two women are required for that job. (closer subject: two women)
✅ Either two women or one man is required for that job. (closer subject: one man)
✅ Either Ravi or his parents have to see me. (closer subject: parents)
✅ Neither the teachers nor the principal was present at the meeting. (closer subject: principal)
✅ Neither you nor I am responsible for that error. (closer subject: I)
✅ Neither I nor you are responsible for that error. (closer subject: you)
Subjects with ‘with’, ‘as well as’, ‘along with’
When the subject is followed by with, as well as, along with or together with, the verb agrees with the main subject (the one before these phrases). The added phrase does not change the number of the subject.
✅ German, as well as French, is taught here. (German is singular)
✅ The king, with the queen and the rest of the royal family, was present. (king is singular)
✅ The coach, with his players, is staying in this hotel. (coach is singular)
✅ The players, with their coach, are staying in this hotel. (players is plural)
✅ The ministers, along with the Prime Minister, are discussing the issue. (ministers is plural)
Cover up the phrase that starts with with, as well as, along with or together with, and choose the verb for the subject that is left.
Indefinite Pronouns (Always Singular)
Some subjects always take a singular verb, even if they seem plural in meaning:
- Someone, everybody, nobody, anyone, somebody, anybody, no one, everyone, and each or each of the …
✅ Everybody has arrived.
✅ Nobody has returned.
✅ Each of the students has a book.
✅ Anyone who comes late will be marked absent.
Even though these pronouns feel plural, they take a singular verb. When a pronoun refers back to them, they/them/their is now standard in both speech and writing (Everyone has submitted their work); in very formal writing you may also see his or her.
‘None’ — Singular or Plural?
‘None’ means not any or not one, so it is usually singular. When it is followed by of + a plural noun, a plural verb is also correct and often sounds more natural.
✅ None of the jelly has set yet. (singular)
✅ None of the clothes are dry. (plural — sounds natural)
✅ None of the men was/were arrested. (both are acceptable)
Words That Can Be Singular or Plural
Some, any, all and most follow the noun that comes after them: singular with an uncountable or singular noun, plural with a plural noun.
| Singular Meaning | Plural Meaning |
|---|---|
| Most of the news is good. | Most of the flowers were yellow. |
| All of the pizza was gone. | All of the children were late. |
Collective Nouns and Special Cases
A collective noun (e.g., team, family, committee, government, audience, jury) names a group. It takes a singular verb when the group acts as one unit, and a plural verb when you think of the members as individuals (more common in British English):
✅ The team is playing very well this season. (the team as one unit)
✅ The team are arguing among themselves about tactics. (members acting as individuals)
✅ My family is very supportive of my career choices. (the family as one unit)
✅ My family are all early risers. (each member individually)
Some nouns are always plural in meaning and take a plural verb, even though they do not end in -s:
✅ Cattle are grazing.
✅ The police are investigating the crime scene.
Other nouns are plural in form but singular in meaning and take a singular verb:
✅ Mathematics is a branch of study in every school.
✅ Measles is a contagious viral disease.
✅ This is bad news.
Some nouns only have plural forms even though they name a single object:
✅ His trousers are ill-fitting.
✅ The scissors are over there.
✅ My spectacles are missing.
Sentences Beginning with ‘There’ or ‘Here’
‘There’ and ‘here’ are never the subject. The real subject comes after the verb, so the verb must agree with it.
✅ There were five books on the shelf. (were agrees with books)
✅ There was one pen in the box. (was agrees with pen)
✅ Here is the report you wanted. (is agrees with report)
‘A number of’, ‘The number of’, and Other Quantifiers
‘A number of’ means many, so it takes a plural verb. ‘A lot of’ follows its noun: singular with an uncountable noun (A lot of effort is required), plural with a plural noun (A lot of books are on the table).
‘The number of’, ‘this number’, ‘that number’, ‘the lot’, ‘this lot’ and ‘that lot’ take singular verbs because they refer to one specific quantity.
| Plural Subject | Singular Subject |
|---|---|
| A number of men are here. | The number of workers has dropped. |
| A lot of my friends like you. | This lot of books was sold for a song. |
| A number of children are absent today. | The number of prisoners has decreased. |
Fractions, Percentages, and Units of Measurement
With fractions and percentages (two-thirds, half, 40%), the verb agrees with the noun in the of phrase: plural noun, plural verb; singular or uncountable noun, singular verb. A collective noun such as population follows the collective-noun rule above. An amount of money, time, distance or weight treated as one quantity takes a singular verb.
✅ Two-thirds of the population is illiterate. (the population as one unit)
✅ Two-thirds of the population are farmers. (the individuals within it)
✅ Half of the students were ill. (students is plural)
✅ Six yards is too long. (one amount)
✅ Ten thousand rupees is a high price. (one amount)
Phrases with ‘One of’
‘One of’ is followed by a plural noun but takes a singular verb, because the subject is one (One of my friends is a doctor). In the pattern ‘one of the [plural noun] who/that …’, though, the verb inside the who/that clause is plural, because who/that refers back to the plural noun (She is one of those people who make a difference).
✅ One of my best friends is Raji.
✅ One of the best books on grammar is Wren and Martin.
✅ She is one of those people who make a difference. (who refers to people, which is plural)
Common Mistakes
These are the errors Indian learners make most often:
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct |
|---|---|
| The players is playing well. | The players are playing well. |
| Each of the students have a book. | Each of the students has a book. |
| Either Ravi or his friends is coming. | Either Ravi or his friends are coming. |
| She, as well as her brothers, have arrived. | She, as well as her brothers, has arrived. |
| There is many books on the table. | There are many books on the table. |
| Neither of them are coming. | Neither of them is coming. |
| Ten thousand rupees are a high price. | Ten thousand rupees is a high price. |
| The news are shocking. | The news is shocking. |
✏️ Quick Practice — Fill in the blanks
- Ravi and his brother ________ (be) going to the market.
- Either the cat or the dogs ________ (be) responsible for the mess.
- She, along with her friends, ________ (be) planning a surprise party.
- The list of items ________ (be) on the table.
- Each of the boys ________ (have) a bicycle.
- Neither the manager nor the employees ________ (be) aware of the new policy.
- There ________ (be) a lot of traffic on the roads today.
- A number of people ________ (be) waiting outside.
- The number of applicants ________ (be) increasing every year.
- None of the food ________ (be) left.
- Mathematics ________ (be) my favourite subject.
- One of my friends ________ (be) a doctor.
- The police ________ (be) investigating the case.
Answers: 1. are | 2. are | 3. is | 4. is | 5. has | 6. are | 7. is | 8. are | 9. is | 10. is | 11. is | 12. is | 13. are
✏️ Quick Practice — Correct the sentences
- The players is winning the match.
- Every one of the students have submitted their assignments.
- None of the water are clean.
- There is many books on the table.
- Two-thirds of the students is absent.
Answers: 1. The players are winning the match. | 2. Every one of the students has submitted their assignment. | 3. None of the water is clean. | 4. There are many books on the table. | 5. Two-thirds of the students are absent.
Summary
Subject-verb agreement is about matching the verb to the real subject — singular or plural. Find the main subject first: ignore phrases like as well as or along with, look past there and here, and with either … or or neither … nor follow the subject closer to the verb. Then remember the special cases: each, everyone and one of are singular, a number of is plural, the number of is singular, and words like news and mathematics are singular despite the -s.
Key takeaway: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. With practice this becomes second nature, in both spoken and written English.