Grammar: Subject–verb agreement
Table of contents
Example errors
Look at the example errors below. Can you fix them?
| Incorrect |
|---|
| – One of the patients |
| – First-year students |
| – The funding that the researchers received |
What are the grammar rules?
1. Verbs need to agree with their subjects. If a subject is singular, you need a singular verb. If the subject is plural, you need a plural verb.
– The participants were given a questionnaire.
– The researcher was surprised by the results.
2. Be careful! Uncountable nouns such as information, advice and money take a singular verb.
– This information [U] is available on the website.
3. With some phrases, subject–verb agreement is a little more complex.
| One of the... |
|---|
| A plural noun is used after this phrase. However, the verb must agree with the subject, which is one. Example: – One of the findings was that… |
| None of the… |
|---|
| If an uncountable noun comes after this phrase, you need a singular verb; if the noun is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: – None of the questionnaires were completed. – None of the equipment was used. |
| … or… / … nor… |
|---|
| If a subject is made up of a singular noun and a plural noun joined by or or nor, the verb must agree with the second noun. Examples: – Neither the children nor the teacher was happy. – Either the teacher or her students have to attend. |
| together with / as well as / including |
|---|
| If you use one of these phrases, make sure that the verb still agrees with the subject only. Example: – The researcher, together with the confederate, was present at the meeting. |
Corrected errors
Here are the corrected errors from the start of the lesson.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| – One of the patients | – One of the patients was given the medicine. |
| – First-year students | – First-year students are often used in psychology studies. |
| – The funding that the researchers received | – The funding [U] that the researchers received was provided by the government. |
Quiz
Using the present tense, complete each sentence using the correct form of the verb in brackets.
__________