RULES IN SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.

Rule 1: A verb agrees with its subject in person and in number.

a. I am working on my assignment.
b. They don’t like to help me.

Rule 2: The number of a noun in a phrase introduced by the preposition of does not affect
the number of the verb.
a. The list of students was provided by the registrar.
b. A group of researchers from Bicol University has won the Best Paper Award.

Rule 3: Compound subjects joined by and require a plural verb except when the
subject refer to the same person, thing or event.
a. My cousin and my bestfriend are coming for a vacation.
b. My cousin and bestfriend is coming here for a vacation.

Rule 5: Intervening phrases introduced by of, with, as well as, including, besides, in
addition to, accompanied by, or not, do not affect the form of the verb.
a. Dr. Brocales, accompanied by her students, is visiting her old school.
b. The children, along with their father, are going to the beach.

Rule 4: When two or more singular subjects are joined by “or” or “not”, a singular form
of the verb is required. However, if the subject differs in person and/or in number, the
verb agrees with the nearer subject.
a. Chiara’s success or failure depends on her determination.
b. Either mom or my sisters are attending the program.

Rule 6:Compound nouns joined by and use the singular form of the verb if they are,
regardless as a unit.
a. Bread and butter was all I had for breakfast.
b. Rice and fish is a very common meal among Filipinos.
Rule 7: When the subject and predicate nominative differ in number, the verb must
agree with the subject, not the complement.
a. The topic of the oral examination is the social problems in the country.
b. The assignment given to you was Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
c.
Rule 8: Compound subjects joined by either or, neither nor, or not only because – but
also, ordinarily take verbs agreeing in number with the nearer subject.
a. Not only the students but also the teacher is learning.
b. Either she or I am attending the meeting.

Rule 9: When the subject comes after the verb, make sure that the verb agrees with its
subject.
a. On the table are several meat dishes.
b. In this envelope is the name of the winner.
c.
Rule 10: Ordinarily, this and that take the singular form of the verb, while these and those
take the plural form of the verb.
a. That is an expensive watch.
b. These are the picture s I’ve been looking for.
 c.
Rule 11:The indefinite pronouns all, both, some, few, many, and several take the plural
form of the verb.
a. All were dismayed at his lack of manners.
b. Few are given another chance to live.

Rule 12:The indefinite pronouns each, everybody, everyone, everything, any, anybody,
somebody, anything, someone, something, one, nothing, nobody, either, neither, another,
and the other, whether singular or plural in meaning are ordinarily use the singular form
of the verb.
a. Each provides his own envelope.
b. Everything is under control.

Rule 13: Titles of books, poems, stories, and articles, even though plural in form, take
the singular verbs when referring to only one work.
a. “Romeo and Juliet” is my favorite Shakespearean play.
b. “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs” has been told in many ways.

Rule 14: The word people, meaning many persons, is plural. Peoples refer to different
races.
a. The people were surprised at the election results.
b. The peoples of the third world need to unite against racial discrimination.

Rule 15: The expression ‘the number’ takes the singular form of the verb, while the
expression a number takes the plural form.
a. The number of enrollees has declined this school year.
b. A number of books are missing from the shelf.

Rule 16: Nouns referring to money, time, measurement, or distance that is preceded
by an expression of amount or quantity is considered singular and takes the singular form.
a. Five hundred pesos is needed to enroll in this course.
b. Ten days was allotted for the trip.

Rule 17: The number of the noun that follows an expression of fraction or portion
determines the number of the verb to be used.
a. Only one-fourth of the mangoes are ripe.
b. About half of the building was destroyed by the fire.

Rule 18: Sentences that are introduced by the pronoun it, take the singular form of the
verb.
a. It was the night before Christmas when my brother arrived.
b. It was their parents who cried the most.

Rule 19: The number of the subject of the sentence introduced by the word “there”
determines the verb to be used.
a. There is a girl waiting in the lobby.
b. There are moments when I feel like giving up.

Rule 20: Some nouns are always plural in form but singular in meaning . Examples are
news, measles, and mumps.
a. The news for today is about the PGCC’s corruption.
b. Mumps is a contagious disease.
 Rule 21: Nouns that come in pairs such as pants, shorts, scissors, and trousers take
the plural form unless preceded by the expression “pair of”, in which case it requires a
singular verb.
a. My pants are wet.
b. Yogi’s pair of scissors was barrowed by his classmate.

Rule 22: Nouns such as Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Politics, and Physics are
used with the singular form of the verb when they refer to an area of study.
a. Physics is a difficult subject for many people.
b. Politics is something I do not wish to be part of.

Rule 23: Adjectives used as nouns take plural verbs.

a. The beautiful are not always brainy.
b. “Blessed are the humble for they shall see God.

Rule 24: The verb in a subordinate clause agrees with its antecedent.
a. She is one of the students who were called to the office of the dean.
b. Mr. Perez was the popular faculty member in the college who were told to resign due
to anomalies.

Rule 25: When what means “that which”, it requires a singular verb.
a. What we heard over the radio was not entirely true.
b. What matters is that you did your best.

Rule 26: Many takes a plural verb, many a, singular verb; much, a singular verb.
a. Many strangers have been victims of muggers in this town.
b. Many a suitor has been turned down by that lovely lady.
c. Much has been done to damage the family’s honor, to no avail.

Rule 27: Collective nouns such as jury, team, group, committee, family, class, faculty, etc.
take either a singular or plural verb depending on the intended meaning; singular, when
thought of as a single unit, plural when taking taken individually.
a. The team agrees to join the contest despite their luck of funds.
b. The jury seem to have diverse opinions about the case at hand.