Subject-Verb Agreement: Avoiding the Errors Examiners Notice

The Basic Rule (and Why It Gets Complicated)

Subject-verb agreement sounds like one of those grammar rules that's too obvious to bother learning: the subject and the verb in a sentence must match. If the subject is singular, the verb is singular. If the subject is plural, the verb is plural.

• The cat sits on the wall. (Singular subject, singular verb.)
• The cats sit on the wall. (Plural subject, plural verb.)

So far, so simple. The reason this topic deserves its own guide is that English has a talent for burying the subject under layers of other words, making it surprisingly hard to spot. When the subject and verb are right next to each other, almost nobody gets it wrong. When they're separated by a prepositional phrase, a relative clause, or a list, errors appear all over the place.

This guide will walk you through the four trickiest cases, give you plenty of correct and incorrect examples, and finish with an exercise that tests your spotting skills.

Tricky Case 1: Words Between Subject and Verb

This is the most common cause of agreement errors. Extra words sit between the subject and the verb, and the writer accidentally matches the verb to the nearest noun instead of the true subject.

• Incorrect: The stack of papers were left on the desk.
• Correct: The stack of papers was left on the desk.

The true subject is "stack" (singular), not "papers." The phrase "of papers" is a prepositional phrase that describes the stack, but it doesn't change the subject.

More examples:

• Incorrect: The sound of the drums were deafening.
• Correct: The sound of the drums was deafening. (Subject: sound.)
• Incorrect: The group of children were waiting by the gate.
• Correct: The group of children was waiting by the gate. (Subject: group.)

Tricky Case 2: There Is and There Are

Sentences starting with "there" are unusual because the subject comes after the verb. Many students default to "there is" every time, even when the subject is plural.

• Incorrect: There is three apples on the table.
• Correct: There are three apples on the table.
• Correct: There is a spider on the ceiling.

The trick is to look at what comes after the verb. If the noun is plural (apples, children, books), use "there are." If it's singular (a spider, one chair, a problem), use "there is."

This also applies to past tense:

• Incorrect: There was several boats on the lake.
• Correct: There were several boats on the lake.

Tricky Case 3: Compound Subjects

A compound subject is two or more nouns joined by "and," "or," or "nor." The rules differ depending on which conjunction you use.

Joined by "And"

Two subjects joined by "and" are usually plural:

• Correct: Tom and Priya are working on the project.
• Correct: The cat and the dog were asleep on the sofa.

Joined by "Or" or "Nor"

When subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it:

• Correct: Either the teacher or the students are responsible.
• Correct: Either the students or the teacher is responsible.
• Correct: Neither the children nor the dog was to blame.

This feels odd at first, but the rule is consistent: with "or" and "nor," match the verb to whichever subject sits right before it.

Tricky Case 4: Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (team, class, family, audience, committee) refer to a group of people but look singular. In British English, you can treat them as either singular or plural depending on whether you're thinking of the group as a unit or as individuals.

• The class is going on a trip. (The class as one group.)
• The class are packing their bags. (The individuals within the class.)

Both are correct. The important thing is to stay consistent. Don't write "The team is confident" in one sentence and "The team are worried" in the next.

If you're unsure, treating collective nouns as singular is the safer option in exams. It's less likely to be questioned.

Spot the Error Exercise

Five of the following ten sentences contain agreement errors. Find the five incorrect ones and correct them.

1. The box of chocolates were sitting on the kitchen counter.
2. There are twenty students in our class.
3. Neither the twins nor their mother were at home.
4. The flock of birds was circling overhead.
5. There is too many people in this room.
6. Ella and her brother walks to school every morning.
7. The committee has made its decision.
8. The colours of the sunset was extraordinary.
9. Either you or Sam needs to speak to the teacher.
10. The crowd were cheering loudly.

Answers:

• 1. Incorrect. Subject is "box" (singular). Correct: The box of chocolates was sitting on the kitchen counter.
• 2. Correct.
• 3. Correct. (Verb matches "mother," the nearest subject.)
• 4. Correct.
• 5. Incorrect. Subject is "people" (plural). Correct: There are too many people in this room.
• 6. Incorrect. "Ella and her brother" is a plural compound subject. Correct: Ella and her brother walk to school every morning.
• 7. Correct.
• 8. Incorrect. Subject is "colours" (plural). Correct: The colours of the sunset were extraordinary.
• 9. Correct.
• 10. Correct. (Collective noun treated as plural in British English.)

If you found four or five, your agreement skills are strong. If you missed several, practise the "cross out the prepositional phrase" technique until it becomes second nature.

A Quick Check for Exam Day

During your final proofreading pass, run through sentences that contain "of," "with," or "in" between the subject and verb. These are the likeliest hiding places for agreement errors. Also check every sentence starting with "there" to make sure the verb matches the noun that follows.

This takes about sixty seconds and catches the most common slip-ups. Agreement errors are small, but they're the kind of mistake that makes an examiner think the writer wasn't in full control.