Apply subject-verb agreement correctly, including with tricky subjects, and spot agreement errors in editing

What this dot point is asking

Subject-verb agreement means the verb matches its subject in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb, a plural subject takes a plural verb. It sounds simple, but the Editing task and the language mark across every paper punish the slips that happen when the subject is hidden, collective or unusual. This dot point is about finding the true subject every time and matching the verb to it, and about spotting agreement errors quickly in a text to be corrected.

The answer

The basic rule

Match the verb to the number of the subject. Singular subjects take the singular verb form (which, confusingly, often ends in "s"): "the dog runs", "she writes", "the train arrives". Plural subjects take the plural form (usually without the "s"): "the dogs run", "they write", "the trains arrive". The "s" lives on either the noun or the verb, almost never both, which is a useful quick check: "dogs run", not "dogs runs".

Find the true subject through interrupting phrases

The biggest cause of agreement errors is a phrase sitting between the subject and the verb. The verb must agree with the real subject, not the nearest noun:

• "The list of items is on the desk." (subject: list, singular)
• "The box of chocolates was expensive." (subject: box, singular)
• "The students in the hall were quiet." (subject: students, plural)

Strip out the interrupting phrase ("of items", "of chocolates", "in the hall") and the agreement becomes obvious. Train yourself to ask "what is actually doing the verb?" rather than reaching for the closest word.

Tricky subjects to watch

Some subjects trip people up:

• "Neither", "either", "each", "every", "everyone", "nobody" are treated as singular: "Neither of the boys has finished." "Everyone is ready."
• Collective nouns (team, class, family, group) usually take a singular verb when seen as one unit: "The team is strong." (British usage sometimes allows the plural when the members act individually, but keep one choice consistent.)
• "There is / there are" agree with what follows: "There is one reason", "There are many reasons."
• Two subjects joined by "and" are plural: "Tom and Mia are here."

Editing for agreement

In the Editing task, scan specifically for agreement. For each verb, find its subject and check the number. Watch the high-risk spots: long subjects with phrases attached, sentences starting with "there", and the tricky words above. Reading the sentence with the interrupting phrase removed exposes most errors instantly.

Examples in context

Example 1. The interrupting phrase trap in real writing. A student writes, "The range of activities offered by the club are impressive." The verb feels right because "activities" sits just before it, but the subject is "range" (singular), so it should be "is impressive". This error is so common precisely because the plural noun in the phrase ("activities") sounds plural to the ear. The fix is mechanical once learned: locate the head noun of the subject, ignore the phrase, and match the verb to that head noun.

Example 2. "Everyone" feels plural but is singular. Because "everyone" refers to many people, writers often pair it with a plural verb: "Everyone are invited." Grammatically, though, "everyone" is singular and takes "is": "Everyone is invited." The same applies to "everybody", "somebody", "nobody" and "each". Recognising that these words are grammatically singular, despite their plural sense, removes a whole family of agreement errors that the Editing task likes to test.

Try this

Q1. Correct this sentence: "The bunch of keys were missing." [2 marks]

• Cue. The subject is "bunch" (singular), so the verb should be "was": "The bunch of keys was missing." "Of keys" is an interrupting phrase, not the subject.

Q2. Explain why "Neither of the answers are correct" is wrong, and give the correct version. [2 marks]

• Cue. "Neither" is treated as singular, so it takes a singular verb; the correct version is "Neither of the answers is correct." The plural "answers" in the phrase does not control the verb.

Q3. Write a rule of thumb for checking agreement when a phrase sits between the subject and the verb. [2 marks]

• Cue. Mentally remove the phrase between the subject and the verb, then check that the verb matches the remaining subject; for example "The box (of chocolates) is expensive" makes the singular "is" obvious once "of chocolates" is taken out.