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المدونة / Is or Are? 31 Real Subject–Verb Agreement Mistakes
Is or Are? 31 Real Subject–Verb Agreement Mistakes
The rule of subject–verb agreement is simple: a singular subject takes a singular verb ("the dog is"), and a plural subject takes a plural verb ("the dogs are"). In practice, the subject is not always easy to identify, especially when other words come between it and the verb. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot.
The corrections are written in formal, academic English, so contractions are spelled out in full. Where a contracted or colloquial form is common in everyday writing, it is shown underneath as the informal version.
1. Basic mismatches
✓ She is wrong.
✓ They are coming over later.
✓ They were very helpful.
✓ You were wrong about the time of the game.
✓ I have two houses.
✓ He speaks many languages.
✓ Google provides a variety of services.
✓ My sister does her homework before she goes to sleep.
✓ This does not sound right.
Informal: This doesn't sound right.
Note that you always takes the plural form of the verb, even when it refers to one person: "you were," never "you was."
2. Plural subjects that look singular, and vice versa
✓ People are coming to my party tonight.
✓ The children want ice cream.
✓ Computers have many functions.
✓ Aspartyl protease inhibitors are highly immunoreactive.
✓ The corporation is meeting tomorrow.
People and children are plural even though they do not end in -s. Collective nouns such as corporation, committee, and government are usually singular in American English; British English often allows a plural verb. In academic writing, choose one and use it consistently.
3. Words between the subject and the verb
The verb agrees with the subject, not with the noun closest to it. Mentally remove the phrase in the middle and the correct verb becomes obvious.
✓ The man in the brown shirt is eating.
✓ One of the boxes is open.
✓ The characters in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night live in a world that has been turned upside down.
✓ Bob, along with all his friends, loves ice cream.
✓ The commissioner, along with his 20 staff members, runs a tight campaign.
Phrases such as "along with," "as well as," and "together with" do not make the subject plural. Only and does.
4. "There is" or "there are"?
In sentences that begin with "there," the real subject comes after the verb, so look ahead.
✓ There are many dogs.
✓ There are no club meetings today.
✓ Michael, here are the orders you asked for.
✓ There is a dog walking.
"There's" followed by a plural ("there's two options") is common in speech, but in writing the verb must agree: "there are two options."
5. Two subjects joined by "and"
✓ Emily and Kipper are friends.
✓ She and her friends are at the fair.
6. Each, either, neither, everyone
Each, either, neither, everyone, nobody, and similar words are singular, even when followed by a plural noun.
✓ Neither of the men was chosen.
✓ Either of the options was considered an improvement.
✓ Is either of your daughters a doctor?
✓ No one was here.
7. "Either… or" and "neither… nor"
When two subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.
✓ Either my sisters or his mother is singing tonight.
✓ Either his mother or my sisters are singing tonight.
If the singular verb sounds awkward, put the plural subject second.
Check agreement automatically
Agreement errors are easy to make when you revise a sentence and change the subject but not the verb. Paste your text into Proofread Bot and it will flag each mismatch, even when the subject and the verb are far apart.