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Undo Reading & Writing Sentence Structure Subject-Verb Agreement Rules, Simplified By Jennifer Gunner, M.Ed. Education , Senior Writer Updated September 16, 2022 Image Credits DESCRIPTION Rules subject verb agreement SOURCE Created by YourDictionary / Images from Getty Images PERMISSION Owned by YourDictionary, copyright YourDictionary You might think that subject-verb agreement would be pretty simple. However, it can get quite tricky depending on the complexity of the sentence. Learn the subject-verb agreement rules through several examples. Use a colorful printable to help them stick in your mind. In this article What Is Subject-Verb Agreement? What Are the Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement? Test Your Knowledge with a Quiz What Is Subject-Verb Agreement? Subject-verb agreement means that you’re using singular verbs with singular nouns and plural verbs with plural nouns. The verbs then “agree” with the subject of the sentence, which can be a noun or a pronoun. Examples of subject-verb agreement include: Mike plays the guitar. (Mike is singular, plays is singular) My friends play the guitar. (My friends is plural, play is plural) She laughs at everything. (She is singular, laughs is singular) They laugh at everything. (They is plural, laugh is plural) What Are the Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement? Most times, you can tell if a sentence has proper subject-verb agreement by reading it out loud. “The children laughs at the clown” doesn’t sound correct to English speakers, so the subject-verb agreement error is easy to spot and fix. However, there are specific subject-verb agreement rules to follow in case the answer isn’t obvious in a specific sentence. Image Credits DESCRIPTION Chart of common rules for subject-verb agreement SOURCE Created by YourDictionary PERMISSION Owned by YourDictionary, copyright YourDictionary Subjects and Verbs Must Agree in Number Singular subjects, specifically third-person singular nouns and pronouns (he, she, it), get singular verbs. Everything else gets plural verbs. My dog growls when he is angry. (Singular) My dogs growl when they are angry. (Plural) She doesn’t like watermelon. (Singular) They don’t like watermelon. (Plural) Advertisement Don’t Use Singular Verbs With “I” or “You” Even though the pronouns I and you are singular, they don’t agree with singular verbs. Make sure you conjugate first and second-person sentences correctly as well. He doesn’t like lobster. (Correct — he is singular) I doesn’t like lobster. (Incorrect — I uses a plural verb) I don’t like lobster. (Correct) She has a beautiful home. (Correct — she is singular) You has a beautiful home. (Incorrect — you uses a plural verb) You have a beautiful home. (Correct) Subjects Agree With Verbs, Even When They Are Separated When phrases or clauses come between the subject and verb, don’t make the last word of the phrase agree with the verb. Find the actual subject of the sentence (which might be far from the verb) to follow subject-verb agreement. People who live in Wisconsin are used to cold weather. (The subject is people, not Wisconsin) The colors of the rainbow are beautiful. (The subject is colors, not rainbow) Advertisement Use Plural Verbs for Compound Subjects Using “And” Treat compound subjects as plural nouns, and use plural verbs for subject-verb agreement. The cow and the pig make a lot of noise. Billy and Jake go to the same school. Use Singular Verbs for Singular Compound Subjects Using “Or” If singular subjects are connected by the conjunctions or, neither/nor, or either/or, the verb is singular. (Try to remove one subject and see if the verb still works.) A hamburger or a hot dog sounds great for lunch. Either Jessica or Christian drives a Toyota. Neither my mom nor my dad wants to go to the movies. Use Plural Verbs For Plural Compound Subjects Using “Or” If subjects connected by or, neither/nor, or either/or are both plural, the verb is also plural. (Same rule as above — remove one subject and see if it works.) Spiders or cockroaches live under the house. Either my sisters or my cousins bring soda to the party. Neither our team nor our rival team like to play in the rain. Advertisement If Compound Subjects Have Both Singular and Plural Nouns, Match the Second One to the Verb When compound subjects joined by or, neither/nor, or either/or have both a singular and a plural noun, use the verb form of the second subject — the one that is closest to the verb. Either my friends or my mom drives me to school. Either my mom or my friends drive me to school. “Each” and “Every” Get Singular Verbs If the singular determiner each or every comes before the subject, the verb is singular. Every employee arrives on time. Each cat meows in a different way. Indefinite Pronouns Must Agree With Verbs Most indefinite pronouns use singular verbs, including pronouns that end in -one, -body, and -thing. Everything feels better after a good conversation. Nobody understands how I feel. Anyone is welcome at the carnival. However, plural indefinite pronouns (including few, many, and several) also must agree with these verbs, so use plural verbs when using these pronouns. Few know the truth of the hidden treasure. Many choose a different career path than their parents. Several request help with the new computer system. Advertisement Treat Collective Nouns Like Singular Nouns In American English, collective nouns (such as team or family) are treated as singular nouns, so they require singular verbs. The herd heads south to find more water. My basketball team needs to find a new place to practice. Use Singular Verbs for Units of Measure When the subject is a unit of measurement, use singular verbs (since units of measurement are considered collective nouns). Four quarts of milk costs twelve dollars. Ten minutes is enough time to get there. Use Singular Verbs for Gerunds When gerunds (-ing words that function as nouns) or gerund phrases act as the subject of a sentence, they take the singular form of the verb. If more than one gerund appears as the subject, treat it like a compound subject. Studying with friends helps me prepare for the test. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by YourDictionary (@your_dictionary) Use Singular Verbs for Titles of Published Works Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and take a singular verb — even when the last word of the title is plural. The Hunger Games is my favorite book. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full-length animated movie. Verbs Don’t Agree With “Here” or “There” When sentences start with here or there (known as dummy subjects), the subject comes after the verb. Don’t match the verb with here or there in these cases; find the word that here or there refers to when choosing a verb form. There is a problem with the balance sheet. (Problem is the singular subject) Here are the papers you requested. (The papers is the plural subject) Advertisement Match the Subject With the Verb in Questions Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use. Where are the pieces of this puzzle? Where is the key I left on the desk? Test Your Knowledge with a Quiz Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Random Word Learn a new word now! Get a Random Word Copyright © 2026 LoveToKnow Media. All Rights Reserved Features Dictionary Thesaurus Sentences Grammar Vocabulary Usage Reading & Writing Company About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Editorial Policy Cookie Settings Terms of Use Suggestion Box Do Not Sell My Personal Information Random Word Learn a new word now! Get a Random Word Follow Us Connect Contact Us Suggestion Box Follow Us LinkedIn Facebook Instagram TikTok Do Not Sell My Personal Information Copyright © 2026 LoveToKnow Media. All Rights Reserved