Question 1

What is subject-verb agreement?

Accepted Answer

Subject-verb agreement means the verb matches its subject in number and person. One thing, or he, she or it, takes the -s form: The dog barks. She is ready. More than one, or I, you, we and they, take the plain form: The dogs bark. They are ready. English shows this only in present-tense verbs and in was/were.

Question 2

Is it 'the team is' or 'the team are'?

Accepted Answer

Both are standard. The team is winning treats the team as one unit; American English nearly always does this. The team are arguing among themselves focuses on the members; British English often does this. Choose one view and keep it: The team is proud of its record, or The team are proud of their record. In exams, singular is the safer choice.

Question 3

Is it 'none of them is' or 'none of them are'?

Accepted Answer

Both are standard. None of them is ready stresses not one; it sounds more formal and some style guides prefer it. None of them are ready is common in careful writing and speech. With an uncountable noun, none takes a singular verb: None of the milk is left. The old rule that none must always be singular is a myth.

Question 4

Is it 'there is' or 'there are' with a list?

Accepted Answer

After there, the subject comes after the verb, so count what follows. There are two reasons. There is a pen and two pencils on the desk is also standard, because the verb agrees with the nearest item. In casual speech, There's three reasons is common, even among educated speakers. In writing and exams, use there are with a plural subject.

Question 5

Does 'everyone' take is or are?

Accepted Answer

Everyone takes a singular verb: Everyone is here. The same goes for everybody, someone, nobody, anyone, each and every: Each of the boys has a bag. Every student knows the answer. It feels like many people, but the grammar counts it as one. A pronoun that points back to everyone is often they: Everyone is here, aren't they?

Question 6

Is 'data' singular or plural?

Accepted Answer

Both are standard. Data comes from a Latin plural, so scientific and formal writing often uses The data are clear. Most everyday and business English treats it as a mass noun, like information: The data is clear. Pick one and keep it through a piece. Criteria and phenomena stay plural: These criteria are strict. One criterion is enough.

Question 7

Either...or: which verb do you use?

Accepted Answer

With either...or and neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Either the players or the coach is to blame. Neither the coach nor the players are ready. With two singular subjects, use a singular verb: Either Ravi or Asha has the key. Putting the plural subject second, next to the verb, usually sounds most natural.

Question 8

Is it 'a number of' or 'the number of'?

Accepted Answer

Both are correct, with different verbs. A number of means many, so it takes a plural verb: A number of students are absent. The number of means the figure itself, so it takes a singular verb: The number of students is rising. The noun after of is plural in both; the words a and the decide the verb.

Question 9

Is 'news' singular or plural?

Accepted Answer

News is singular, even though it ends in -s: The news is good. No news is good news. To count it, say a piece of news or two news stories. Other -s words work the same way: Mathematics is my favourite subject. Measles is infectious. The -s on news does not make it plural.

Question 10

What are the basic rules of subject-verb agreement?

Accepted Answer

Use the Agreement Test. Find the verb that can show agreement: is/are, was/were, has/have, does/do, or a present-tense verb. Find its true subject, the head word, skipping of-phrases and as well as phrases. Count it: one thing takes the -s form, more than one takes the plain form. Then check the special cases: and, or/nor, each/every, collectives, amounts.

Question 11

Why is it 'the box of pencils is'?

Accepted Answer

The subject is box, not pencils. Of pencils only describes which box, so the verb agrees with the head word: The box of pencils is on the desk. Ask what is on the desk: the box. The same test fixes The colour of the flowers is bright and The key to the cabinets is lost. Cross out the of-phrase to check.

Question 12

Is 'they is' ever correct?

Accepted Answer

Not in standard English. They always takes a plural verb, even when it means one person: Someone left their bag - they are coming back for it. This matches you, which takes are whether it means one person or many. Some spoken dialects use they is; in writing and exams, use they are, they were, they have.

Question 13

Why does 'she sings' have an -s?

Accepted Answer

In the present tense, a verb adds -s when its subject is he, she, it or one thing: She sings. The bird sings. With I, you, we, they or more than one thing, there is no -s: They sing. The birds sing. Notice the -s seems to move: on the noun for many birds, on the verb for one bird.

Question 14

Is it 'I was' or 'I were'?

Accepted Answer

I was is correct: I was late. Was goes with I, he, she, it and one thing; were goes with you, we, they and more than one: They were late. You were late. Was and were are the only past-tense verbs that show agreement. If I were you is a special form for imagined situations, not an agreement mistake.

Question 15

Is it 'he doesn't' or 'he don't'?

Accepted Answer

Standard English uses he doesn't: He doesn't like tea. Doesn't goes with he, she, it and one thing; don't goes with I, you, we and they: They don't like tea. He don't is common in the speech of many English dialects and in song lyrics. In school writing and exams, use he doesn't, she doesn't, it doesn't.