AGREEMENT OF SUBJECT AND VERBS

                Singular subject = singular verb

                Plural subject = plural verb

            Helping verb must agree with subject

INTERRUPTING WORDS

                Subject/verb agreement – not changed by any interrupting words

                Prepositional phrases are not subjects

COMPOUND SUBJECTS

                Or/nor                                    verb agrees with closer subject

                Either/or

                Neither/nor

                And or both                          verb is plural

SPECIAL AGREEMENT PROBLEMS

                Verb must agree with the indefinite pronoun used as a subject

Singular                                 anybody, anyone, each either, everybody, neither, no one, one, somebody, someone

Plural                                      both, few, many, several

Singular/plural                      all, any, most, none, some

The subject and verb of an inverted sentence must agree in number

Here/there sentences – these words are never the subject

A subject that expresses an amount, a measurement, or a weight is usually singular and takes a singular verb

When the amount tell how much = singular verb

When the amount tells how many = plural verb

The number of = singular

A number of = plural

Some subjects are plural in form but singular in meaning (mumps, physics)

The verb part of a contraction must agree in number with the subject

A title is singular and takes a singular verb