Subject-Verb Agreement
Learn to match every verb to its real subject in Grade 7 grammar: interrupting phrases, compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, collective nouns, and inverted order.
What you'll do in this lesson
A voice-first session with the Crimsora tutor on Subject-Verb Agreement, then targeted practice and FRQs — with the tutor adapting to where you get stuck.
What this lesson covers
Read this sentence out loud: "The box of markers are on the shelf." It sounds almost fine, which is exactly the problem. The verb latched onto "markers" — the nearest noun — instead of the real subject, "box." Subject-verb agreement means the verb form matches the subject in number: one thing takes a singular verb, more than one takes a plural verb.
That rule sounds simple until writers start burying subjects behind prepositional phrases, gluing two subjects together with "and" or "or," using slippery words like "everyone" and "team," or flipping the sentence so the verb comes first. This lesson gives you one reliable habit — find the true subject, then choose the verb — plus the five situations where that habit gets tested hardest. By the end you will be able to fix agreement errors in your own drafts instead of just hearing that something sounds off.
That rule sounds simple until writers start burying subjects behind prepositional phrases, gluing two subjects together with "and" or "or," using slippery words like "everyone" and "team," or flipping the sentence so the verb comes first. This lesson gives you one reliable habit — find the true subject, then choose the verb — plus the five situations where that habit gets tested hardest. By the end you will be able to fix agreement errors in your own drafts instead of just hearing that something sounds off.
The Core Rule and the Trap of Interrupting Phrases
In the present tense, a singular subject takes the verb form ending in ("she walks"), and a plural subject takes the form without ("they walk"). Notice that this is backwards from nouns, where usually signals plural. That mismatch is why so many errors slip past.
The most common problem is the interrupting phrase. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (of, in, on, with, between, along with, as well as) and ends with a noun called the object of the preposition. The subject of a sentence is never inside a prepositional phrase. That noun is already doing another job.
So cross the phrase out mentally and reread:
The stack of overdue library books (is / are) blocking the door.
Cross out "of overdue library books" and you are left with "The stack ... is blocking the door." Singular subject, singular verb.
That third row surprises people. Phrases like "along with," "as well as," "together with," and "in addition to" do not create a compound subject the way "and" does. They are just extra information tucked between commas, so the verb still matches the original singular subject. Where students go wrong is trusting their ear on long sentences; the fix is to physically cross out every prepositional phrase before choosing a verb.
The most common problem is the interrupting phrase. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (of, in, on, with, between, along with, as well as) and ends with a noun called the object of the preposition. The subject of a sentence is never inside a prepositional phrase. That noun is already doing another job.
So cross the phrase out mentally and reread:
The stack of overdue library books (is / are) blocking the door.
Cross out "of overdue library books" and you are left with "The stack ... is blocking the door." Singular subject, singular verb.
| Sentence | True subject | Correct verb |
|---|---|---|
| The list of ingredients ___ long. | list | is |
| Two students in my class ___ chess. | students | play |
| The captain, along with the players, ___ the field. | captain | leaves |
| Photos from the trip ___ on the wall. | Photos | hang |
Compound Subjects: And Versus Or and Nor
A compound subject is two or more subjects sharing one verb. Which verb you use depends entirely on the connecting word.
Subjects joined by and are almost always plural, because you are adding things together: "Marcus and Dana are painting the set." Two people, plural verb. This holds even when both parts are singular.
There is one exception worth knowing. When the two joined nouns name a single thing or a single idea, the subject stays singular: "Macaroni and cheese is my brother's whole personality." One dish, one verb. Also, when "each" or "every" comes in front, the subject turns singular: "Every player and coach signs the form."
Subjects joined by or or nor work differently. These words present alternatives rather than adding, so the verb matches the subject closer to the verb. Grammar books call this the proximity rule.
Rows two and four are identical in meaning to rows one and three, but the verb changes because the order changed. That is not a trick; it is just how English handles alternatives. Careful writers often rearrange the sentence so the plural subject sits second, since "Neither the referee nor the coaches dispute the call" reads more smoothly than the reverse. Watch for "either...or" and "neither...nor" pairs especially, because the extra words make the sentence long enough that people forget which noun matters.
Subjects joined by and are almost always plural, because you are adding things together: "Marcus and Dana are painting the set." Two people, plural verb. This holds even when both parts are singular.
There is one exception worth knowing. When the two joined nouns name a single thing or a single idea, the subject stays singular: "Macaroni and cheese is my brother's whole personality." One dish, one verb. Also, when "each" or "every" comes in front, the subject turns singular: "Every player and coach signs the form."
Subjects joined by or or nor work differently. These words present alternatives rather than adding, so the verb matches the subject closer to the verb. Grammar books call this the proximity rule.
| Sentence | Nearer subject | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| The twins or their mother ___ driving. | mother | is |
| Their mother or the twins ___ driving. | twins | are |
| Neither the coaches nor the referee ___ the call. | referee | disputes |
| Neither the referee nor the coaches ___ the call. | coaches | dispute |
Indefinite Pronouns and Collective Nouns
Indefinite pronouns do not point to a specific person or thing. Most of them are singular even though they feel like they cover a crowd. Every pronoun built on "-one," "-body," or "-thing" is singular, and so are "each," "either," "neither," "another," and "much."
"Everyone in the seventh-grade classes is invited" uses a singular verb even though hundreds of people are invited, because "everyone" is grammatically singular. Cross out "in the seventh-grade classes" and the choice gets obvious.
The third column follows the noun in the phrase after it: "Most of the pizza is gone" (pizza is singular) but "Most of the slices are gone" (slices is plural). This is the one place where the noun inside the prepositional phrase actually controls the verb, which is why students mix it up — memorize the short list in that column and treat everything else the usual way.
Collective nouns name a group as one unit: team, family, class, jury, audience, committee, herd, band. In American usage they normally take a singular verb, because the group acts as one body: "The jury is deliberating." "Our class meets in room 12." Use a plural verb only when the members are clearly acting as separate individuals: "The jury are arguing among themselves." That plural version sounds odd to many American ears, so writers often rewrite it as "The jury members are arguing." That rewrite is a smart move in your own essays.
| Always singular | Always plural | Depends on the noun that follows |
|---|---|---|
| everyone, everybody, everything, each, either, neither, nobody, someone, anything, one | both, few, many, several | all, any, most, none, some |
The third column follows the noun in the phrase after it: "Most of the pizza is gone" (pizza is singular) but "Most of the slices are gone" (slices is plural). This is the one place where the noun inside the prepositional phrase actually controls the verb, which is why students mix it up — memorize the short list in that column and treat everything else the usual way.
Collective nouns name a group as one unit: team, family, class, jury, audience, committee, herd, band. In American usage they normally take a singular verb, because the group acts as one body: "The jury is deliberating." "Our class meets in room 12." Use a plural verb only when the members are clearly acting as separate individuals: "The jury are arguing among themselves." That plural version sounds odd to many American ears, so writers often rewrite it as "The jury members are arguing." That rewrite is a smart move in your own essays.
Inverted Word Order: When the Verb Comes First
Most English sentences run subject first, verb second. When that order flips, agreement errors multiply because the verb gets chosen before the subject has even appeared.
The biggest source of trouble is "there" and "here." Neither word is ever the subject. They are expletives — placeholders that push the real subject after the verb. To check agreement, flip the sentence back:
"There (is / are) three reasons for the delay" becomes "Three reasons for the delay are." Plural subject, so "There are three reasons." The contraction "there's" hides this constantly in speech, which is why "there's two cookies left" slips out of almost everyone's mouth. In writing, correct it.
Questions invert too. "(Do / Does) the students in that group need more time?" Turn it into a statement: "The students ... do need more time." Plural subject, plural verb, so "Do the students..." is right.
Writers also invert for style: "Down the hallway echoes a single set of footsteps." The subject is "set," not "footsteps" or "hallway," so the singular verb "echoes" is correct.
One more inverted pattern: sentences with a linking verb and a predicate noun of a different number. "The main attraction (is / are) the fireworks." The subject is "attraction," singular, so use "is." The verb matches the subject, never the word after the linking verb. If the result sounds clumsy, flip it: "The fireworks are the main attraction."
The habit that fixes all four patterns is the same. Locate the verb, ask "who or what is doing this?", and let that answer — not word order, not the nearest noun — pick the verb form.
The biggest source of trouble is "there" and "here." Neither word is ever the subject. They are expletives — placeholders that push the real subject after the verb. To check agreement, flip the sentence back:
"There (is / are) three reasons for the delay" becomes "Three reasons for the delay are." Plural subject, so "There are three reasons." The contraction "there's" hides this constantly in speech, which is why "there's two cookies left" slips out of almost everyone's mouth. In writing, correct it.
Questions invert too. "(Do / Does) the students in that group need more time?" Turn it into a statement: "The students ... do need more time." Plural subject, plural verb, so "Do the students..." is right.
Writers also invert for style: "Down the hallway echoes a single set of footsteps." The subject is "set," not "footsteps" or "hallway," so the singular verb "echoes" is correct.
One more inverted pattern: sentences with a linking verb and a predicate noun of a different number. "The main attraction (is / are) the fireworks." The subject is "attraction," singular, so use "is." The verb matches the subject, never the word after the linking verb. If the result sounds clumsy, flip it: "The fireworks are the main attraction."
The habit that fixes all four patterns is the same. Locate the verb, ask "who or what is doing this?", and let that answer — not word order, not the nearest noun — pick the verb form.
A Four-Step Check You Can Actually Use
When you proofread, do not read for what sounds right. Long sentences fool your ear. Run this procedure instead.
First, underline the verb. Second, ask "who or what?" in front of it to find the subject. Third, cross out every prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb, plus any "along with" or "as well as" insert. Fourth, decide singular or plural and match.
A quick substitution test helps when you are stuck. Replace the subject with "it" or "they." If "it" fits, use the singular verb; if "they" fits, use the plural.
The collection of vintage stamps (belong / belongs) to my grandfather. Replace: "It belongs to my grandfather." Singular wins.
One caution about titles, amounts, and subjects that look plural: "Twenty dollars is a fair price" (one amount), "Mathematics is her favorite subject" (one subject), "The Hunger Games is a novel" (one title). Where students go wrong is reacting to the final instead of asking whether the subject names one thing.
First, underline the verb. Second, ask "who or what?" in front of it to find the subject. Third, cross out every prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb, plus any "along with" or "as well as" insert. Fourth, decide singular or plural and match.
A quick substitution test helps when you are stuck. Replace the subject with "it" or "they." If "it" fits, use the singular verb; if "they" fits, use the plural.
The collection of vintage stamps (belong / belongs) to my grandfather. Replace: "It belongs to my grandfather." Singular wins.
| Situation | What controls the verb |
|---|---|
| Interrupting prepositional phrase | The subject before the phrase |
| Subjects joined by and | Plural (unless one unit, or each/every) |
| Subjects joined by or/nor | The subject nearer the verb |
| Indefinite pronoun (-one, -body, each) | Singular |
| all, any, most, none, some | The noun in the following phrase |
| Collective noun | Singular in American usage |
| There is / There are | The noun after the verb |
| Linking verb sentence | The subject, not the predicate noun |
Key terms
- Subject-verb agreement.
- The grammar rule that a verb must match its subject in number — a singular subject takes a singular verb, a plural subject takes a plural verb.
- Prepositional phrase.
- A word group beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun, such as "of the students." The subject of a sentence is never located inside one.
- Compound subject.
- Two or more subjects sharing the same verb, joined by and, or, or nor. And normally makes the subject plural; or and nor send you to the nearer subject.
- Proximity rule.
- When subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with whichever subject sits closer to it.
- Indefinite pronoun.
- A pronoun that does not name a specific person or thing, such as everyone, each, several, or most. Most are singular; a few are plural; a short list depends on the following noun.
- Collective noun.
- A noun naming a group as a single unit — team, jury, family, audience. It takes a singular verb in American usage unless members are clearly acting separately.
- Inverted word order.
- A sentence structure in which the verb comes before the subject, as in questions or in sentences beginning with there, here, or a prepositional phrase.
- Expletive.
- A placeholder word such as there or here that fills the subject slot without being the subject; the true subject appears after the verb.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb in each sentence and explain why. (1) The bag of soccer balls (was / were) left in the gym. (2) Neither the drummer nor the guitarists (know / knows) the ending. (3) Everybody on both buses (need / needs) a permission slip. (4) There (is / are) four chairs missing from the science lab. (5) The debate team (practice / practices) every Thursday.
Sentence 1: Underline the verb slot, then ask "who or what was left?" Cross out the prepositional phrase "of soccer balls." What remains is "The bag ... left in the gym." One bag, so use was. The plural word "balls" is only the object of the preposition and cannot be the subject.
Sentence 2: The subjects are joined by "nor," so apply the proximity rule. The subject closer to the verb is "guitarists," which is plural, so use know. If the sentence were reversed — "Neither the guitarists nor the drummer" — the correct verb would be "knows."
Sentence 3: "Everybody" is an indefinite pronoun built on "-body," so it is singular no matter how many people it covers. Cross out "on both buses." Test with substitution: "It needs a permission slip." Use needs.
Sentence 4: "There" is an expletive, not the subject. Flip the sentence: "Four chairs ... missing from the science lab." Four chairs is plural, so use are. Saying "there's four chairs" is common in conversation but is not correct in writing.
Sentence 5: "Team" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so American usage takes the singular verb practices. You would only shift to plural if the members were clearly acting separately, and even then most writers would rewrite it as "The team members practice separately."
Sentence 2: The subjects are joined by "nor," so apply the proximity rule. The subject closer to the verb is "guitarists," which is plural, so use know. If the sentence were reversed — "Neither the guitarists nor the drummer" — the correct verb would be "knows."
Sentence 3: "Everybody" is an indefinite pronoun built on "-body," so it is singular no matter how many people it covers. Cross out "on both buses." Test with substitution: "It needs a permission slip." Use needs.
Sentence 4: "There" is an expletive, not the subject. Flip the sentence: "Four chairs ... missing from the science lab." Four chairs is plural, so use are. Saying "there's four chairs" is common in conversation but is not correct in writing.
Sentence 5: "Team" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so American usage takes the singular verb practices. You would only shift to plural if the members were clearly acting separately, and even then most writers would rewrite it as "The team members practice separately."
Practice questions
Which sentence uses subject-verb agreement correctly?
- The pile of unread letters sit on the counter.
- Either the coaches or the principal announce the winners.
- Each of the seventh graders receives a locker assignment.
- There is several reasons to revise your draft.
Answer: Each of the seventh graders receives a locker assignment.
In the correct sentence, "Each" is a singular indefinite pronoun and "of the seventh graders" is a prepositional phrase you cross out, leaving "Each ... receives." The first choice fails because the subject is "pile," not "letters," so it needs "sits." The second fails the proximity rule: the nearer subject is the singular "principal," so it needs "announces." The fourth fails because "there" is only a placeholder — the real subject is the plural "reasons," which needs "are."
Rewrite each sentence so the verb agrees with its true subject, then name the rule you applied: (a) The collection of fossils were donated by a local geologist. (b) Down the stairs come a loud crash and a shout. (c) Neither the twins nor their cousin are riding home with us.
Answer: (a) The collection of fossils was donated by a local geologist — interrupting prepositional phrase. (b) Down the stairs come a loud crash and a shout is already correct — inverted order with a compound subject joined by and. (c) Neither the twins nor their cousin is riding home with us — proximity rule.
In (a), "of fossils" is a prepositional phrase, so the subject is the singular "collection" and the verb becomes "was." Sentence (b) is a trap in reverse: the word order is inverted, but flipping it gives "A loud crash and a shout come down the stairs," a compound subject joined by and, which is plural — so "come" was right all along. In (c), the subjects are joined by "nor," so the verb matches the nearer subject, the singular "cousin," giving "is riding." Rewriting it as "Neither their cousin nor the twins are riding home with us" is also acceptable and reads more naturally.
Explain why "The best part of the festival are the food trucks" is incorrect, and give two different correct versions.
Answer: The subject is the singular noun "part," not the plural "food trucks" that follows the linking verb, so the sentence needs "is": "The best part of the festival is the food trucks." A smoother version flips the sentence: "The food trucks are the best part of the festival."
With a linking verb, the verb agrees with the subject, never with the predicate noun on the other side. Crossing out the prepositional phrase "of the festival" leaves "The best part ... is." Because "is the food trucks" can sound awkward, experienced writers often reverse the order so the plural noun becomes the subject, which keeps the sentence both correct and natural.
FAQ
- Why does adding -s make a noun plural but make a verb singular?
- They are two separate endings that happen to look alike. The noun ending marks more than one thing (dog, dogs). The verb ending is a leftover from older English that marks third-person singular present tense (he runs, she runs, it runs). Because they pull in opposite directions, a correct present-tense sentence usually has the on exactly one of the two words: "the dog runs" or "the dogs run." If you see an on both or on neither, check the sentence.
- Is it ever correct to write "there's two options"?
- In casual speech people say it constantly, and nobody misunderstands. In writing for school, it is an agreement error. "There" is only a placeholder; the real subject is "two options," which is plural, so the sentence needs "there are two options." The contraction hides the verb, which is exactly why the mistake is so easy to make. When you proofread, expand every "there's" to "there is" and see whether the noun after it is singular.
- Do the words "as well as" and "along with" make a subject plural like "and" does?
- No. Only "and" joins two subjects into a compound plural subject. Phrases beginning with "as well as," "along with," "together with," "in addition to," and "including" are prepositional add-ons, usually set off with commas. "The pitcher, as well as the outfielders, was late" keeps the singular verb because the subject is still just "pitcher." If you want the plural verb, rewrite with and: "The pitcher and the outfielders were late."
- Should "family" and "team" take a singular or plural verb?
- In American usage, singular: "My family lives in Ohio," "The team is on a winning streak." The group counts as one unit. British usage often prefers the plural, so books published in the UK may read "The team are on a winning streak" — that is a dialect difference, not an error. Use the plural in American writing only when you mean the members acting individually, and even then it is usually clearer to write "the team members" instead.
Learn this with a teacher, not a page
The Crimsora tutor teaches Subject-Verb Agreement live — explaining on a whiteboard, asking you questions, and adapting to where you get stuck.