What Are Subject Verb Agreement Rules

Having a strong command of subject-verb agreement rules is crucial for any writer or copy editor striving to produce high-quality content. This grammatical concept refers to the need for a sentence’s subject and verb to agree in terms of number and person. In simpler terms, if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular, and if the subject is plural, so must be the verb. Here are some key rules to keep in mind:

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

For example, “The cat sits on the mat” and “The cats sit on the mat” adhere to this rule.

2. When using indefinite pronouns such as anyone, everyone, someone, or nobody as the subject, use a singular verb form.

For example, “Everyone is responsible for their own actions” is correct, while “Everyone are responsible for their own actions” is incorrect.

3. When dealing with collective nouns, which refer to groups of people or things, use a singular verb if the group is acting together as a unit, and a plural verb if the individuals within the group are acting separately.

For example, “The team is playing well” is correct, while “The team are arguing among themselves” also adheres to subject-verb agreement rules.

4. When a compound subject is joined by the conjunctions “and” or “both…and,” use a plural verb.

For example, “Jim and Sarah are going to the party” and “Both the cat and the dog are asleep” both adhere to this rule.

5. When using either…or, neither…nor, or not only…but also to join subjects, the verb agrees with the closest subject.

For example, “Neither John nor his friends were interested in the movie” is correct, while “Neither John nor his friends was interested in the movie” is incorrect.

By following these simple subject-verb agreement rules, writers and copy editors can ensure that their content is clear and grammatically sound. This is especially important in the realm of search engine optimization, where well-written and error-free content is essential for achieving high rankings on search engines. So, if you want to produce high-quality content that resonates with your target audience, be sure to master the subject-verb agreement rules and apply them consistently to all your writing.