Subject Verb Agreement for Class 7: Examples, Exercises and Worksheets

The verbs 'to be' and 'to have' have specific forms that must agree with the subject in number across tenses.

Verb 'to be':

Subject	Present Tense	Past Tense	Example (Present)	Example (Past)
I	am	was	I am confident.	I was mistaken.
He/She/It/Singular Noun	is	was	The hypothesis is sound.	The evidence was compelling.
You/We/They/Plural Noun	are	were	These variables are crucial.	The results were unexpected.

Verb 'to have':

Subject	Present Tense	Past Tense	Example (Present)
I/You/We/They/Plural Noun	have	had	We have sufficient data.
He/She/It/Singular Noun	has	had	The organization has new guidelines.

(Note: 'Had' is the past form for all subjects.)

A. Subjects Joined by 'and' (Plural vs. Single Unit)

Two or more subjects joined by 'and' usually form a plural subject and require a plural verb.

• Observation and experimentation form the basis of scientific inquiry.

Exception: If the subjects joined by 'and' refer to a single idea, item, or person, or are considered a collective unit, a singular verb is used.

• Trial and error is an essential part of the learning process.
• The renowned scientist and inventor (one person) has arrived.

B. Subjects Joined by 'or', 'nor', 'either...or', 'neither...nor' (Proximity Rule)

When subjects are connected by 'or', 'nor', 'either...or', 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the subject element that is grammatically closer to the verb.

• Neither the primary data nor the supplementary analyses support the claim.
• Either the research assistants or the lead investigator is responsible for data verification.

C. Compound Subjects Preceded by 'Each' or 'Every'

When compound subjects joined by 'and' are preceded by 'each' or 'every', they take a singular verb, as these words emphasize individuality.

• Each student and teacher is expected to attend the seminar.
• Every book and journal in this section needs to be cataloged.

Collective Nouns (e.g., committee, team, jury, faculty, government, audience, majority) name a group of individuals.

• When the group acts as a single, cohesive unit, use a singular verb.
  • The committee has reached its decision unanimously.
• When the members of the group are acting as individuals or their individual actions/opinions are emphasized, use a plural verb (this is more common in British English; American English often prefers to rephrase or maintain singular).
  • The faculty are debating various curriculum changes among themselves. (BrE)
  • (AmE might prefer: The faculty members are debating...)

Indefinite Pronouns do not refer to specific entities.

• Typically Singular: each, either, neither, one, anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything, no one, nobody, nothing, another, much, little. These take singular verbs.
  • Each of the hypotheses requires rigorous testing. Nobody understands the full implications yet.
• Typically Plural: both, few, many, others, several. These take plural verbs.
  • Several of the experiments have yielded similar results. Few dispute the established facts.
• Variable (Singular or Plural - SANAM: Some, Any, None, All, Most): The verb agrees with the object of the preposition 'of' if present, or with the implied noun if not.
  • Some of the research (uncountable) is still ongoing.
  • Some of the researchers (plural) are presenting their findings.
  • All of the equipment (uncountable) needs calibration. All of the instruments (plural) need calibration.
  • None of the evidence supports the theory. None of the witnesses were able to identify the suspect. ('None' can be tricky; singular is often preferred formally, but plural is common if it clearly means 'not any of them').

Phrases or clauses that separate the subject from the verb do not affect the verb's number. The verb must agree with its true grammatical subject.

• The report, which details numerous complex findings, is now available. (Subject 'report' is singular)
• The quality of these intricate components determines the overall system performance. (Subject 'quality' is singular)
• The scientist, accompanied by her research assistants, is entering the laboratory. (Subject 'scientist' is singular)

Certain nouns ending in -s are treated as singular and require singular verbs.

• Names of academic disciplines: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, ethics, linguistics.
  • Linguistics is the scientific study of language.
• Names of certain diseases: mumps, measles, rickets, shingles.
  • Mumps was a common childhood illness.
• The word 'news': The news from the expedition is encouraging.
• Some games: billiards, dominoes, darts.
  • Darts is a popular pub game.

Some nouns exist only in plural form and typically take plural verbs. These often refer to items consisting of two parts (bipartite items) or certain collections.

• Examples: scissors, pliers, tongs, trousers, pants, jeans, shorts, spectacles, binoculars, goods, thanks, congratulations, premises, outskirts, archives, credentials.
  • These binoculars offer excellent magnification. My jeans are new.
• To refer to a single item, "a pair of" is used: A pair of scissors is on the desk. (Here, 'pair' is the singular subject).

• Titles of books, movies, plays, articles, etc., are treated as singular, even if the title itself contains plural words.
  • "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a celebrated novel.
• Names of countries, organizations, or companies that are plural in form but refer to a single entity usually take a singular verb.
  • The United States is a federal republic. The United Nations was founded in 1945.
  (However, if referring to the individual states or members, a plural verb might be used, though this is less common for formal names.)

In sentences starting with the expletives 'Here' or 'There', these words are not the subject. The true subject follows the verb, and the verb must agree with that true subject.

• Here is the detailed analysis you requested. (Subject: analysis)
• There are several discrepancies in the report. (Subject: discrepancies)

When plural nouns expressing units of measurement, time, money, or distance are considered as a single quantity or unit, they take a singular verb.

• Fifty kilometers is a significant distance for a daily commute.
• Ten million dollars was allocated for the research project.
• Three hours seems insufficient for such a complex task.

If these units are considered as individual items, a plural verb is used: Ten one-dollar coins were found.

• 'A number of' + plural noun takes a plural verb (meaning 'several' or 'many').
  • A number of researchers are challenging the existing paradigm.
• 'The number of' + plural noun takes a singular verb (referring to a specific quantity or figure).
  • The number of participants has exceeded our expectations.

When a relative pronoun (who, which, that) acts as the subject of a relative clause, the verb in that clause agrees in number with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

• The scientist who is conducting the research is highly respected. (Antecedent 'scientist' is singular, so 'is conducting')
• The experiments that were performed yielded clear results. (Antecedent 'experiments' is plural, so 'were performed')
• It is I who am responsible for this decision. (Antecedent 'I', so 'am')
• One of the students who are participating is from our school. (Antecedent of 'who' is 'students', plural).
  Compare: She is the only one of the students who is always punctual. (Antecedent of 'who' is 'one', singular). This can be tricky!