Subject–verb agreement sounds simple, and in short sentences it is. Mistakes usually happen when the subject is long or unusual.

The basic rule #

A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.

  • The dog barks. / The dogs bark.
  • She is ready. / They are ready.

1. Ignore the words in between #

Find the real subject, not the noun closest to the verb.

  • The list of changes is attached. (the subject is list)
  • One of my friends lives in Paris. (the subject is one)
  • The quality of the photos was great.

2. Each, every, everyone, nobody → singular #

  • Each student has a laptop.
  • Everyone is here.
  • Nobody knows the answer.

3. And → plural, or/nor → nearest subject #

  • Anna and Tom are late.
  • Either the manager or the assistants are coming. (assistants is closest)
  • Neither the assistants nor the manager is coming. (manager is closest)

4. Collective nouns #

Words like team, family, company, and staff are usually singular in American English.

  • The team is winning.
  • Our company has 50 employees.

In British English, a plural verb is also common: The team are winning.

5. "There is" vs. "there are" #

The subject comes after the verb, so look ahead.

  • There is a problem.
  • There are two problems.

Common mistakes #

Wrong Right
The list of items are long. The list of items is long.
Everyone have a ticket. Everyone has a ticket.
There is three reasons. There are three reasons.

Let AI find the subject #

AI Grammar Checker understands sentence structure, so it catches agreement errors even in long, complex sentences.