English teachers tell you that subjects should agree with their verbs. In other words, a singular subject (a Boeing 707 or the Dalai Lama) must be followed by a singular verb, and a plural subject (the alumni or the koalas) must take a plural verb. In English, most plural subjects (nouns and pronouns), naming more than one, end in s, while most singular verbs, expressing the action of the subject, end in s.
That is simple enough, but it can be hard deciding which word is the subject and whether it is singular or plural. It becomes difficult, then, to choose the form of the verb to agree with (be the same as) the subject.
Let’s see what is going on in these sentences. Choose the correct verb, which means, of course, that you must first choose the correct subject, so that the verb will agree with it:
One of the senators (was, were) caught embezzling campaign funds.
Some of the senators never (accept, accepts) bribes.
Let’s start with a bonus: in which sentence is senators the subject?
Senators is not the subject of either sentence. The subjects are one and some. Then, how many senators are we talking about in each sentence? In the first sentence, there is one senator, so we need the verb was, while some senators would be more than one, plural, requiring the verb were to agree.
To sound like the English teacher I was (for twenty years), I could point out that “of the senators” is a prepositional phrase, and subjects are never found in prepositional phrases. I think it is simpler just to look for the word that is the subject.
Remember, some senators would need a plural verb. How will you make subjects and verbs agree here?
Some of the cupcakes (has, have) insects in them.
Some of the cake (has, have) mouse-droppings on it.
Another bonus: which word is the subject in each sentence?
If you said some, then have a piece of cake.
Since both sentences have the same subject, will that subject agree with the same verb in both sentences?
No. Agreement refers to number. There is only one cake, but there are “some cupcakes,” meaning more than one. So, the cupcakes have… and the cake has….
Actually, those are easy sentences. How about these?
Ignatius and Hortense frequently (set, sets) fires in the monastery.
Amadeus never (set, sets) fires in the monastery.
The first sentence has a “compound subject,” that means, a subject made up of two parts. One Ignatius + one Hortense = two arsonists. So, they set, plural. On the other hand, there is only one good little Amadeus, so he never sets, always agrees.
How about this?
Neither Ignatius nor Hortense (have, has) confessed.
This is not our one + one pattern. Instead, it is one OR one. Ignatius has not confessed. Neither has Hortense confessed. So, we need the singular verb has to agree with a singular subject, Ignatus OR Hortense.
By now, we have reached a level of English teacher insanity with which I do not agree:
Neither the shoes nor the purse (look, looks) good with that dress.
Neither the purse nor the shoes (look, looks) good with that dress.
In each sentence, we are talking about the same subject, the shoes and the purse, or, specifically, the shoes or the purse. So, is the verb the same?
Generations of English teachers have cooked up the rule that when you are talking about a singular subject OR a plural (one OR more than one), the verb must agree with the closer subject. Awkward as these sentences sound, the subjects and verbs agree:
Neither the shoes nor the purse looks…
Neither the purse nor the shoes look…
If you want to write that sentence on a paper that you expect me to grade, you need to rethink it:
The dress does not look good with either the shoes or the purse (or with either the purse or the shoes).
There is more fun. There are problems when a sentence begins with there is or there are, since the subject comes after the verb, but they still must agree. Consider the first two sentences of this paragraph.
Subjects also come after verbs in many questions:
Where (do, does) the koalas hide?
What (do, does) the anaconda eat?
If the agreement is a problem for you, answer the question:
The koalas do hide in the linen closet.
The anaconda does eat Chihuahuas.
In English, subjects and verbs must agree but only in the present tense. The only exceptions are was and were in the past. In many languages, subjects and verbs must agree in every tense, and they must agree in number (singular and plural) as well as in person (first, second, or third person). Strange as the rules about agreement may seem, they are fairly simple, and they will help you write smooth, readable English sentences.
