FINDINGANDFIXINGSUBJECT/VERBAGREEMENTERRORS

What’s a Subject/Verb Agreement Error?

The subject of a sentence is the actor/idea of a sentence. The verb is the action or state of being of
the subject. Subjects and verbs need to agree in number, which is known as singular or plural. A
subject/verb agreement error occurs when the subject and verb of a sentence do not agree in
number.
Singular Subject + Singular Verb = Agreement Plural
Subject + Plural Verb = Agreement

How Do I Find and Fix Subject/Verb Agreement Errors?

A subject/verb agreement error can occur in the following types of sentences.
Words separate the subject and verb
Error: One of my friends like to cook Italian food. (Agreement error: One = singular / like = plural)
Correction: One of my friends likes to cook Italian food.

The verb in the adjective clause doesn’t match the noun it’s referring to
Error: The people who lives next door asked me to get their mail. (Agreement error: People = plural /
lives = singular)
Correction: The people who live next door asked me to get their mail.
The verb comes before the subject
Error: There is many reasons to disagree about politics. (Agreement error: Reasons = plural / is
= singular)
Correction: There are many reasons to disagree about politics.
Error: Leading the club meeting today is Akiko and Jose. (Agreement error: Akiko and Jose = plural
/ is = singular)
Correction: Leading the club meeting today are Akiko and Jose.
The subject is a list of two or more nouns*
Error: Microsoft, Starbucks, and Boeing hires technical graduates from Edmonds Community
College. (Agreement error: Microsoft, Starbucks, and Boeing = plural / hires = singular)
Correction: Microsoft, Starbucks, and Boeing hire technical graduates from Edmonds Community
College.

*An Exception: Items that are often linked together as a unit can either be singular or plural in
number. For example, spaghetti and meatballs is plural if the two items are seen as separate items,
but spaghetti and meatballs is singular if the two items are seen as one combined unit.
The subject is an abstract idea
(Examples: justice, patriotism, friendship, honor, number)
Error: The number of students in each class vary. (Agreement error: number = singular / vary =
plural)
Correction: The number of students in each class varies.
The subject ends in an –s but is singular in meaning
(Examples: mathematics, physics, economics, ethics)
Error: Mathematics prepare students for many different careers. (Agreement error: Mathematics =
singular / prepare = plural)
Correction: Mathematics prepares students for many different careers.
The subject is an indefinite pronoun
(Examples: anyone, everyone, each, everybody, nothing, everything)
Error: Everyone have to take a health class to earn an AA degree. (Agreement error: Everyone =
singular / have = plural)
Correction: Everyone has to take a health class to earn an AA degree.
The subject is an uncountable noun
(Examples: rice, water, grass, money, snow, time)
Error: Time seem to go quickly during a test. (Agreement error: time = singular / seem = plural)
Correction: Time seems to go quickly during a test.
Subject agrees with the nearest noun in paired conjunctions
(Examples: either—or / neither—nor / not only—but also / not—but)
Error: Neither Sam nor his friends wants to miss graduation. (Agreement error: friends = plural
/ wants = singular)
Correction: Neither Sam nor his friends want to miss graduation.
Correction 2: Neither his friends nor Sam wants to miss graduation.

Common Errors in the Use of Verbs

Incorrect: He told her that he will come. Correct: He told her that he would come.
Reason
When the principal verb is in the past tense the verb in the subordinate clause should also be in the
past tense. When the principal verb is in the present tense, the verb in the subordinate clause can be
in any tense.
Incorrect: He told me that honesty was the best policy.
Correct: He told me that honesty is the best policy.
Incorrect: Teacher said that the earth revolved around the sun.
Correct: Teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.
Incorrect: I am so weak that I may not walk.
Correct: I am so weak that I cannot walk.
Reason
To talk about ability we use can, not may.
Incorrect: Tell me why are you abusing him. Incorrect: I wonder why don’t you listen to me.
Correct: Tell me why you are abusing him. Correct: I wonder why you don’t listen to me.
Reason
In indirect questions we put the auxiliary verb after the noun. Note that we do not use question mark
in indirect questions.
Incorrect: Alice as well as her sisters are beautiful.
Correct: Alice as well as her sisters is beautiful.
Reason
When the noun that precedes as well as is in the singular, the verb should also be in the singular.
Incorrect: I am ill for two weeks. Incorrect: I am waiting since morning.
Correct: I have been ill for two weeks. Correct: I have been waiting since morning.
Reason
We use perfect continuous tenses with the prepositions since and for. Here the error lies in using
the present continuous instead of the present perfect continuous.
Incorrect: The ship drowned. sank.
Correct: The ship sank. Correct: The passengers aboard the ship were
Incorrect: The passengers aboard the ship drowned.
Reason
We use drown with people and other animate objects. We use sink with inanimate objects like ship
and boat.
Ways to Fix Double Verb Errors:
1. Add “that, which, or who”
Often the easiest way to fix a double verb error is to add a relative pronoun (such as “that,
which, or who”) so that you create a new subject for one of the verbs. The example problem
sentence at the beginning of this handout can be fixed in this way.
People [who own cars] must pay high costs for insurance.

Subject Verb Object Prepositional Phrase

People must pay high costs for insurance
who own cars
However, you must be careful to add the relative pronoun (e.g., who, which, that) to the correct
verb to make the sentence have the right meaning. For example, the following sentence does not
make sense:
Error: People have cars who must pay high costs for insurance.

Here is another example sentence which can be fixed with “which” or “that.” Incorrect

sentence: I found a path goes to the river.

Correct sentence: I found a path that goes to the river.
2. Add a different subordinator
“That” and “which” are not the only subordinators to use. Subordinators such as “because” and
“if” also help connect separate ideas. See the example below:
If people own cars, they must pay high costs for insurance.
3. Avoid “It is” and “There are” beginnings
Many double verb errors occur in sentences that begin with It is and There are. Look at the
following example:
Error: There is too much rain falls in Vancouver.
Subject Verb Object Prepositional phrase
There is too much rain
falls in Vancouver.

Correction: Too much rain falls in Vancouver.

Subject Verb Prepositional phrase

Too much rain falls in Vancouver.
The best way to fix this error is to avoid, when possible, using “It is” and “There are” in your
writing. Do the following exercise to practice fixing double verb errors in this way.
4. Make two sentences:
A second easy approach to fixing double verb sentences is to finish the first clause with a
period, and then start a new sentence by adding a subject to the second verb.
Incorrect sentence: I found a path goes to the river.
Correct sentence: I found a path. It goes to the river.

Subject Verb Object

I found a path.
It goes to the river.
5. Change the word form and word order:
Incorrect Sentence: People own cars must pay high costs for insurance.
Correct Sentence: Car owners must pay high costs for insurance
6. Delete one verb:
Change the structure of the sentence so that there is only one verb. This often means using
a preposition (such as “in, on, of, by, for”) instead.
Incorrect sentence: I found a path goes to the river.
Correct sentence: I found a path to the river.
Subject Verb Object Prepositional phrase
I found a path to the river.

7. Change the form of the second verb:

This is a more advanced approach; it involves changing the second verb into a gerund, an
infinitive, or a participle.
Incorrect sentence: I found a path goes to the river.
Correct sentence: I found a path going to the river.

For more work on this approach, see the following Learning Centre handout (“Verbals:
Idiomatic Uses of Gerunds and Infintives” -- GR3.50) or do an internet search for online sites
about:
-gerunds and infinitives
-reducing clauses to phrases
8. Do not use the “object of a preposition” as the subject for a verb.

As with the object of a verb, an object of a preposition cannot also be used as the subject of a
new verb. Look at the following example:
Error: Most people agree with education is part of our life.

Subject Verb Object Object of a preposition

Most people agree with education
is part of our life.
In this example, education is functioning as the object of the preposition with. It finishes the first
clause, so it cannot also be used to begin the second clause. As the chart above shows, the verb
is has no subject. Nouns that come after prepositions cannot also be used as grammatical
subjects of the second verb.