Singular/Plural Agreement

For a quick review of singular and plural agreement, select any of the following:

Phrases and Words That Require Singular Verbs | Fractions | Phrases That Require Plural Verbs

Phrases and Words That Require Singular Verbs

Some of the homework is...

Some of the book is...(only one book, but this refers to part of the book)

A lot of the book is... (same as above, only one book)

One of my employees is...

Each of my sisters is...

None of the computers is ...(formal usage)

The number of words is...

Every one of the streets is...

Somebody/someone/something is...

Either/neither the president or/nor the vice president is...

Anyone/anybody/anything is...

Nothing in this school is...

A series of computers is...

A pair of shoes, pants, trousers is... (however, "these pairs of pants are…" or "the pants are…")

Noncount nouns:

The furniture is...

The sugar is…

The information is…

Expressions of time, money, and distance:

Three hours is the time needed to complete this test.

Traveling fifty thousand miles is a long time to spend in an airplane.

Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money to spend on an education.

Collective nouns:

class, team, government, staff, committee, public, family, crowd, group

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Fractions

Fractions modifying singular nouns take singular verbs:

Two thirds of the book is outdated.

Fractions modifying plural nouns take plural verbs:

Two thirds of the books have already arrived.

Fractions modifying a collective noun can take either singular or plural:

Two thirds of the population of Lebanon is Muslim.

Two thirds of the population of Lebanon are Muslims.

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Phrases That Require Plural Verbs

Some of the notes are...

None of the computers are...(informal usage)

A lot of the lectures are... A number of the students are...

A couple of the machines are...

People groups:

The English are accustomed to... (people from England)

The French are accustomed to...(people from France)

A verb agrees with the subject even if interrupted by a prepositional phrase:

This list of names is not very complete. (The verb "is" agrees with the subject "list.")

A verb agrees with its subject even when interrupted by phrases such as: in addition to, such as, including, as well as and similar expressions:

The teacher as well as the students agrees with this opinion. (The verb "agrees" modifies the subject "teacher.")

A verb agrees with the subject regardless of the location of the subject:

There are many difficulties facing us today. (The verb "are" agrees with the subject "difficulties.")

Subjects joined by AND require plural verbs:

The teacher and the student are tired.

Subjects joined by OR or NOR need to agree with the closer subject:

Neither the teacher nor the students are excited about the lesson. (The subject "are" agrees with "students," the closer subject.)

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Continue to Count/Noncount Nouns.

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