What you'll learn
Subject-verb agreement is one of the most heavily tested areas of CXC CSEC English Language, appearing in Paper 1 multiple choice items, in the editing sections, and in the technical accuracy marks awarded across every piece of writing in Paper 2. The rule itself is simple — a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb — but the difficulty lies in identifying the true subject when the sentence separates it from its verb, when the subject is a collective noun, or when the sentence is inverted. By the end of this guide you should be able to locate the grammatical subject of any sentence, apply agreement with compound subjects joined by and and by or, handle indefinite pronouns and collective nouns confidently, deal with intervening phrases that create false agreement, and correct agreement errors quickly in your own writing under exam conditions.
Key terms and definitions
Subject — the word or group of words in a sentence that performs the action or is being described
Predicate — the part of the sentence containing the verb and everything that follows it
Agreement (concord) — the grammatical match in number between a subject and its verb
Singular — referring to one person, thing or idea
Plural — referring to more than one
Compound subject — two or more subjects joined by a conjunction such as and, or or nor
Collective noun — a noun naming a group of individuals, such as committee, team, class, government or audience
Indefinite pronoun — a pronoun that does not refer to a specific person or thing, such as everyone, each, nobody, several or both
Intervening phrase — a phrase placed between the subject and the verb, often a prepositional phrase, which can obscure the real subject
Inverted sentence — a sentence in which the verb comes before the subject, commonly beginning with there or here
Core concepts
Finding the true subject
Before applying any rule, you must identify what the sentence is actually about. The simplest method is to find the verb first, then ask who or what is performing it. Whatever answers that question is the subject.
Consider: The box of ripe mangoes sits on the veranda. The verb is sits. What sits? The box — not the mangoes. Box is singular, so the singular verb sits is correct.
This is worth practising deliberately, because most errors in this topic come not from ignorance of the rule but from agreeing the verb with the nearest noun instead of the real subject.
Intervening phrases
A phrase placed between the subject and the verb never changes the number of the subject. Prepositional phrases beginning with of, in, with, along with, as well as, together with, including and in addition to are the usual culprits.
The principal, along with the senior teachers, has approved the timetable. The subject is principal, which is singular, so the verb is has, not have. The phrase along with the senior teachers is additional information and does not make the subject plural.
A reliable technique is to mentally cross out any phrase set off by commas, or any phrase beginning with a preposition, and then read the sentence again. What remains will make the correct verb obvious.
Compound subjects with and
Two or more subjects joined by and are normally plural and take a plural verb. Kemar and Shanice were selected for the debating team.
There are two exceptions worth knowing. First, when the joined items refer to a single person or a single thing, the subject is singular: The secretary and treasurer of the club is Miss Alleyne, where one person holds both posts. If two different people held them, the sentence would read The secretary and the treasurer of the club are, with the second the signalling two individuals.
Second, when a compound subject is preceded by each or every, it takes a singular verb: Every boy and girl in the form was given a permission slip.
Compound subjects with or and nor
When subjects are joined by or, nor, either... or or neither... nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it. This is often called the proximity rule.
Neither the students nor the teacher was informed. The nearer subject is teacher, which is singular, so the verb is was.
Neither the teacher nor the students were informed. Here the nearer subject is students, so the verb is were.
Because the correct verb changes depending on word order, examiners find this an easy point to test. If a sentence sounds awkward, it is usually acceptable to place the plural subject second, which produces the more natural-sounding plural verb.
Indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns fall into three groups and this classification is worth memorising.
Always singular: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody, something, anyone, anybody, anything, no one, nobody, nothing. Everyone in the two classes has submitted the assignment.
Always plural: both, few, many, several. Several of the candidates were late.
Variable, depending on the noun they refer to: all, any, most, none, some. Most of the water has evaporated but Most of the villagers have returned. Look at the noun after of to decide.
The words each, either and neither cause the most trouble because they are frequently followed by a plural phrase. Each of the players has a locker is correct: the subject is each, not players.
Collective nouns
A collective noun takes a singular verb when the group is acting as a single unit, and a plural verb when the members are acting as individuals.
The committee has published its report treats the committee as one body. The committee have disagreed among themselves treats the members separately. Caribbean usage generally follows British convention here, so both are acceptable when the meaning justifies them, but you must stay consistent within a sentence. Writing The team has won their match mixes the two and is penalised; choose either has... its or have... their.
Inverted sentences and there is or there are
When a sentence begins with there or here, the subject follows the verb. There is never the subject.
There is one chair in the room. There are three chairs in the room. Look past there to find the real subject and agree with it.
Questions are also inverted: Where are the keys? The subject is keys, so the plural verb is required.
Nouns with tricky forms
Some nouns look plural but are singular: news, mathematics, physics, economics, measles, politics. The news was broadcast at six o'clock.
Some nouns are always plural and take a plural verb: scissors, trousers, glasses, pliers. The scissors are in the drawer.
Titles of books, films and organisations, however plural they look, are singular: The Islands of the Caribbean is a useful reference text.
Expressions of measurement, distance, time and money take a singular verb when treated as a single quantity: Two hundred dollars is a fair price and Five kilometres is a long walk in this heat.
Worked examples
Example 1: Identifying the error in a sentence (2 marks)
Correct the error in this sentence: The basket of oranges and grapefruits were left on the kitchen counter.
Find the verb: were left. Now ask what was left — the basket. The words of oranges and grapefruits form a prepositional phrase describing the basket, and they do not change its number. Basket is singular, so the verb must be singular. The corrected sentence reads: The basket of oranges and grapefruits was left on the kitchen counter.
Example 2: Applying the proximity rule (3 marks)
Choose the correct verb: Neither the coach nor the players (was / were) satisfied with the result.
The subjects are joined by neither... nor, so the verb agrees with the nearer subject. The nearer subject is players, which is plural. The correct verb is therefore were: Neither the coach nor the players were satisfied with the result. Note that if the sentence were reversed to Neither the players nor the coach, the correct verb would become was.
Example 3: Editing a short passage (4 marks)
Correct the agreement errors: Each of the students have been given a handbook. There is several matters to discuss, and the committee are meeting on Friday to settle them as a group.
Three corrections are needed. Each is always singular, so have becomes has. In the second sentence, there is not the subject; matters is, and it is plural, so is becomes are. In the third clause, the phrase as a group shows the committee is acting as a single unit, so are becomes is. The corrected passage reads: Each of the students has been given a handbook. There are several matters to discuss, and the committee is meeting on Friday to settle them as a group.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most frequent error by a wide margin is agreeing the verb with the noun immediately before it rather than with the true subject. Train yourself to bracket off prepositional phrases before deciding.
Students regularly treat each, every, either and neither as plural because a plural noun follows them. These words are singular however many people or things they refer to.
Another common slip is inconsistency with collective nouns within a single sentence. Once you choose singular or plural, every verb and pronoun referring to that noun must match.
Many candidates assume there is the subject in sentences beginning there is or there are, and default to there is for everything. Always look further along the sentence.
Finally, a frequent error in Caribbean classrooms comes from transferring a Creole pattern, where the verb form does not change for number, into Standard English writing. This is not a mark of poor English; it is a difference between two systems. The exam requires Standard English, so the agreement must be marked explicitly on the verb.
Exam technique for "Usage and Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement"
In Paper 1 multiple choice items, read the whole sentence before looking at the options. Identify the verb, then the subject, then decide. Working from the options backwards leads to choosing whatever sounds familiar, which is exactly what the distractors are designed to exploit.
When an item contains a long phrase between subject and verb, cover that phrase with your finger and read the sentence without it. The answer usually becomes obvious immediately.
In Paper 2, leave time to proofread specifically for agreement. Read your writing once looking only at verbs, ignoring content entirely. This single-purpose pass catches far more than a general read-through.
Watch particularly for agreement in sentences you have edited during writing. Changing a subject from singular to plural while leaving the original verb untouched is one of the most common sources of error in timed writing.
Quick revision summary
A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Find the verb first, then ask who or what performs it to locate the true subject. Phrases beginning with of, with, along with and as well as never change the subject's number. Subjects joined by and are plural unless they name one person or are preceded by each or every; subjects joined by or or nor agree with the nearer subject. Each, either, neither, one and the -one, -body and -thing pronouns are always singular; both, few, many and several are always plural; all, any, most, none and some depend on the noun that follows of. Collective nouns take a singular verb when the group acts as a unit and a plural verb when members act individually, but must stay consistent. In sentences beginning there or here, the subject comes after the verb. News, mathematics and economics are singular despite their form; scissors and trousers are plural; amounts of money, time and distance are singular.