MEPX
Chapter 2 of 10All chapters
  1. 1A method
  2. 2Subject and verb agreement
  3. 3Modifiers
  4. 4Parallel structure
  5. 5Pronouns
  6. 6Joining clauses
  7. 7Tense and sequence
  8. 8Comparisons
  9. 9Concision
  10. 10Editing your own work

Chapter 2 of 10

Subject and verb agreement

Find the real subject.

Intervening words

The verb agrees with the subject, not with the nearest noun. In the list of items is, the subject is list. Prepositional phrases between them are noise.

  • Each, every, either and neither take singular verbs.
  • Neither-nor takes the number of the nearer subject.

Tricky subjects

Collective nouns can take either form depending on meaning. There is and there are follow whatever comes after them, which is the pair most often got wrong.