Explanation
What Is Subject Verb Agreement? The subject and the verb must match in number: A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb. Rules and Exceptions 5. Prepositions Eliminate all PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES. The subject will never be in a prepositional phrase. Crossing them out makes it easier to identify the subject. The results [of the recent study] [on climate change] [in coastal regions] were alarming. (Subject: results, Verb: were). 6. Interrupters Cross out any detail positioned between commas, dashes, or parentheses. The committee, [despite several objections from senior members], has approved the proposal. 7. Tricky Singular Words like: neither, either, each, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, everything, anything, little, much. These are GRAMMATICALLY SINGULAR even if they refer to multiple people/things, sound plural, or are followed by plural nouns. Neither of the solutions proposed by the researchers is effective. 8. Tricky Plural Datum -> Data (Plural) Phenomenon -> Phenomena (Plural) Criterion -> Criteria (Plural) Medium -> Media (Plural) TRAP: The data is clear (Wrong) -> The data are clear (Correct). 9. Neither/Nor & Either/Or (Agreement Rule) When connecting two subjects with either...or / neither...nor, the verb agrees with the second subject (the one closest to the verb). Neither the engineers nor the project manager is responsible. 10. Inverted Sentences (There/Here Structures) In sentences starting…