Titles and Units
Titles of Works and Their Agreement
Titles of works are always treated as singular, even when they sound plural. That's because the title refers to one thing: one book, one movie, one show.
- The Hunger Games is a bestselling novel. (One book, singular verb.)
- The New York Times reports on global events. (One newspaper, singular verb.)
- Friends was a popular sitcom. (One show, singular verb.)
The only time this changes is when you're talking about multiple copies of a work: Three copies of The Hunger Games were on the shelf.
Units of Measurement and Quantity Agreement
When a measurement or amount refers to a single unit, it takes a singular verb. You're treating the whole quantity as one chunk, not as individual pieces.
- Five years is a long time to wait.
- Ten miles is too far to walk.
- Fifty dollars was spent on groceries.
- Twenty pounds of flour is needed for the recipe.
The key question: are you talking about the amount as one lump sum, or about individual units? "Ten dollars is enough" (one amount), but "Ten dollar bills are scattered on the table" (individual bills).
Singular and Plural Forms
Fractions and Percentages in Subject-Verb Agreement
With fractions and percentages, the verb doesn't agree with the fraction itself. It agrees with the noun that follows it (the object of the of phrase).
- Half of the cake is gone. ("Cake" is singular, so the verb is singular.)
- Half of the students were absent. ("Students" is plural, so the verb is plural.)
- Two-thirds of the population speaks English. ("Population" is singular.)
- 25% of the forest was destroyed. ("Forest" is singular.)
- 25% of the trees were cut down. ("Trees" is plural.)
The rule is consistent: look past the fraction or percentage and find the noun. That noun controls the verb.
Nouns with Mismatched Form and Meaning
Some nouns look plural but act singular, and a few work the other way around. These just need to be memorized.
Plural-looking nouns that take singular verbs:
- The news is good today. (Not "are.")
- Mathematics is my favorite subject. (Also: physics, economics, linguistics, etc.)
- Billiards is a popular game. (Also: darts, gymnastics, aerobics when referring to the activity as a whole.)
Collective nouns that can go either way:
Collective nouns like team, family, staff, jury, and committee take a singular verb when the group acts as a unit, and a plural verb when members act individually.
- The team is practicing. (Acting together as one unit.)
- The team are arguing among themselves. (Acting as separate individuals.)
In American English, the singular form is much more common for collective nouns. British English uses the plural form more freely.
Compound Subjects and Correlative Conjunctions
Either/Or and Neither/Nor Constructions
With either/or and neither/nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. This is called the proximity rule.
- Either John or Mary is going to the store. (Both singular, so the verb is singular.)
- Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared. (The verb matches "students," the closer subject.)
- Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared. (Now "teacher" is closer, so the verb is singular.)
When one subject is singular and the other is plural, place the plural subject last. This sounds more natural: "Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared" reads better than "Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared." Both are grammatically correct, but the first flows more smoothly.
One more thing: neither/nor already expresses a negative, so don't add another one. Write "Neither John nor Mary likes spinach," not "Neither John nor Mary don't like spinach."
Subjects Joined by 'And' and Special Cases
Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. Two things = plural.
- John and Mary are friends.
But there are several exceptions worth knowing:
When the compound subject is really one thing:
- Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite sandwich. (One concept, one food item.)
- My friend and colleague is visiting. (One person who is both your friend and your colleague.)
When each or every comes before the subjects:
- Each boy and girl receives a prize.
- Every man and woman was required to register.
The words each and every emphasize individuals one at a time, which makes the subject singular even though and connects two nouns.
Watch out for interrupting phrases. Phrases like along with, together with, as well as, and in addition to do not make a subject plural. They aren't the same as and.
- The president, along with his advisors, was present. ("Along with his advisors" is just extra information; "president" is still the subject.)