English Subject Verb Agreement

If you are discussing a specific amount of time, money, weight, distance, or volumne, which is considered as one unit or a total quantity, use singular verb. It is because measurements are treated as a single idea, instead of individual parts.

Examples:

• Ten miles is too far to walk.
• Five hundred rupees is not enough for the Rakhi gift.
• Two liters of water is enough for the recipe.
• Three hours is a long time to wait.

Titles of books, plays, movies, etc., may appear plural but are treated as singular. It is because these books, plays, or movies refer to a single entity.

Examples:

• "The Great Gatsby" is a wonderful movie.
• "Pride and Prejudice" is a classic novel by Jane Austen.

In a sentence, when two subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb should agree with the nearest subject. The rule followed here is the proximity rule.

Examples:

• Either the teacher or the students have the answer.
• Either the students or the teacher has made a mistake.

When two subjects in a sentence are joined by 'and', usually the plural verb is used to make the sentence gramatically correct. However, if both nouns refer to a single idea,  singular verb is used.

Examples:

• My brother and I are going on a trip.
• Fish and chips is a popular dish in the UK.

A subject in a sentence is singular,  if it refers to one person, place, or thing. However, a subject is plural,  if it refers to more than one person, place, or thing.

Another way to identify the subject as singular or plural, is by looking at the pronoun used. Singular nouns often do not end in '-s', while plural nouns usually do.

Examples:

• The child plays in the garden. (Singular)
• The children play in the garden. (Plural)