Subject–Verb Agreement with Compound Subjects and Intervening Phrases

Welcome back. In the previous lesson, you learned to identify run-ons and comma splices by checking whether each side of a boundary could stand as a complete sentence. That same habit of locating the real structure of a sentence matters here.

This lesson focuses on subject–verb agreement: making the verb match its true subject in number. You will work with two situations that often cause errors even in otherwise strong writing: compound subjects and phrases placed between the subject and verb. By the end, you should be able to diagnose these errors methodically rather than relying on what “sounds right.”

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Find the subject that controls the verb

A verb must agree with its subject:

• A singular subject takes a singular verb:

  The argument seems convincing.

• A plural subject takes a plural verb:

  The arguments seem convincing.

In the present tense, English can feel backward at first: plural nouns often end in -s, but third-person singular verbs often end in -s.

Subject	Correct verb
The student	writes
The students	write
The proposal	needs
The proposals	need

Forms of be work differently:

Subject	Correct form of be
The paragraph	is
The paragraphs	are
The paragraph	was
The paragraphs	were

The key is not to choose a verb based on the noun closest to it. Choose it based on the noun or pronoun that actually performs the action or is described by the verb.

Consider these two sentences:

The collection of student essays needs more organization.
The essays in the collection need stronger conclusions.

In the first sentence, collection is singular. The phrase of student essays gives extra information, but it does not control needs. In the second sentence, essays is plural, so the verb is need.

A dependable three-part method is:

1. Locate the verb that carries the tense, such as is, was, has, does, seems, or need.
2. Ask, “Who or what performs this action?” or “Who or what is being described?”
3. Decide whether that subject is singular or plural, then check the verb form.

When a helping verb appears, it usually carries the agreement:

The list of sources has grown.
The lists of sources have grown.

The words grown do not change; has and have show agreement.

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Compound subjects: what conjunction connects them?

A compound subject has two or more parts joined by a conjunction. The conjunction tells you how to determine agreement.

The first part of Adam’s English Lessons’ video establishes the basic rule and then explains the most important compound-subject patterns.

Subjects joined by and

When and joins two distinct subjects, the compound subject is plural.

The outline and draft need revision.
The student and her tutor meet every Thursday.
The evidence and explanation support the claim.

Even if each part is singular by itself, together they refer to more than one person, object, or idea. You can often replace the whole subject with they:

The student and her tutor meet every Thursday.
They meet every Thursday.

A common error is using a singular verb because the closest noun is singular:

Incorrect: The examples and the conclusion needs revision.
Correct: The examples and the conclusion need revision.

When and does not create a plural subject

Sometimes two words joined by and refer to one combined item, one idea, or one person. In that case, singular agreement can make sense.

Peanut butter and jelly is my usual lunch.
Research and revision is a demanding process.

The meaning matters. If you mean two separate items, use a plural verb:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are available in the cafeteria.

Two roles may also refer to one person:

The founder and CEO is speaking at the event.

This sentence means one person is both the founder and the CEO. If the jobs belong to two people, write:

The founder and the CEO are speaking at the event.

When the meaning is unclear, revise for clarity rather than hoping the verb will explain it.

Two additional patterns take singular verbs:

Each claim and example needs a clear purpose.
Every student and teacher is invited.

The words each and every make the writer consider the items one at a time.

Phrases that look compound but are not

Words such as as well as, along with, together with, and including do not turn a singular subject into a compound subject. They add extra information, much like an interruption.

The principal, along with two counselors, is attending.
The principal and two counselors are attending.

The first sentence has one main subject: principal. The second names three people as the subject.

This distinction is particularly useful in formal writing. A sentence may contain several nouns, but it may still have only one grammatical subject.

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Subjects joined by or or nor

With or and nor, the subject nearest the verb determines whether the verb should be singular or plural.

Either the counselor or the teachers are available.
Either the teachers or the counselor is available.

The same principle applies to neither...nor:

Neither the late buses nor the train is reliable today.
Neither the train nor the late buses are reliable today.

This may initially seem strange because both nouns matter to the meaning. Grammatically, however, the verb agrees with the final part of the compound subject.

Construction	Subject nearest the verb	Correct verb
Either Maya or Jordan	Jordan, singular	is
Either Maya or the volunteers	volunteers, plural	are
Neither the volunteers nor Maya	Maya, singular	is
Neither the schedule nor the announcements	announcements, plural	explain

If a sentence feels awkward, you can often improve it by rearranging the subjects or rewriting the sentence. Clear writing matters more than forcing an unnecessarily complicated structure.

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Intervening phrases: ignore the distractors

The most common agreement mistake happens when a writer sees a plural noun near the verb and treats it as the subject—even though it belongs inside a phrase.

For example:

Incorrect: The list of possible topics are on my desk.
Correct: The list of possible topics is on my desk.

The true subject is list, not topics. The phrase of possible topics describes the list.

The UNM Core Writing Grammar Guide provides a useful editing strategy: temporarily set aside phrases that appear between the main subject and verb.

Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase often begins with a word such as of, in, on, with, for, by, under, or between. It adds detail, but it does not usually contain the sentence’s main subject.

Read the “skeleton” of each sentence:

The effect of the new rules is noticeable.
The effect is noticeable.

The effects of the new rules are noticeable.
The effects are noticeable.

The noun after of is a frequent distractor:

The box of old photographs belongs to my grandmother.
The boxes of old photographs belong to my grandmother.

Do not let photographs control the verb. The sentence is about one box or multiple boxes.

Descriptive clauses

A dependent clause can also sit between the subject and the main verb:

The student who organized the debate deserves recognition.
The students who organized the debate deserve recognition.

Here, who organized the debate describes student or students. The verbs organized and deserves/deserve have different jobs:

• organized belongs inside the descriptive clause.
• deserves or deserve is the main verb of the whole sentence.

When proofreading, it helps to bracket the interrupting material mentally:

The student [who organized the debate] deserves recognition.

This is not a rule for removing useful detail from your writing. It is a way to see the grammar underneath the detail.

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Worked corrections: use the sentence skeleton

The following examples combine the two challenges from this lesson. Notice how finding the skeleton makes the correction much less mysterious.

Sentence with an error	Skeleton	Corrected sentence
The purpose of the interviews are unclear.	purpose is	The purpose of the interviews is unclear.
The reasons and evidence supports the thesis.	reasons and evidence support	The reasons and evidence support the thesis.
The director, as well as the actors, were prepared.	director was	The director, as well as the actors, was prepared.
Neither the announcements nor the schedule explain the change.	schedule explains	Neither the announcements nor the schedule explains the change.
Either the schedule or the announcements explains the change.	announcements explain	Either the schedule or the announcements explain the change.

The correction process is always the same:

1. Find the main verb.
2. Remove or bracket extra phrases temporarily.
3. Identify whether the remaining subject is singular, plural, or compound.
4. Apply the appropriate rule for and, or, nor, or an added phrase such as along with.
5. Read the full sentence again to be sure it says what you intended.

Grammar checkers can flag real problems, but they can also be fooled by a nearby noun. Your own identification of the subject should make the final decision.

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A focused editing pass for agreement

During revision, you do not need to inspect every word at once. Make one short pass through a paragraph for subject–verb agreement only.

Look especially for:

• sentences containing and, or, nor, either, or neither;
• phrases beginning with of, with, in, or along with;
• commas around extra information, such as The principal, as well as the teachers,;
• sentences with is/are, was/were, has/have, or does/do;
• long sentences in which the subject and verb are far apart.

For each possible problem, reduce the sentence to its skeleton before changing anything. This approach is more reliable than changing a verb simply because a sentence feels unfamiliar.

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Subject–verb agreement depends on the true subject, not the noun closest to the verb. With compound subjects, remember these main patterns:

• Subjects joined by and are usually plural.
• A single combined idea, one person with two roles, or a subject beginning with each or every can be singular.
• With or and nor, the subject nearest the verb controls agreement.
• Phrases such as of the students, along with the teachers, and who completed the project may interrupt the sentence, but they do not replace its main subject.

In the next lesson, you will build on this control of sentence parts by checking pronoun–antecedent agreement—making sure pronouns such as it, they, this, and those refer clearly and consistently to the right nouns.