Questions tagged [verb-agreement]
Agreement between a verb and its subject for number and person.
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was v. were with plural subjects that sound singular
What is correct:
A man and his cars were serious business.
OR
A man and his cars was serious business.
What is correct:
John's car, bodyguards, and wife's legs were enough to cool the bear.
OR
...
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2answers
14 views
“Memoirs” in book title - singular or plural verb?
I'm editing an article about the Battle of Agincourt. The author quotes his source as follows:
The Memoires de Pierre de Fenin place the battle "between Maisoncelles and Agincourt".
"Memoires" [...
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1answer
7 views
Subject-verb agreement with more than one gerund in the subject
I have seen a discussion of double gerunds and subject-verb agreement, but not addressing the following specific situtation:
"Reading and studying history HAS or HAVE been formative...": two gerunds ...
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1answer
35 views
Using *plural* allow(s) me to [duplicate]
I can not figure out what the correct usage of allow/allows is in this case.
Using plural allow(s) me to...
Would "allow(s)" refer back to the plural and thus be "allow"? or does it refer back to ...
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0answers
14 views
Is 'kindled the curious researcher' in me correct?
Kindled is usually used along with 'fire' or 'love'. So would it be 'kindled the curiosity in me?' Or 'kindled the curious researcher in me'?
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1answer
41 views
Is “any of them” used with a singular or plural verb? [on hold]
I'm posting this question to settle a debate.
Is the sentence, "If there are three of an unparalleled thing, is any of them truly unparalleled?" correct? The sentence throws me off because the first ...
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0answers
24 views
“Agree to” vs “Have agreed to”
When I read a BBC news article, I found a question about the reason why they use "have agreed to" instead of "agreed to".
See the following sentence.
bbc.com, "Koreas to remove guns and guard posts ...
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0answers
47 views
Have vs. Has—which verb to use?
Is it correct to use have instead of has in the sentence below:
Scylla for Windows and Android phones have limited functionality.
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1answer
39 views
Verb agreement with a phrase set off by “but”
A coworker is writing a sentence like
Sally, but especially Joe, enjoys questions about grammar and usage.
He thinks it should be
Sally, but especially Joe, enjoy questions about grammar and ...
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1answer
49 views
“More than one person a day is/are killed”
If I wrote a sentence saying "More than one person a day _______ killed by these massacres," would the blank be replaced by is or are?
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1answer
25 views
Is “average age” singular subject or plural?
"The average age at which people died of heart disease are decreasing."
Can I use "is" in place of "are" ?
2
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2answers
51 views
Is “what has been discussed are…” a grammatically correct sentence?
When concluding an essay, I wrote "what has been discussed are three major advantages of xxx". But I doubt if "what has been discussed is three major advantages of xxx" is more correct?
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2answers
377 views
“Neither of us are” -vs- “Neither one of us is” [duplicate]
This cartoon was recently posted on Facebook. My sister (who is a retired HS English teacher) says the grammar is wrong and that the correct wording should be: "Neither one of us is." but I disagree.
...
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1answer
36 views
Singular entity, plural name/nickname — verb form?
In writing about the National Archives, I got to wondering about subject-verb agreement. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA, often called simply The National Archives) is one ...
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1answer
54 views
Which one is correct? “Vaccinating children has become…” or “Vaccinating children have become…” [duplicate]
I have a doubt about the following sentence.
"Vaccinating children has become increasingly popular these days."
According to my understanding children is plural so, this sentence suppose to be like ...
3
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3answers
96 views
Is “any of (plural noun)” used with a singular or plural verb? [duplicate]
Does one say, "If any of my grandchildren does not attain the age of eighteen..."
or does one say, "If any of my grandchildren do not attain the age of eighteen..."
The second phrase seems to imply ...
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1answer
43 views
Why is the verb form “releases” used in this long sentence?
An LED needs to be a diode, specifically because the way the charge
carriers recombine in the forward-biased diode junction releases the
correct amount of energy to create photons in the visible ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Subject verb agreement when “one of” used
Are these two sentences correct?
One of the employees who is worker at KP is here.
One of the employees who are workers at KP is here.
What is the context of who in both the sentences?
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1answer
64 views
Counting nouns using “slew” and the grammatical implications
Just having a lively debate with a content writer over whether we should say
There are a slew of reasons...
or
There is a slew of reasons...
Read this article which suggests that different ...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
How do I identify subjects when quantities are involved?
I'm working my way through The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, and I came across a difficulty.
In one of the quizzes, the book asks you to identify the subjects and verbs in sentences, and ...
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2answers
42 views
Has or have in this sentence?
The two leadership styles combined have a demonstrable effect on team effectiveness
or
The two leadership styles combined has a demonstrable effect on team effectiveness
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2answers
95 views
Should “is” or “are” be used in this sentence? [duplicate]
"One example I can think of is the expiration labels on food."
It seems like you should say "is" because "example" is a singular noun, but the sentence sounds weird to me for some reason. Maybe "the" ...
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1answer
48 views
David’s friendly demeanour, brilliant sense of humour and warmth, “make” or “makes” you feel right at home. [duplicate]
Should I use make or makes in the following sentence?
David’s friendly demeanour, brilliant sense of humour and warmth, make you feel right at home.
I say make, but my friend says makes.
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3answers
538 views
Can you start a sentence with “her”? [closed]
Can someone please answer this burning question? Is the following sentence correct?
Her and her voice were truly a gift.
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2answers
114 views
“He would have done anything you [would ask/would have asked/had asked] him to”
I want to say "He'll do anything you ask him to" but in the past tense, as that was the case 10 years ago, but he's not like that anymore. Which of the following should I use?
He would have done ...
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1answer
63 views
Subject and Verb Agreement - When to use Singular / Plural [duplicate]
I see below suggestion in Grammarly on Subject and Verb Agreement.
"The verb needs does not seem to agree with the subject that. Consider changing the verb form."
And they give below examples on ...
3
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1answer
722 views
Does “fruit” get singular or plural verb form?
Which one is correct?
There are no low-hanging fruit.
Or
There is no low-hanging fruit.
Or are both correct? If both are correct, is one of them more preferable?
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votes
2answers
155 views
Is it correct to say “the truth is” when the rest of the sentence is in the past?
Is it correct to say:
The truth is, he was a great explorer.
Or do I have to say:
The truth was, he was a great explorer.
Or are both okay?
1
vote
1answer
277 views
In my house, “there were” or “there was” many toys
Which of the following is correct and why:
1) In my house, there were many toys.
2) In my house, there was many toys.
An answer with an explanation would be greatly appreciated.
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1answer
70 views
one or more verb agreement [duplicate]
Sentence: A recent review of our records indicates that one or more of your dependents does/do not have a valid birthday on file
This is actually for a business letter and we have conflicting ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
What is the structure in the sentence: “The reason scientists believe that…”
I have this sentence from one of my IELTS books:
One of the reasons scientists think that there is a link between stress and cancer is the idea that there may be a cancer-prone personality
At ...
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votes
2answers
38 views
Which still wants vs which still want [duplicate]
Which one is correct?
1) Pick those pieces of your heart which still wants to be happy , or
2) Pick those pieces of your heart which still want to be happy.
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0answers
51 views
Mass Noun em-dash List-of-Plurals em-dash Verb
Is it just me, or?
All of the content you see on Stack Exchange—all the questions, answers, edits, reviews, users, badges, tags, and more—is stored in a relational database.
Seems technically ...
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0answers
46 views
“It weren't me” as used in movies depicting 19th century lower class persons in England [duplicate]
I have noticed the use of the phrases, "It weren't me" and "I weren't there" in some movies I have seen recently. The characters speaking are always very poor, lower working class people in England ...
3
votes
2answers
114 views
British English plural verb for group noun in a contraction
I'm curious about the use of the famous British plural verb form with a group noun¹ in a contraction. The general custom for the plural is discussed here and here but those don't call out contractions....
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0answers
55 views
“There is” vs. “there are” in informal situations [duplicate]
I was wondering whether it's considered okay to use “there is” with plural nouns in informal situations. I know that the correct form with a plural noun would be “there are,” but I'm not sure whether ...
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1answer
212 views
should I say 'a group of friends who lives close by' or 'a group of friends who live close by' [duplicate]
I'm attempting to design a worksheet for TEFL students. Here's one of the questions:
4) Your friend Tina who lives close by comes to visit you today. You want to ask her what she was doing when it ...
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2answers
141 views
(English Grammar ) reason why my answer is wrong why it is not has been visiting , why is answer is have been visited [closed]
Actual question :
Since 2011 they _____ their son every year. (to visit) ?
My answer :
Since 2011 they has been visting their son every year
Correct is:
Since 2011 they have visited ...
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vote
1answer
82 views
“5 votes {was/were} chosen to be the number of close votes needed…”: Which is correct?
"5 votes was chosen to be the number of close votes needed to close a question on Stack Exchange."
Grammarly says that I should change "was" to "were," but it doesn't sound right to me. What's the ...
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0answers
20 views
What does it mean when a plural verb is sometimes used with a singular country-name as the subject? [duplicate]
I read a statement in this Facebook post:
Belgium make a statement with a clinical win
My question is why is it Belgium make in the plural, not Belgium makes in the singular?
Wouldn’t you say ...
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0answers
26 views
Singular or plural verb after multiple -ing verbs? [duplicate]
Answering and editing give you reputation.
Answering and editing gives you reputation.
Should I use a singular or plural verb?
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votes
1answer
74 views
The reason… is you? [closed]
In Hoobastank's The Reason, a lyric is
And the Reason is you...
Is that sentence (grammatically) correct? I'm asking because, you know... You are the reason.
Specifically, should "is" in the ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views
Plural verb used with singular subject
Today I was reading a programming book and I encountered the following sentence (emphases mine):
In this case, for example, the type that all three compilers report
for param are incorrect.
I'm ...
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0answers
19 views
A team of researcher and research team gives/give the same meaning [duplicate]
Please help me out with this statement.
A team of researchers and research team gives/give the same meaning.
Which verb from should I use here (gives/give)?
Thanks,
Prudhvi
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5answers
188 views
Should I consider “Hectare” as singular or plural?
Every year some 13 million hectares of rain forest, an area about the size of England, disappears.
In this context, should I use disappear or disappears?
But I might see some sentences which ...
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1answer
65 views
Numerical agreement with “Many a” [duplicate]
Does 'many a' take a singular pronoun or a plural one?
Many a is followed by a singular noun. So also does it follow a singular pronoun?
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0answers
91 views
“Attached {is/are} the agenda and the minutes.” Is “is” correct here? [duplicate]
Is "is" used correctly in the following sentence?
Attached is the agenda and the minutes for the next board meeting.
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0answers
19 views
“What {is/are} the meaning and connotations of this phrase?” Which is correct here, “is” or “are”? [duplicate]
Consider the question:
What is/are the meaning and connotations of this phrase?
Clearly you would say:
What is the meaning of this phrase?
What are connotations of this phrase?
and ...
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0answers
22 views
Which one is correct? is/are presented
• A comprehensive task taxonomy and failure classification is presented.
• A comprehensive task taxonomy and failure classification are presented.
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1answer
74 views
Can you put the article ‘a’ after the verb ‘are’? [duplicate]
So, I just read an article, and was confused by the sentence:
In the study we just described, we found evidence that people’s self-discerning reflections — musings on whether parts of their ...
