Subject–Verb Agreement (Concord)

One of the most important (and sometimes confusing) areas of English grammar is subject–verb agreement, also known as concord. In simple terms, it means that the verb must agree with the subject in number: singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Let’s break it down step by step.

1. Singular and Plural Verbs

In the present simple tense, English verbs change form depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.

Singular subjects

Singular subjects (he, she, it, or one person/thing) usually take a verb ending in -s or -es.

• She works in an office.

• The dog runs fast.

• My friend lives in Prague.

Plural subjects

Plural subjects (we, you, they, or more than one person/thing) take the base form of the verb.

• They work in an office.

• The dogs run fast.

• My friends live in Prague.

  
  

⚠️ Important: The verb to be is irregular:

• Singular: am / is

• Plural: are

2. What Is Concord (Subject–Verb Agreement)?

Concord is the grammatical rule that the verb must match the subject in number and person, not other words in the sentence.

Compare:

• The teacher of the students is tired.

• The teachers of the student are tired.

Even though other nouns appear between the subject and the verb, the verb agrees only with the main subject.

3. Common Tricky Situations in Concord

a) Phrases between the subject and the verb

Extra information does not change the verb form. Always think about what is the subject.

• The list of names is on the table.

• A box of chocolates was given to her.

(Main subject: list, box → singular)

b) Collective nouns

Collective nouns (team, family, group, staff) can be singular or plural, depending on meaning.

• The team is winning. (the team as one unit)

• The team are arguing among themselves. (members as individuals)

British English uses this flexibility more often than American English.

In British English, it is generally accepted that collective nouns can take either singular (formal agreement) or plural verb forms (notional agreement) depending on the context.

In American English, collective nouns almost always take singular verb forms (formal agreement).

Other collective nouns:

• People: Audience, board, choir, class, crew, family, gang, staff, team, troupe.

• Animals: Colony (ants), flock (birds/sheep), herd (cattle), litter (puppies), pack (dogs), pod (dolphins), pride (lions), swarm (bees or locusts), bed (for clams or oysters).

• Things: Bunch (grapes/keys), bundle (sticks), fleet (ships), pack (cards), pair (shoes), set (dishes). 

EXTRA EXAMPLES:

Board

• Singular: The board has approved the new policy. (formal)

• Plural: The board are divided in their opinions about the proposal. (notional)

Choir

• Singular: The choir is performing a new song tonight.

• Plural: The choir are warming up their voices backstage.

Troupe

• Singular: The troupe is touring Europe this year.

• Plural: The troupe are practicing their lines separately.

Colony (ants)

• Singular: The colony is expanding rapidly.

• Plural: The colony are building their tunnels underground.

Litter (puppies)

• Singular: The litter is only two weeks old.

• Plural: The litter are playing with their mother.

Pride (lions)

• Singular: The pride is resting under the trees.

• Plural: The pride are protecting their territory.

Fleet (ships)

• Singular: The fleet is sailing at dawn.

• Plural: The fleet are preparing their anchors.

4. Notional Agreement (Meaning Over Form)

Sometimes, the verb agrees with the meaning of the subject rather than its grammatical form. This is called notional agreement.

Examples:

• Five years is a long time.

• Ten kilometres is too far to walk.

• Fifty euros is enough.

Although the subjects look plural, they refer to one unit, amount, or period, so a singular verb is used.

Typical mistake:

❌ Five years are a long time.✔️ Five years is a long time.

5. The Proximity Rule

The proximity rule means that the verb agrees with the noun closest to it, not necessarily the first noun in the subject.

This rule is common with:

• either … or

• neither … nor

• not only … but also

• there is / there are

Examples:

• Either the teacher or the students are responsible.

• Either the students or the teacher is responsible.

The verb changes because it agrees with the nearest noun.

6. Proximity rule with there is / there are

• There is a book on the table.

• There are two books on the table.

• There is a book and two pens on the table.

• There are two pens and a book on the table.

Again, the verb follows the closest noun.

The proximity rule is accepted in modern English, especially in spoken and informal language. However:

• In formal writing, many teachers recommend restructuring the sentence to avoid confusion.

• Example:

  • Instead of: There is many reasons for this,

  • Write: There are many reasons for this.

7. Nouns That Look Plural but Are Singular

Some nouns end in -s but take a singular verb.

Common examples:

• news (zprávy)

• mathematics / physics / economics

• linguistics

• measles (spalničky)

The news is shocking.

Economics is my favourite subject.

Typical mistake:

❌ The news are bad.✔️ The news is bad.

TIP! Explore uncountable nouns here

8. Singular Nouns That Are Conceptually Plural

Some nouns are always plural and take a plural verb.

Examples:

• police

• people

• cattle

• scissors / trousers / glasses

• The police are investigating the case.

• Her trousers are too long.

Typical mistake:

❌ The police is here.✔️ The police are here.

TIP! Explore pluralia tantum here

9. Agreement with Fractions, Percentages, and Quantities

With expressions like a lot of, a number of, the number of, agreement depends on what follows.

a) A number of vs the number of

• A number of students are absent. (plural meaning: several)

• The number of students is increasing. (the number itself)

Typical mistake:

❌ The number of people are growing.✔️ The number of people is growing.

b) Percentages and fractions

• 50% of the class is absent.

• 50% of the students are absent.

The verb agrees with the noun after of.

10. Relative Clauses and Agreement

In relative clauses, the verb agrees with the antecedent, not the nearest noun.

• She is one of the teachers who work here.

• This is the only one of the books that was translated.

Typical mistake:

❌ She is one of the teachers who works here.✔️ She is one of the teachers who work here.

(“who” refers to teachers, not one)

11. Titles, Names, and Quoted Phrases

Titles of books, films, newspapers, and quoted phrases take a singular verb, even if they look plural.

• The Lord of the Rings is a famous novel.

• Statistics for Beginners is out of print.

Typical mistake:

❌ The Lord of the Rings are popular.✔️ The Lord of the Rings is popular.

12. Agreement with each, every, everyone, everybody

These words are grammatically singular, even though they refer to many people.

• Everyone is welcome.

• Each of the students has a laptop.

Typical mistake:

❌ Everyone are ready.✔️ Everyone is ready.

13. Advanced Pitfall: Distance vs Proximity

Advanced learners often overuse the proximity rule where it is not acceptable in formal English.

• ❌ The quality of the products and the service are excellent.

• ✔️ The quality of the products and the service is excellent.

Main subject = quality (singular), not the nearby nouns.

Common Advanced Learner Errors (Summary)

Error type	Incorrect	Correct
Plural-looking singular	The news are shocking.	The news is shocking.
Collective noun confusion	The team is arguing.	The team are arguing.
Relative clause mismatch	teachers who works	teachers who work
Quantity expressions	A number of people is…	A number of people are…
Distance distraction	A list of items are…	A list of items is…

Final Tip for Advanced Students

When checking subject–verb agreement:

1. Identify the real subject

2. Decide whether the meaning is one unit or multiple entities

3. Ignore intervening phrases

4. Use the proximity rule carefully, not automatically