Subject verb agreement: further information

    One of these cheeses is mild; the others are strong.

 

Singular nouns are followed by a singular verb and plural nouns by a plural verb:

 

            A client from Romania was at the seminar.

            Among those present at the seminar were our Romanian clients.

 

But sometimes it is not so easy to choose the correct form:

 

 

	Singular verb	Plural verb
We regard the contents of the clause as a singular entity and use a singular verb most of the time.	Wherever you want to eat is fine with me.   To work for a big, multi-national company was always her dream.   Forgetting someone's name feels terrible.
However, in a 'what' clause, it depends on the noun that comes after the verb.	What I love most about this job is the salary.   What we need is a new approach.       Note that although a plural verb is correct with a plural noun, you might hear a singular verb in informal conversation. For example:   What I love most about this job is the people. [informal, conversational]	What I love most about this job are the people.   What annoys me are the hundreds of emails I get every day.

 

 

Nouns that refer to a group, company or organisation can be used with either a singular or plural verb. Usually, there is little or no difference in the meaning and it doesn't matter which we use although singular verbs are preferred in formal English.

 

However, we sometimes use a singular verb when we consider the group as a single entity and a plural verb when we see it as a collection of individuals - it depends what we want to say about them: 

 

            The IT team is based in Lyon. [the whole team]

            The team is/are going to lunch at 1 o'clock. [the whole team or each member]

           

A British jury consists of twelve people. [the whole thing]

            The jury have all made their decision. [each person separately]

                       

 

Other examples include: audience, class, company, crowd, department, family, government, population, school and the names of companies or organisations such as the BBC, Apple, the Stock Exchange and the World Health Organisation.

 

 

Note that   

 

1.     Most of the time, we do not make a clear and deliberate distinction between singular and plural use. Sometimes both are possible:

 

My family live/lives in Ireland.

 

Or it is clear from the context which to use.

 

The crowd is getting bigger.

The crowd are getting bigger. 

 

      2.       There are other nouns which are always plural, such as 'police':

 

The police have arrested two men in connection with the robbery.

 

And some which are plural most of the time, such as 'staff':

 

     Staff who want to leave early have to ask permission first.

 

 

The choice of verb depends on the noun. Here are some examples: 

 

	Singular verb	Plural verb
Those we see as a single entity, including the names of countries and the titles of films and publications are followed by a singular verb.	Jaws is one of the best films of the 1970s.   The United States wants to promote democracy.   The Sunday Times has been published since 1821.
Some appear to be plural but are not - these include the names of some sports and illnesses.         They also include some academic subjects but see below.	The news wasn't good.   Gymnastics is her favourite sport.   Rabies is a life-threatening disease.   Physics includes the study of heat and light.
Some names of academic subjects also have a second, more general meaning.	Statistics was the most difficult part of the course.     Politics seems to be a more popular subject nowadays.     Economics isn't my favourite subject.	Reliable statistics are essential in market research. [information]   His politics have changed as he's got older. [political beliefs]   The economics of this industry need to be considered. [its financial system]
Some have no singular form and always take a plural verb.		His clothes are really unfashionable. His earnings have shot up.   Thanks were given to all the participants.   Other examples include:   ·         belongings ·         outskirts ·         goods ·         premises
Some have the same form in the singular and plural.	My favourite means of transport is the train.	Several means of dealing with the situation were discussed.

 

Some common irregular plural nouns are nowadays treated as singular. For example:

 

            This data is unreliable.  

Is it a strong bacteria?

What was the criteria for the decision?

 

Another example is 'the media' - a collective term for different methods of broadcasting the news - although some people prefer a plural verb:

The media was/were responsible for influencing public opinion.

The media has/have been accused of invading people's privacy.

 

In other contexts, 'media' is clearly plural:

 

            Various media for delivering the training courses are being considered.

 

 

	Singular verb	Plural verb
A singular verb is preferred.	The €200 he offered isn't enough.   I think 75km is too far to travel to work every day.
With percentages, it depends whether the noun in the sentence is singular or plural.	40% of his time is spent in meetings.	10% of the employees want to work in a different department.

 

 

We usually use a plural verb:  

 

            My sister and I are going to Italy next year.

 

But if we see the items as a single entity, we use a singular verb:

 

            Blackcurrant crumble and ice cream is my favourite dessert.

            Health and Safety has to be a priority for us.

 

 

Be careful to match the noun to the verb:

 

The manager of the European teams has retired. [the manager, not 'teams have']

The emails from the customer have all been dealt with. [the emails, not 'customer has']

 

This is an important point to consider if you take a test in English.

 

 

'One of' is followed by a plural noun but does not take a plural verb because it refers to 'one of a pair or group':

 

One of my colleagues is sick.

One of my colleagues are sick.   

 

An exception is when we add a relative pronoun. In this case, we can use either a singular or a plural verb. Here are some examples:

 

+ plural noun	+ plural noun + 'who'/'which'/'that'
singular verb:   One of the best things about the film was the music.   One of my friends speaks fluent Japanese.	plural or singular verb:   He's one of those people who expect/expects perfection.   It's one of the decisions which is/are very difficult to make alone.

 

See also Quantifiers and plural nouns.

 

 

 

The goods are loaded onto ships by crane.	My family like/likes getting together at the weekend.	"Angels and Demons" is Dan Brown's second novel.
Two hours wasn't enough to discuss all the items on the agenda.	Moules frites is a popular French dish.	The outskirts of the city are much quieter than the centre and it's cheaper to rent a flat.