The core rules

Find the main noun of the subject first, then choose the verb. Words between them don't change the agreement.

Rule	Correct	Incorrect
Ignore words between subject and verb	The cost of the tickets is high.	The cost of the tickets are high.
One of the + plural noun takes a singular verb	One of the reasons is cost.	One of the reasons are cost.
Each, every, everyone and nobody are singular	Every student has a laptop.	Every student have a laptop.
Two subjects joined by and are plural	Rice and wheat are staple foods.	Rice and wheat is staple foods.
As well as and along with don't make a plural	The manager, as well as her team, was praised.	The manager, as well as her team, were praised.
The number of takes a singular verb	The number of cars has risen.	The number of cars have risen.
A number of takes a plural verb	A number of students were absent.	A number of students was absent.

Either, neither and collective nouns

Either of / neither of + plural noun: a singular verb is the formal choice: "Neither of the answers is correct." A plural verb is common in speech and is not wrong, but use the singular in exam writing.

Either ... or / neither ... nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject. "Neither the teacher nor the students were ready." "Neither the students nor the teacher was ready."

Collective nouns such as government, team, family, staff and committee can take a singular or a plural verb in British English. Use the singular when you mean the group as one unit ("The committee has made its decision") and the plural when you mean the members ("The team are arguing among themselves"). American English mostly uses the singular. Whichever you choose, keep the pronouns consistent.

Always plural: police, people and cattle. "The police are investigating."

There is or there are?

After there, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it. "There is a problem." "There are several problems."

With a list, formal writing usually agrees with the first item: "There is a bed and two chairs in the room." If that sounds awkward, start with the plural item or rephrase.

In speech, "there's" is often used before plurals, but write "there are" in an exam.

Percentages, fractions and amounts

With percentages, fractions and words like half, most, some and all, the verb agrees with the noun after of.

Pattern	Example
Percentage + of + uncountable or singular noun	60% of the land is farmed.
Percentage + of + plural noun	60% of the farmers are women.
Fraction + of + singular noun	Two-thirds of the budget was spent.
Fraction + of + plural noun	Two-thirds of the respondents were satisfied.
An amount as one sum	Ten years is a long time. Five thousand rupees is too much.

Common mistakes

Wrong: One of my friend live in Canada.
Right: One of my friends lives in Canada.
One of takes a plural noun, and the verb agrees with one.
Wrong: The number of cars have increased.
Right: The number of cars has increased.
The subject is the number, which is singular.
Wrong: Everyone have a mobile phone nowadays.
Right: Everyone has a mobile phone nowadays.
Everyone is singular.
Wrong: There is many reasons for this trend.
Right: There are many reasons for this trend.
The verb agrees with reasons, which is plural.
Wrong: The informations are useful.
Right: The information is useful.
Information is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes a singular verb.

Using this in IELTS and PTE

Agreement is one of the most frequent error types in IELTS Writing Task 1 because data sentences have long subjects and percentages: "The proportion of young people who use buses has fallen." Check "the number of ... has" and "X% of + noun" every time. In Task 2 and PTE Write Essay, watch long subjects and one of the. Accurate agreement supports the Grammatical Range and Accuracy score in IELTS.

5 questions

Exercise

Try each one, then open it to check your answer.

1. Choose: "The price of vegetables (has / have) doubled."
has
The head of the subject is price, which is singular.
2. Choose: "Neither the manager nor the employees (was / were) informed."
were
The verb agrees with the nearer subject, employees.
3. Choose: "Half of the population (lives / live) in cities."
lives
Population is a singular noun, so the verb is singular. "Live" is also heard in British English when people think of the individuals, but singular is the safe choice.
4. Correct this: "Each of the students have a locker."
Each of the students has a locker.
Each is singular.
5. Choose: "There (is / are) a lot of traffic today."
is
Traffic is uncountable, so use is.

Frequently asked questions

Is it "neither is" or "neither are"?+

Neither on its own, or neither of + plural noun, takes a singular verb in formal English: "Neither of them is ready." The plural is common in conversation, but use the singular in exam writing.

Is government singular or plural?+

In British English it can be either: singular for the government as one body, plural for its members. American English uses the singular. Both are acceptable in IELTS as long as you are consistent.

Do percentages take singular or plural verbs?+

It depends on the noun after of. "30% of the money is" but "30% of the people are". With no noun, think about what the percentage refers to.

Is data singular or plural?+

Both are used. In everyday and much academic English, data is treated as an uncountable singular: "The data shows". Some scientific and formal writers treat it as plural: "The data show". Either is accepted, so pick one and stay consistent.

Why do we say "I wish I were" and not "I wish I was"?+

Were after I, he, she or it in wishes and imaginary conditions is a special form, sometimes called the subjunctive. It is preferred in formal writing, though was is common in speech. See the wish and if only lesson.

Keep going

More grammar lessons

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