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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?
Subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship between the subject and predicate of the sentence. Subjects and verbs must always agree in two ways: tense and number. For this post, we are focusing on number, or whether the subject and verb are singular or plural.

For example:

The light in the lamppost flickers each night.

In this sentence, the subject light is singular; therefore, the verb that describes the action of the subject must also be singular: flickers.

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Subjects and verbs must agree in number. In addition to the explanations on this page, also see the post on Subject—Verb Agreement.

- If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too.
Example: She writes every day.
Exception: When using the singular "they," use plural verb forms.
Example: The participant expressed satisfaction with their job. They are currently in a managerial role at the organization.

- If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.
Example: They write every day.

Sometimes, however, it seems a bit more complicated than this.

- When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.
Example: The doctoral student and the committee members write every day.

Example: The percentage of employees who called in sick and the number of employees who left their jobs within 2 years are reflective of the level of job satisfaction.

- When there is one subject and more than one verb, the verbs throughout the sentence must agree with the subject.
Example: Interviews are one way to collect data and allow researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of participants.

Example: An assumption is something that is generally accepted as true and is an important consideration when conducting a doctoral study.

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Subject Verb Agreement (singular and plural noun + action verb)

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Subject Verb Agreement (singular and plural noun + action verb)

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Subject-Verb Agreement | Six important Rules | Part 2

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Subject-Verb Agreement | Six important Rules | Part 2

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There are nine modal auxiliary verbs: shall, should, can, could, will, would, may, must, might. There are also quasi-modal auxiliary verbs: ought to, need to, has to. Why only quasi? Because the nine modals sit before the base form: I shall go, I could go, etc., but with ought/need/has we have to insert a to: I ought to go, it needs to be done, it has to be April (said at the onset of a shower, prompting inference).

The modal auxiliaries’ job is to express possibility (hypothesis, futurity, doubt) and necessity (by inference, such-and-such must necessarily be the case); that is, matters beyond the factual here and now. This is known as the irrealis. As we spend much time thinking and talking about the irrealis, modal auxiliaries are very common.