◎What you'll master
- Add the third-person -s in the present simple (she works, it needs).
- Ignore the phrase between subject and verb (The box of chocolates is…).
- Handle tricky subjects: each / every / one of, neither / either, and indefinite pronouns → singular.
- Choose the verb after and (plural) vs or / nor (agree with the nearer subject).
- Treat uncountable nouns and the news / information as singular (The news is…).
1The core rule: match the verb to the subject
In the present simple, the verb changes only in the third-person singular (he / she / it), where it takes an -s. Everywhere else the verb stays in its base form. The whole skill is finding the real subject and asking: is it singular or plural?
| Subject | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | base form | They work here. |
| he / she / it | base + -s | She works here. |
| a singular noun | base + -s | The engine runs smoothly. |
| a plural noun | base form | The engines run smoothly. |
2Words between the subject and the verb don't count
A phrase often sits between the subject and its verb. Cross it out mentally and agree with the head noun, not the nearest word.
Common traps
| Subject + phrase | Verb |
|---|---|
| The box of chocolates | is (not |
| One bunch of flowers | looks (not |
| The quality of the roads | has improved (not |
3Tricky singular subjects: each, every, neither, indefinite pronouns
Some subjects look like they refer to many things but are grammatically singular and take a singular verb.
| Subject type | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| each / every + noun | singular | Every student has a book. |
| one of + plural | singular | One of the answers is wrong. |
| neither / either (of) | singular | Neither of them knows. |
| everyone, somebody, nothing | singular | Everyone is here. |
4Collective & uncountable nouns; the news, information
Collective nouns (team, family, government, staff) usually take a singular verb when the group acts as one unit. Uncountable nouns (news, information, advice, furniture, water) are always singular — even when they end in -s like news.
5Subjects joined by AND vs OR / NOR
Two subjects joined by and are normally plural. But when subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
| Joined by | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | plural verb | Tom and Sam are here. |
| or / nor | agree with the nearer subject | Neither the boys nor the teacher was late. |
| or / nor | agree with the nearer subject | Neither the teacher nor the boys were late. |
6There is / there are · a number of vs the number of
With there is / there are, the verb agrees with the noun that follows. And beware two look-alikes: a number of means "many" and is plural; the number of refers to a single figure and is singular.
| Structure | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there + singular noun | is / was | There is a problem. |
| there + plural noun | are / were | There are many people. |
| a number of + plural | plural | A number of students are absent. |
| the number of + plural | singular | The number of students is rising. |
She ______ to work by train.
The news ______ on at six.
Neither of the answers ______ right.
There ______ several mistakes in this report.
The box of tools ______ in the garage.
A number of passengers ______ still waiting.
Either the manager or the assistants ______ going to call you.
Neither the students nor the teacher ______ satisfied with the result.
One of the reasons the project failed ______ poor planning.
✎Fix the Error
Each sentence has one mistake in the underlined word. Type the correction and check.
1.Each of the students have a laptop.
2.The news are not good today.
3.There is many people waiting outside.
4.Neither answer are correct.
5.A number of people is complaining about the noise.