Subject verb agreement in short sentences

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you can make short sentences agree in number and choose correctly between "there is" and "there are".

The basic rule

A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb. This sounds simple, but short sentences often hide the real subject. Compare:

• "The report is ready."
• "The reports are ready."
• "My friend lives nearby."
• "My friends live nearby."

The verb must match the subject, not the nearest noun. In "The price of these tickets is high," the subject is "price", so the verb is singular even though "tickets" is plural.

There is / there are

Use "there is" for a singular or uncountable subject and "there are" for a plural subject:

• "There is a problem."
• "There are three problems."
• "There is some water on the table."
• "There are some chairs in the room."

In spoken English, "there's" is sometimes used with plural nouns in informal contexts: "There's two emails waiting." In writing and formal speech, prefer "There are two emails waiting." For questions, use "Is there...?" for singular and "Are there...?" for plural: "Is there a bank nearby?" "Are there any shops open?"

Tricky subjects

Some subjects look plural but act as one idea:

• "The list of names is on the desk." (list = singular)
• "Mathematics is difficult." (subject name = singular)
• "The news is good." (news = singular)
• "Fifty dollars is enough." (amount = singular)

Some subjects look singular but take a plural verb:

• "The police are investigating." (police = plural)
• "My family are all teachers." (in British English, family can be plural)
• "The staff have finished work." (staff = plural)

Collective nouns such as "team", "committee", "government", and "family" can take singular or plural verbs depending on whether you see the group as one unit or as individuals. In American English they usually take singular verbs; in British English plural is common. Choose one style and stay consistent.

Short sentences and agreement

Short sentences are where agreement errors are most visible. Check the subject carefully:

• "Each student has a book." (each = singular)
• "Every lesson starts at nine." (every = singular)
• "Neither answer is correct." (neither = singular)
• "Both answers are correct." (both = plural)
• "A number of students are absent." (number = plural in this phrase)
• "The number of students is increasing." (number = singular here)

Words such as "each", "every", "either", "neither", and "nobody" are singular. "Both", "few", "many", "several", and "all" (with plural nouns) are plural.

Common mistakes

• "There is many reasons." Use "There are many reasons."
• "The list of items are on the table." Use "is".
• "Each of the students have a book." Use "has".
• "Neither of the answers are correct." Use "is".
• "The police is investigating." Use "are" in standard English.
• "Mathematics are difficult." Use "is".

Practice

Choose the correct verb form.

1. There ___ (is/are) a message for you.

2. The list of ingredients ___ (is/are) on the box.

3. Each of the boxes ___ (contain/contains) two items.

4. The police ___ (is/are) looking for the driver.

5. Fifty euros ___ (is/are) enough for lunch.

6. Both answers ___ (is/are) acceptable.

7. Neither of the students ___ (was/were) late.

8. There ___ (is/are) several reasons for the delay.

Answers: 1. is; 2. is; 3. contains; 4. are; 5. is; 6. are; 7. was; 8. are.

A speaking task

Describe your classroom or workplace in eight short sentences using "there is/there are" and tricky subjects. For example: "There are three computers on the desk. The list of tasks is on the wall. Each employee has a key." Ask a partner to correct any agreement errors. Short sentences make agreement rules easy to notice.