Either singular or plural verbs

Welcome to the World of Agreement!

Have you ever noticed how sometimes we say "The team is playing" but other times people say "The team are arguing"? Both can actually be correct! In this chapter, we are going to learn about the "chameleons" of the English language: subjects that can take either singular or plural verbs. Understanding this helps your writing sound more natural and professional.

Prerequisite Check: Remember, in the present tense, a singular verb usually ends in -s (e.g., eats, runs, is), while a plural verb does not (e.g., eat, run, are).

1. Collective Nouns: One Group or Many Members?

A collective noun is a word that describes a group of people or things, like family, team, class, government, or audience.

The Rule:

You can use a singular verb if you see the group as one single unit. Use a plural verb if you are thinking about the individual members of the group doing different things.

Examples:

 Singular: The class is very quiet today. (We are thinking of the class as one whole unit.)
 Plural: The class are finishing their projects at different times. (We are thinking about the individual students working separately.)

Analogy: Think of a LEGO set. When the set is finished and sitting on a shelf, it is one thing (singular). But when you are building it and the pieces are scattered all over the floor, you are looking at many parts (plural)!

Quick Review: Most of the time in exams, collective nouns are treated as singular. Only use the plural if the sentence clearly shows people are doing separate things!

2. The "SANAM" Pronouns

Some words are tricky because they change their "number" based on what they are talking about. A great way to remember them is the SANAM mnemonic:

Some, Any, None, All, Most.

The Rule:

Look at the noun that comes after the word of. If that noun is uncountable, use a singular verb. If that noun is plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:

 Some of the cake is gone. (Cake is uncountable here—singular.)
 Some of the cookies are gone. (Cookies are plural—plural.)
 All of the water has spilled. (Water is uncountable—singular.)
 All of the students have left. (Students are plural—plural.)

Did you know? The word None used to be strictly singular (meaning "not one"), but in modern English, it is perfectly fine to use a plural verb when talking about a group of people!

3. Either... Or and Neither... Nor

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! This is one of the most common mistakes even adults make. When you use either/or or neither/nor to connect two subjects, the verb has to choose a side.

The "Closest Neighbor" Rule:

The verb must agree with the subject that is closest to it.

Examples:

 Neither the teacher nor the students are here. (Students is plural and closest to the verb.)
 Neither the students nor the teacher is here. (Teacher is singular and closest to the verb.)

Memory Trick: Imagine the verb is a very shy person. It only wants to talk to its immediate neighbor on the left!

4. Amounts, Distances, and Time

Even though words like dollars, kilometers, or minutes end in -s, we often use singular verbs with them.

The Rule:

When we talk about a total amount of money, a total distance, or a specific period of time, we treat it as one single chunk.

Examples:

 Ten dollars is too expensive for a soda. (Not "are" because we mean the total price.)
 Five kilometers is a long way to run. (The total distance.)
 Two hours was a long time to wait. (The total period of time.)

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't let the -s at the end of "dollars" or "minutes" fool you into using "are" automatically. Ask yourself: "Am I talking about one big total?"

Key Takeaways Summary

 Collective Nouns: Use singular for a whole unit; plural for individuals acting separately.
 SANAM (Some, Any, None, All, Most): Look at the noun after "of" to decide.
 Either/Neither: The verb agrees with its closest neighbor.
 Totals: Money, time, and distance usually take singular verbs because they are seen as "one chunk."

Final Encouragement: Agreement is all about identifying who is doing the action. If you can find the "true" subject and decide if it's one thing or many things, you've got this!