Subject-verb agreement on the GED: what to watch for

"Subject-verb agreement" sounds like a grammar term from a long time ago, but you use it every time you speak. You say "she works" and "they work" without thinking. The GED tests this skill.^[1] The harder cases can fool the ear. This post explains the rule in plain words and shows the five traps to watch for, with short examples of our own.

Is subject-verb agreement on the GED?

Yes. The official GED study guide lists correcting subject-verb agreement errors as a grammar skill on the test.^[1]

GED treats it at two levels. Fixing straightforward agreement errors is a basic skill: GED lists it among the skills seen even at the Below Passing level.^[2] To reach the passing level, you need to fix agreement errors in harder sentences too.^[2] GED's skill for the harder cases names three trouble spots: compound subjects, phrases between the subject and the verb, and collective nouns.^[3]

GED Testing Service also reports that some students do not choose the correct word as the subject.^[3] On these questions the subject is separated from its verb, so you must read the whole sentence to find it.^[3]

Agreement counts in your essay as well. It is one of the seven conventions scored under Trait 3 of the essay.^[4]

The basic rule, in plain words

First, four words you need:

• A verb is the word that shows an action or a state, such as works, is or has.
• The subject is the person or thing that does the action, or that the sentence describes.
• Singular means one.
• Plural means more than one.

The rule: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

• The bus stops at the corner. (One bus, so the verb is singular.)
• The buses stop at the corner. (More than one bus, so the verb is plural.)

Notice the flip. In the present tense, the singular verb often ends in s, while the plural noun often ends in s. That flip is one reason agreement can feel backward.

Trap 1: words between the subject and the verb

A phrase between the subject and the verb does not change the verb. Match the verb to the real subject.^[5]

• The box of old letters sits in the closet. The subject is box, not letters.
• The cook with two helpers makes lunch for the whole shift. The subject is cook.

A simple trick: cover the words between the subject and the verb with your finger, then read the sentence again. "The box sits in the closet" sounds right. "The box sit in the closet" does not.

Trap 2: subjects joined by "and"

Two or more subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb.^[5]

• Maria and her brother work the night shift.
• The manager and the cashier count the money at closing.

Think of and as a plus sign: one person plus one person makes more than one.

One exception GED's own materials show: when the pair joined by and names one thing, it takes a singular verb.^[3] For example, rice and beans can be one dish:

• Rice and beans is the lunch special today. (One dish, so the verb is singular.)

Trap 3: subjects joined by "or" or "nor"

When a singular and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.^[5]

• Either the cooks or the manager opens the kitchen. The nearer subject, manager, is singular.
• Either the manager or the cooks open the kitchen. The nearer subject, cooks, is plural.

When you write your own sentences, putting the plural subject second often sounds more natural.

Trap 4: "each," "everyone" and similar words

Words such as each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anyone, nobody and someone are singular and take a singular verb.^[5]

• Each of the workers has a locker. The subject is each, not workers.
• Everyone on the night crew gets a break at midnight.

These words often come with a phrase after them, as in "each of the workers." That phrase is Trap 1 in disguise, so cover it and check the verb.

Trap 5: group words

Collective nouns such as group, team, committee, class and family are treated as singular and take a singular verb.^[5]

• The team practices on Saturday mornings.
• Our family eats dinner together on Sundays.

A group is made of many people, but the word names one group, so it takes a singular verb.

A quick method for any agreement question

1. Find the verb. Look for the word that shows the action or the state.
2. Find the subject. Ask who or what is doing the action. That is your subject.
3. Cover the words in between. Phrases that start with words like of, in or with do not change the subject.
4. Decide: one or more than one? Watch for and, or, each, and group words.
5. Read the sentence again with your choice. If a sentence has two verbs for the same subject, check both.

Practice it

On OpenEssayMe, try the free subject-verb agreement question. Use the quick method above, pick your answer, and read the feedback, which explains every choice. When you are ready for more, the other free practice questions cover reading and grammar skills, with the same kind of feedback on every answer.