How to Write Great Essays

NOUN AND VERB AGREEMENT
Nouns and verbs must agree in number, meaning a singular noun takes a singular verb, and
a plural noun takes a plural verb. To achieve subject-verb agreement, first determine
whether your subject is singular or plural, and then pair it with the correct verb form.
Incorrect:
Tim and Fran 
is
a great couple.
Correct:
Tim and Fran 
are 
a great couple. (plural subject takes plural verb)
Incorrect:
One of my friends 
are 
going to your school.
Correct:
One of my friends 
is
going to yourt school. (singular subject takes
singular verb)
Agreement may be difficult to determine when the noun follows the verb. Common exam-
ples include sentences that begin with 
there is
and 
there are
, and 
here is
and 
here are
. When
editing your work, remember to first determine whether your subject is singular or plural,
and then match it to the correct verb.
Incorrect:
There 
is
too many meetings scheduled on Tuesday morning.
Correct:
There 
are
too many meetings scheduled on Tuesday morning.
Incorrect:
Here 
are
the report you asked me to write.
Correct
: Here 
is
the report you asked me to write.
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Mechanics
CHAPTER 4 
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
45
NOUN AND VERB AGREEMENT CHECKLIST
The more complex the sentence, the more difficult it is to determine noun/verb agree-
ment. Here are some guidelines that may help you:
✔
If a compound, singular subject is connected by 
and
, the verb must be plural.
(Both the 10-speed 
and
the hybrid 
are
appropriate for the bike race.)
✔
If a compound, singular subject is connected by 
or
or 
nor
, the verb must be sin-
gular. (Neither the 10-speed 
nor
the hybrid 
is 
appropriate for a trail race, however.)
✔
If one plural and one singular subject are connected by 
or
or 
nor
, the verb agrees
with the closest subject. (Neither a fast bike 
nor perfect trails are
going to help
you to win if you do not train.)