6.2 Subject-Verb & Pronoun Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement: Match the Number

A verb must agree with its subject in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. In the present tense, most singular verbs add -s (the dog runs) while plural verbs drop it (the dogs run). The GED tests this by inserting decoys between the subject and the verb, so your first job is always to find the true subject.

Intervening Phrases Are Decoys

A prepositional phrase or a phrase such as along with, as well as, in addition to, or together with can sit between the subject and its verb, but it never changes the subject's number.

Wrong: The city council, along with the mayor, are voting Tuesday. Right: The city council, along with the mayor, is voting Tuesday.

The subject is the singular council; along with the mayor is a parenthetical add-on, so the verb stays singular. Likewise, in The box of old photographs is on the shelf, the subject is box, not photographs.

Compound and Indefinite Subjects

• Two subjects joined by and are usually plural: The teacher and the aide are here.
• With or / nor (and either...or, neither...nor), the verb agrees with the nearer subject: Neither the teachers nor the principal was informed.
• Indefinite pronouns each, every, everyone, everybody, anyone, someone, nobody, either, neither are singular: Everyone on the team needs a badge.
• Both, few, many, several are plural; some, all, none, most take their number from the noun they refer to.

Collective Nouns

In American English, collective nouns such as team, jury, committee, family, group, and staff are treated as singular because the group acts as one unit.

The committee has not made its final decision. (not have...their)

A useful check is to keep the verb and any later pronoun consistent: if the subject is singular, both the verb and the pronoun that refers back to it must be singular. Writing The team has published its findings is correct, but The team has published their findings mixes a singular verb with a plural pronoun — a mismatch the GED frequently plants in the answer choices.

Amounts, Titles, and Uncountable Nouns Act Singular

A sum of money, a period of time, or a distance treated as one unit takes a singular verb: Five dollars is a fair price; ten years was a long wait. The title of a single work is singular even when it sounds plural: "Great Expectations" is a novel. Many uncountable nouns — news, mathematics, physics, economics, and civics — end in -s but are singular: The news is good; mathematics is required. These edge cases show up in harder GED items where the plural-looking subject tempts you toward a plural verb.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must match its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in number and gender. A singular antecedent takes a singular pronoun: The nurse grabbed her chart. Because indefinite pronouns like each and everyone are singular, traditional grammar pairs them with his or her. However, contemporary usage — including the AP Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style — now accepts singular they as a gender-neutral option: Everyone must bring their own calculator is acceptable. Watch the verb, though: even with their, the verb after everyone stays singular (Everyone needs...).

Pronoun Case

Case tells you whether to use a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.

Use a subject pronoun when the pronoun does the action and an object pronoun when it receives the action or follows a preposition (to, for, with, between).

Wrong: Between you and I, the deal seems risky. Right: Between you and me, the deal seems risky.

Two reliable tests: (1) remove the other person — Me went to the store is clearly wrong, so use My sister and I went. (2) For who vs. whom, substitute he/him: if he fits, use who; if him fits, use whom. Try Whom did you invite? — you would answer I invited him, so whom (the object) is correct. The same logic separates whoever (subject) from whomever (object): Give it to whoever is in charge (subject of is charge).

A related trap is the reflexive pronoun myself. Reflexives (myself, himself, themselves) are correct only when the subject and object are the same person (I taught myself) or for emphasis (I did it myself). They can never stand in for a plain me or I: write Send the file to Ravi and me, not to Ravi and myself.

Vague and Ambiguous Pronouns

Every pronoun needs one clear antecedent. A pronoun that could point to two nouns — or to no noun at all — is a common GED error.

Ambiguous: When Maria met Lucia, she was nervous. (Who was nervous?) Clear: When Maria met Lucia, Maria was nervous.

Watch especially for it, this, that, and they used with no stated referent. A broad reference such as The team missed the deadline, and this frustrated the client leaves this pointing at a whole idea rather than a single noun; tighten it by adding a noun — this delay frustrated the client. If you cannot name the exact noun a pronoun replaces, the sentence needs editing.

Tricky Subjects: "There," "The Number," and Titles

Some subjects hide or invert, so slow down and locate the real one.

• Inverted sentences with there / here: the verb agrees with the noun that follows, because there is never the subject. There are three reasons for the delay. / Here is the file you requested.
• "The number of" vs. "a number of": The number of applicants is rising (singular — the number is one figure), but A number of applicants are waiting (plural — a number of means "many").
• Titles, subjects, and amounts as one unit: a book title, a field of study, or a sum of money takes a singular verb. "Great Expectations" is long. / Economics is hard. / Five hundred dollars is the fee.

Who vs. Whom, Worked

Split off the relative clause and test it with he/him.

The applicant (who / whom) we hired starts Monday.

Rearrange the clause: we hired him — him fits, so use whom: The applicant whom we hired starts Monday. In The applicant who impressed us starts Monday, the pronoun is the subject of impressed (he impressed us), so who is right. The same he/him test separates whoever (subject) from whomever (object).

Common Agreement Traps

Trap callout: a reflexive pronoun (myself, himself, themselves) can never be a subject and needs an antecedent earlier in the sentence. Use it only to point back (I hurt myself) or for emphasis (The director herself called), never as a fancy substitute for I or me.