A Word, Please: How to sidestep subject-verb tripwires

If you think everyone’s out to get you, you’re paranoid. But if you think words are out to get you, you’re right. English has a lot of words that seem custom made to undermine your ability to make verbs agree with subjects, creating a grammatical error called subject-verb disagreement.

Even if you’re not familiar with the concept, you’re already pretty good at making your verbs agree with your subjects. You never say, “I is here.” You never write, “The dogs has puffy tails.” You never say, “He be the man I’ll marry.” Instead, you know instinctively that the verb should match the number of the subject: “I” is singular, requiring “am.” “Dogs” is plural, so it takes “have.” “He” is singular, so it takes “is.”

But some words make this simple process so difficult that we all make mistakes, or at least find ourselves uncertain how to phrase something. Here are some terms that, if you’re not careful, will mess up your subject-verb agreement.

Couple. This word means two of something. But is it plural? Yes and no. Compare these two examples, both of which are correct: “The couple is in therapy.” “The couple are going their separate ways.” In the first, we use the singular verb “is.” In the second, we use the plural verb “are.” That’s because “couple” is what’s called a collective noun, a category that includes “family,” “group,” “team,” “band,” “bunch,” “minority” and “majority.” Many collective nouns can change number depending on whether you’re focusing on a single unit or whether you’re talking about people or things acting independently of each other. Go with your gut and you won’t go wrong.

Politics. Her politics are very reasonable, but politics is a difficult profession. If “politics” were plural, you would say, “Politics are a difficult profession.” If it were singular, you’d say “Her politics is very reasonable.” But obviously those are wrong. The correct verb form is whatever works best in your sentence. Other words, notably “ethics,” work the same way.

Each. “Each is able to choose for himself.” But “A number of families will attend and each have their own objectives.” Just like “politics” and “couple,” “each” seems to be sometimes singular and sometimes plural. But unlike those other words, “each” has a strong leaning: It’s almost always singular unless that’s just too weird.

And. In simple sentences, this conjunction makes subject-verb agreement a breeze: Raoul and Sven work together. But there are lots of situations in which “and” can complicate matters. Consider “Their high water and fiber content makes these vegetables heart healthy.” Is the subject of the verb the singular “content”? Or is it the implied plural “fiber content and water content”? I don’t know.

Or. Like “and,” “or” is a coordinating conjunction. But, unlike “and,” it can’t make a subject plural. “Jenny and Trey have your keys,” but “Jenny or Trey has your keys.” In more complicated sentences, this fact gets lost: “Crossing tracks or trespassing on private property are two of the most common occurrences.” The “or” creates a subject-verb agreement error because only one of those two things is the subject of the verb.

As well as. Expressions like “as well as” and “along with” work like “and.” They connect nouns. “Steve, as well as his dogs, love the park.” But the commas are your clue here that these nouns aren’t connected the same way that “and” would have connected them. The dogs are not part of this sentence’s subject. Steve is the only subject of that verb, so it should be the singular “loves.”

Of. The preposition “of” is handy for tacking descriptive information onto nouns: A flock of birds. A team of rivals. A bunch of grapes. Notice how, in many cases, the head noun can be singular even though the noun after “of” is plural. That can make it tough to know which one the verb works with. When in doubt, go with whichever best captures your meaning: A flock of birds is overhead, but a team of rivals are fighting among themselves.

— June Casagrande is the author of “The Best Punctuation Book, Period.” She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com.