August 31, 2011

Subject-Verb Agreement: Mistakes That Even Savvy Writers Make

Many business writers find it difficult to choose the correct verb tense for every sentence they write. Here are several subject-verb agreement challenges that business writers often face.

First, a plural noun takes a singular verb when it conveys a single expression of time, money, or another quantity. The subjects are underlined and the verbs are boldfaced in both of these correct sentences:

Ninety-nine cents isn’t much to pay for a song.

Three blocks feels like a long way to walk in some parts of this town.

Always use a singular verb after these pronouns:

anyone, anything

everyone, everything

nobody, no one, nothing

somebody, something

Here are some singular verbs to agree with those pronouns:

No one wants to do the chore.

Anyone in those four departments is welcome to sign up.

When there’s more than one subject, you nearly always use a plural form of the verb. The two subjects in this sentence are joined by and:

The office and the manufacturing plant need renovation.

Finally, consider using a singular verb after neither … nor when these words join two singular nouns:

RISKY:

Neither the manager nor the owner are in the store on Mondays.

SAFER:

Neither the manager nor the owner is in the store on Mondays.

The “neither … nor … are” construction is safe enough for informal e-mails between colleagues. But the plural verb is risky when you need to impress your readers with your carefully expressed thoughts. It might lower your credibility if you choose a plural verb for these sentences — especially in a formal business document.