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Common Errors: singular and plural

Correct:

he is, she is, the Munchkin was, Rowland has

they are, the Munchkins were, Rowland and Boadicea have

Incorrect:

he are, the Munchkins was, they was, Rowland and Boadicea has

Your ear can usually tell whether they agree:  He is (not he are), they were (not they was).   For complete rules of verb conjugation, see the verb section of appendix B.  Most native speakers of English have a fairly good feel for subject/verb matching under normal circumstances and simply need to learn how to recognize unusual sentence constructs in order to apply their intuitive language sense.   As usual, English has some unexpected traps for the unwary though. 

Either/Neither

Normally either (or neither) is considered singular

Neither of them was aware of the impending flood of mayonnaise.

or

Neither the ox nor the wildebeest was found to look particularly decorative in the store window.

However, when one of the elements connected together with either is plural, the construct becomes plural IF it is the element closest to the verb.

singular: 

Neither the purple bottles nor the turnip was quite the right shade of mauvy puce.

("turnip" is singular)

However:

plural:

Neither the turnip nor the purple bottles were quite the right shade of mauvy puce.

("purple bottles" is plural)

The Number/A Number

"The number" is singular

The number of amateur astronauts "amateur astronauts" is fairly small.

"A number" is plural

A number of amateur astronauts "amateur astronauts" were milling about and waving spoons. 

Subject "subject, subject/verb agreement"/verb agreement can also become tricky in more complex sentences and when the subject and verb are separated by extraneous material.    

Wrong:

Rowland and Boadicea, when applying to the Clockwork Submarine Fanciers' Amateur Operatic Society, was invisible behind the giant mushroom "mushroom (giant)".   

Always start by identifying the subject and verb.  Then bring them together and use your ear to determine if they sound right. 

In this case, the subject is Rowland and Boadicea and the verb is was. It should be Rowland and Boadicea were because Rowland and Boadicea is a plural subject and must take the plural verb form were.

In the following examples, practice identifying subject and verb.  Use them together to see if they match, and check your answers. 

Quiz

1.     The brown leeches, the only really appetizing items in the buffet, was hardly a substitute for bungee jumping in renaissance costume outside the embassy. 

2.     Rowland and Boadicea, of the Gypsy Violinists' Existential Reading Circle, was visibly distressed at the state of the herring tarts "herring tarts".  

3.     Neither Rowland nor Boadicea, when applying to the Clockwork Submarine Fanciers' Amateur Operatic Society, were visible behind the giant mushroom.   

4.     Quilp Springle, author of the monograph, Romance Languages as a Primary Cause of Dental Deformities, were unavailable for comment. 

5.     Neither the dwarf on his tricycle nor the accountants with their wheelbarrow was able to overtake the heavily laden swallow "swallow (laden)".   

6.     Neither of the flamingoes "flamingoes" show any sign of plotting sedition. 

7.     The number of mistakes he made were limited only by his typing speed. 

8.      A number of variations on the painting, The Muses Contemplating an Egg Whisk, was up for auction as was a wealth of marginally bizarre and somewhat dangerous looking kitchen utensils "kitchen utensils, bizarre, dangerous looking". 

Answers

1. 

2. 

3.     Note that when either or neither links multiple subjects, the one closest to the verb is the one that determines how the verb is conjugated.  In this case, Boadicea is singular and thus the verb should match a singular subject. 

4. 

5.  Again, when multiple subjects are linked with neither the one closest to the verb is the one that counts.  In this case, accountants is plural and the verb must match: the accountants were. 

6.  In this case, neither itself is the subject.  of the flamingoes is simply a modifier.  The word neither on its own is singular. 

7.  The word number is an interesting case.  The number is singular, yet a number is plural. 

8.     Again, the word number is an interesting case.  The number is singular, yet a number is plural. 

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