EnglishAges 16-18

Subject-verb agreement

Match singular, plural, collective and indefinite subjects to their grammatically agreeing verbs. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Age band:Ages 13-15 Ages 16-18

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 16-18

Subject-verb agreement

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Choose the verb that agrees with “Neither”: “Neither of the two answers ____ correct” (is / are).
“Neither” · Subject-verb agreement
2. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “news”: “The news from the weather station ____ encouraging” (is / are).
“news” · Subject-verb agreement
3. Choose the correct verb after “The number of”: “The number of solar panels on the island ____ increased this year” (has / have).
“The number of” · Subject-verb agreement
4. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Either the coach or the players ____ bringing the cones” (are / is).
Choose the correct verb by… · Subject-verb agreement
5. When a compound subject is joined by “either … or”, which noun determines the verb agreement: the nearer subject (“The teacher or the students ARE…”) or always plural?
“either … or” · Subject-verb agreement
6. Choose the correct verb for the singular pronoun “Somebody”: “Somebody ____ left a notebook in the laboratory” (has / have).
“Somebody” · Subject-verb agreement
7. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “information”: “All of the information in the report ____ verified” (was / were).
“information” · Subject-verb agreement
8. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Neither the plates nor the serving bowl ____ cracked” (was / were).
Choose the correct verb by… · Subject-verb agreement
9. Choose the correct verb for a distance or sum treated as a single unit: “Ten kilometres ____ a long distance to swim against the current” (is / are).
Choose the correct verb fo… · Subject-verb agreement
10. Choose the verb that agrees with the indefinite pronoun “Everyone”: “Everyone in the science club ____ completed the safety quiz” (has / have).
“Everyone” · Subject-verb agreement
11. Choose the correct verb for a book or film title: “The Chronicles of Narnia ____ on the library display table” (is / are).
Choose the correct verb fo… · Subject-verb agreement
12. Choose the correct verb in the inverted “There” sentence: “There ____ four lifejackets stored under the bench” (are / is).
“There” · Subject-verb agreement

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 16-18

Subject-verb agreement

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Choose the verb that agrees with “Neither”: “Neither of the two answers ____ correct” (is / are).
is
In formal English, “neither of” takes a singular verb (“is”).
2. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “news”: “The news from the weather station ____ encouraging” (is / are).
is
Although “news” ends in -s, it is an uncountable singular noun and takes “is”.
3. Choose the correct verb after “The number of”: “The number of solar panels on the island ____ increased this year” (has / have).
has
“The number of…” has the singular head noun “number” and takes a singular verb (“has”).
4. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Either the coach or the players ____ bringing the cones” (are / is).
are
The nearer subject noun “players” is plural, so the verb is “are”.
5. When a compound subject is joined by “either … or”, which noun determines the verb agreement: the nearer subject (“The teacher or the students ARE…”) or always plural?
The nearer subject
By the proximity rule with “or” / “nor”, the verb agrees with whichever subject is closer to it.
6. Choose the correct verb for the singular pronoun “Somebody”: “Somebody ____ left a notebook in the laboratory” (has / have).
has
“Somebody” is a singular indefinite pronoun and takes “has”.
7. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “information”: “All of the information in the report ____ verified” (was / were).
was
“Information” is an uncountable noun and always takes a singular verb.
8. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Neither the plates nor the serving bowl ____ cracked” (was / were).
was
With “neither … nor”, the verb agrees with the nearer noun (“the serving bowl”, singular → “was”).
9. Choose the correct verb for a distance or sum treated as a single unit: “Ten kilometres ____ a long distance to swim against the current” (is / are).
is
Amounts of money, time or distance considered as a single measure take a singular verb.
10. Choose the verb that agrees with the indefinite pronoun “Everyone”: “Everyone in the science club ____ completed the safety quiz” (has / have).
has
Indefinite pronouns ending in -one, -body and -thing (“everyone”, “each”) are grammatically singular.
11. Choose the correct verb for a book or film title: “The Chronicles of Narnia ____ on the library display table” (is / are).
is
The title of a single work or series is treated as a singular proper noun.
12. Choose the correct verb in the inverted “There” sentence: “There ____ four lifejackets stored under the bench” (are / is).
are
After dummy “there”, the verb agrees with the true subject that follows (“four lifejackets” → “are”).

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 16-18

Subject-verb agreement

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Choose the verb that agrees with “Neither”: “Neither of the two answers ____ correct” (is / are).
“Neither” · Subject-verb agreement
2. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “news”: “The news from the weather station ____ encouraging” (is / are).
“news” · Subject-verb agreement
3. Choose the correct verb after “The number of”: “The number of solar panels on the island ____ increased this year” (has / have).
“The number of” · Subject-verb agreement
4. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Either the coach or the players ____ bringing the cones” (are / is).
Choose the correct verb by… · Subject-verb agreement
5. When a compound subject is joined by “either … or”, which noun determines the verb agreement: the nearer subject (“The teacher or the students ARE…”) or always plural?
“either … or” · Subject-verb agreement
6. Choose the correct verb for the singular pronoun “Somebody”: “Somebody ____ left a notebook in the laboratory” (has / have).
“Somebody” · Subject-verb agreement
7. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “information”: “All of the information in the report ____ verified” (was / were).
“information” · Subject-verb agreement
8. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Neither the plates nor the serving bowl ____ cracked” (was / were).
Choose the correct verb by… · Subject-verb agreement
9. Choose the correct verb for a distance or sum treated as a single unit: “Ten kilometres ____ a long distance to swim against the current” (is / are).
Choose the correct verb fo… · Subject-verb agreement
10. Choose the verb that agrees with the indefinite pronoun “Everyone”: “Everyone in the science club ____ completed the safety quiz” (has / have).
“Everyone” · Subject-verb agreement
11. Choose the correct verb for a book or film title: “The Chronicles of Narnia ____ on the library display table” (is / are).
Choose the correct verb fo… · Subject-verb agreement
12. Choose the correct verb in the inverted “There” sentence: “There ____ four lifejackets stored under the bench” (are / is).
“There” · Subject-verb agreement

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 16-18

Subject-verb agreement

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Choose the verb that agrees with “Neither”: “Neither of the two answers ____ correct” (is / are).
is
In formal English, “neither of” takes a singular verb (“is”).
2. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “news”: “The news from the weather station ____ encouraging” (is / are).
is
Although “news” ends in -s, it is an uncountable singular noun and takes “is”.
3. Choose the correct verb after “The number of”: “The number of solar panels on the island ____ increased this year” (has / have).
has
“The number of…” has the singular head noun “number” and takes a singular verb (“has”).
4. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Either the coach or the players ____ bringing the cones” (are / is).
are
The nearer subject noun “players” is plural, so the verb is “are”.
5. When a compound subject is joined by “either … or”, which noun determines the verb agreement: the nearer subject (“The teacher or the students ARE…”) or always plural?
The nearer subject
By the proximity rule with “or” / “nor”, the verb agrees with whichever subject is closer to it.
6. Choose the correct verb for the singular pronoun “Somebody”: “Somebody ____ left a notebook in the laboratory” (has / have).
has
“Somebody” is a singular indefinite pronoun and takes “has”.
7. Choose the correct verb for the uncountable noun “information”: “All of the information in the report ____ verified” (was / were).
was
“Information” is an uncountable noun and always takes a singular verb.
8. Choose the correct verb by the proximity rule: “Neither the plates nor the serving bowl ____ cracked” (was / were).
was
With “neither … nor”, the verb agrees with the nearer noun (“the serving bowl”, singular → “was”).
9. Choose the correct verb for a distance or sum treated as a single unit: “Ten kilometres ____ a long distance to swim against the current” (is / are).
is
Amounts of money, time or distance considered as a single measure take a singular verb.
10. Choose the verb that agrees with the indefinite pronoun “Everyone”: “Everyone in the science club ____ completed the safety quiz” (has / have).
has
Indefinite pronouns ending in -one, -body and -thing (“everyone”, “each”) are grammatically singular.
11. Choose the correct verb for a book or film title: “The Chronicles of Narnia ____ on the library display table” (is / are).
is
The title of a single work or series is treated as a singular proper noun.
12. Choose the correct verb in the inverted “There” sentence: “There ____ four lifejackets stored under the bench” (are / is).
are
After dummy “there”, the verb agrees with the true subject that follows (“four lifejackets” → “are”).

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification