Maintaining Subject-Verb Agreement in Writing
Verbs must match their subjects in number, even when separated by intervening words like prepositional phrases. To ensure correct agreement, focus on the true subject of the sentence and ignore distractions that can lead to errors. Remember that singular verbs end in 's' (e.g., was, talks) while plural verbs do not (e.g., were, talk).
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Verbs agree with their subjects in number (singular, plural). Problems arise when writers attempt to make the verb in the sentence agree with the word closest to it. Often the word closest to the verb is not the subject, especially if there is an intervening word group like a prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb. Example: The Secretary of State, as well as the other Cabinet members, was with the president. (The subject of the sentence is Secretary of State, not members; therefore, the singular verb form was is correct.)
A verb should agree with its subject, not the object of a prepositional phrase or the headword in another kind of phrase that appears between the subject and the verb. IGNORE ALL PREPOSITIONAL AND OTHER PHRASES BETWEEN A SUBJECT AND ITS VERB.
Remember: The singular form of a verb ends in s (was, talks). The plural form does not end in s (were, talk).
