Subject-Verb Agreement Difficult Exercises with Answers

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental aspect of English grammar. It refers to the rule that a subject must agree in number and person with its verb. At first glance, this might seem simple—plural subjects take plural verbs, and singular subjects take singular verbs. However, there are instances when subject-verb agreement can become tricky. In this blog post, we’ll explore difficult exercises that test your understanding of subject-verb agreement. We’ll provide more than five examples and over ten exercises for you to practice, with answers provided at the end in a table for easy reference. Let’s dive in!

Subject-Verb Agreement Difficult Exercises with Answers

Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement

Before we dive into the exercises, it’s essential to understand the core rules of subject-verb agreement:

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.
   • Example: “The cat runs fast.” (“The cat” is singular, so “runs” is singular.)
   • Example: “The cats run fast.” (“The cats” is plural, so “run” is plural.)
2. Compound subjects (joined by “and”) generally take a plural verb.
   • Example: “The cat and the dog run together.”
   • Exception: If the compound subject refers to the same person or thing, it can take a singular verb.
     • Example: “The teacher and principal is here.” (Both roles refer to the same individual.)
3. When subjects are joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
   • Example: “Neither the teacher nor the students are here.”
   • Example: “Either the teacher or the student is here.”
4. Indefinite pronouns (like everyone, somebody, none) can be tricky. These are usually treated as singular, but some exceptions apply.
   • Example: “Everyone is excited.”
   • Example: “Somebody has to do it.”
5. Collective nouns (e.g., family, team, group) can take either singular or plural verbs, depending on whether they’re being thought of as a single unit or as individuals.
   • Example: “The team is winning.” (thinking of the team as a whole unit)
   • Example: “The team are wearing their jerseys.” (thinking of the individuals within the team)

With that in mind, let’s tackle some difficult exercises to test your knowledge.

Exercises

For each of the following sentences, choose the correct form of the verb to match the subject. Pay attention to compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, and other tricky cases.

Exercise 1: Choose the correct verb

1. Neither the teacher nor the students (was / were) happy with the results.
2. The jury (has / have) reached a decision.
3. Either the manager or the employees (is / are) responsible for the delay.
4. The band (play / plays) their music loud every night.
5. The dogs (runs / run) through the park every morning.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct verb

1. Everyone (is / are) excited about the concert.
2. The group of friends (is / are) planning a trip to Europe.
3. Neither John nor his friends (was / were) present at the meeting.
4. The police (has / have) yet to solve the case.
5. The team (has / have) been practicing hard for the championship.

Exercise 3: Choose the correct verb

1. The news (was / were) shocking to everyone.
2. The furniture in the room (was / were) expensive.
3. My brother and I (is / are) going to the cinema tonight.
4. Neither the cat nor the dog (has / have) eaten their food.
5. The staff (has / have) been working overtime to complete the project.

Exercise 4: Choose the correct verb

1. The audience (was / were) impressed with the performance.
2. None of the children (was / were) late for school today.
3. Either the teacher or the students (has / have) completed the assignment.
4. The number of students in the class (is / are) increasing every year.
5. The couple (is / are) celebrating their anniversary today.

Exercise 5: Choose the correct verb

1. All of the cake (was / were) eaten by the end of the party.
2. A few of the books (was / were) misplaced in the library.
3. The majority of the team (was / were) present at the event.
4. The two sisters (is / are) coming to visit tomorrow.
5. Each of the players (is / are) given a uniform.

Exercise 6: Choose the correct verb

1. The teacher (explains / explain) the lesson clearly every day.
2. The students (takes / take) their exams next week.
3. Either the teacher or the student (has / have) completed the assignment.
4. The children (has / have) finished their homework.
5. Neither of the answers (is / are) correct.

Exercise 7: Choose the correct verb

1. His friends (was / were) planning to visit him over the weekend.
2. The staff members (was / were) given instructions for the project.
3. The data (was / were) analyzed by the research team.
4. The cat and the dog (was / were) playing together in the garden.
5. The team of engineers (is / are) developing the new software.

Exercise 8: Choose the correct verb

1. The crowd (was / were) cheering loudly during the match.
2. The group of scientists (is / are) working on a new project.
3. Neither the teacher nor the students (was / were) interested in the lecture.
4. A number of people (has / have) registered for the event.
5. All of the students (was / were) excited about the field trip.

Exercise 9: Choose the correct verb

1. The police (has / have) apprehended the suspect.
2. The faculty (is / are) meeting to discuss the new policies.
3. The teacher or the students (was / were) responsible for the miscommunication.
4. Most of the furniture (was / were) bought online.
5. A couple of students (was / were) late to class this morning.

Exercise 10: Choose the correct verb

1. Both of the answers (is / are) correct.
2. The teacher and the principal (was / were) at the meeting.
3. The manager along with his assistant (has / have) been working late.
4. The children’s laughter (was / were) heard across the playground.
5. Each of the players (has / have) a unique skill set.

Answer Table

Exercise	Sentence	Correct Verb
1	Neither the teacher nor the students (was / were) happy with the results.	were
1	The jury (has / have) reached a decision.	has
1	Either the manager or the employees (is / are) responsible for the delay.	are
1	The band (play / plays) their music loud every night.	plays
1	The dogs (runs / run) through the park every morning.	run
2	Everyone (is / are) excited about the concert.	is
2	The group of friends (is / are) planning a trip to Europe.	is
2	Neither John nor his friends (was / were) present at the meeting.	were
2	The police (has / have) yet to solve the case.	have
2	The team (has / have) been practicing hard for the championship.	has
3	The news (was / were) shocking to everyone.	was
3	The furniture in the room (was / were) expensive.	was
3	My brother and I (is / are) going to the cinema tonight.	are
3	Neither the cat nor the dog (has / have) eaten their food.	have
3	The staff (has / have) been working overtime to complete the project.	have
4	The audience (was / were) impressed with the performance.	was
4	None of the children (was / were) late for school today.	were
4	Either the teacher or the students (has / have) completed the assignment.	have
4	The number of students in the class (is / are) increasing every year.	is
4	The couple (is / are) celebrating their anniversary today.	is
5	All of the cake (was / were) eaten by the end of the party.	was
5	A few of the books (was / were) misplaced in the library.	were
5	The majority of the team (was / were) present at the event.	was
5	The two sisters (is / are) coming to visit tomorrow.	are
5	Each of the players (is / are) given a uniform.	is
6	The teacher (explains / explain) the lesson clearly every day.	explains
6	The students (takes / take) their exams next week.	take
6	Either the teacher or the student (has / have) completed the assignment.	has
6	The children (has / have) finished their homework.	have
6	Neither of the answers (is / are) correct.	is
7	His friends (was / were) planning to visit him over the weekend.	were
7	The staff members (was / were) given instructions for the project.	were
7	The data (was / were) analyzed by the research team.	was
7	The cat and the dog (was / were) playing together in the garden.	were
7	The team of engineers (is / are) developing the new software.	is
8	The crowd (was / were) cheering loudly during the match.	was
8	The group of scientists (is / are) working on a new project.	is
8	Neither the teacher nor the students (was / were) interested in the lecture.	were
8	A number of people (has / have) registered for the event.	have
8	All of the students (was / were) excited about the field trip.	were
9	The police (has / have) apprehended the suspect.	have
9	The faculty (is / are) meeting to discuss the new policies.	is
9	The teacher or the students (was / were) responsible for the miscommunication.	were
9	Most of the furniture (was / were) bought online.	was
9	A couple of students (was / were) late to class this morning.	were
10	Both of the answers (is / are) correct.	are
10	The teacher and the principal (was / were) at the meeting.	were
10	The manager along with his assistant (has / have) been working late.	has
10	The children’s laughter (was / were) heard across the playground.	was
10	Each of the players (has / have) a unique skill set.	has

Now that you’ve gone through these challenging exercises and reviewed the answers, you should have a better understanding of subject-verb agreement. Practice makes perfect!