Basic Principle:
Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.
See the section
on Plurals for additional help with subject-verb agreement.
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are
always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.
· Everyone has done his or her homework.
· Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns —
such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what
they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful
choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.
· Some of the beads are missing.
· Some of the water is gone.
On the other hand, there is
one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or
plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb —
unless something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally
think of none as meaning not any and will
choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but
when something else makes us regard none as meaning not
one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")
· None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
· None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
· None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes
the use of the singular verb.
Some indefinite pronouns are
particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed
above, also) certainly feel like more than one person and,
therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with them. They
are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a
prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing
the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a
singular verb.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.
You would always say,
"Everybody is here." This means that the word is
singular and nothing will change that.
Each of the
students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Don't let the word
"students" confuse you; the subject is
