Make the subject and verb agree

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about. In the present simple, it affects the verb form: “The manager checks the report” but “The managers check the report.”

Find the main subject

“The list of attendees is ready.” The subject is list, which is singular. “Attendees” is part of the phrase describing the list.

Compare: “The attendees are ready.” Here, the attendees are the subject, so the verb is plural.

Watch words such as “each” and “everyone”

“Each applicant has a reference number.”

“Everyone needs an invitation.”

These words normally take a singular verb even though they may refer to people in a group.

Use the base form after does

“The system works.” But: “Does the system work?” The -s appears in does, so the main verb stays in its base form.

Collective nouns such as “team” can vary by dialect and meaning. Start with clear singular and plural subjects rather than treating every group noun as identical.

Your turn

Choose: “The details is/are correct.” “The number of applications has/have increased.”

Show the answers

“The details are correct.” “The number of applications has increased.” In the second sentence, the subject is the singular “number,” not “applications.”