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With plural nouns like students, the verb must be plural. "The students is" is incorrect because students takes plural verbs: are, have, were, etc.

Below: quick rules, a two-second mental test, many concrete wrong/right pairs, workplace/school/casual rewrites, and a compact checklist you can use to fix sentences fast.

Short answer

Use a plural verb with the plural subject "students." Replace is → are, has → have, was → were. Example: The students are ready.

Students = plural subject → use plural verb forms (are, have, were).
Ignore intervening phrases (in the room, along with the teacher) when choosing the verb.
When uncertain, reduce the sentence to subject + verb and read it aloud.

Core grammar: the rule in one line

The verb must agree in number with its subject. "Students" is plural, so choose plural verbs: are, have, were. Singular verbs (is, has, was) do not match.

Modifiers and phrases between subject and verb (prepositional phrases, relative clauses, parenthetical additions) do not change the subject's number.

Rule: plural subject → plural verb (students → are/have/were).
Drop intervening phrases to check agreement: The students in room 12 are → The students are.
Use singular verbs only with singular subjects (each student is, every student is).

Wrong: The students is ready.
Right: The students are ready.

Memory trick: a two-second test

Quick tests that work under pressure:

Reduce: remove modifiers and read subject + verb alone. If the subject is plural, use a plural verb.
Swap: replace "students" with "they." If "they" fits, use the plural verb.
Say it: plural subjects usually sound wrong with singular verbs, so read the sentence aloud.

Reduce: 'The students with laptops is typing' → 'The students are typing.'
Swap: 'The students is late' → 'They are late' → use are.
Usage: Original: The students, along with a teacher, is on the field. Reduced: The students are on the field.

Common traps and similar rules

Phrases like "along with," "as well as," long prepositional phrases, and parenthetical material can distract you into matching the wrong noun. Also watch constructions such as there is/are and "a number of" vs "the number of."

Note: 'students' is always plural. Collective nouns (team, staff) can behave differently depending on meaning and dialect.

Ignore additions: The students, along with the principal, are leaving → not is.
There is/There are: match the noun that follows (There are three students).
A number of vs The number of: A number of students are absent. The number of students is growing.

Wrong: The students, as well as the TA, is attending the seminar.
Right: The students, as well as the TA, are attending the seminar.
Wrong: There is many students on the list.
Right: There are many students on the list.

Examples: a large set of wrong/right pairs you can copy

These pairs cover present/past/perfect tenses, intervening phrases, and common verbs that get mismatched with students. Often the fix is a single-word swap.

Wrong: The students is in the classroom.
Right: The students are in the classroom.
Wrong: All the students is ready to present.
Right: All the students are ready to present.
Wrong: The students is eating lunch now.
Right: The students are eating lunch now.
Wrong: The students has submitted the form.
Right: The students have submitted the form.
Wrong: The students was given extra time.
Right: The students were given extra time.
Wrong: The students doesn't understand the assignment.
Right: The students don't understand the assignment.
Wrong: The students is my responsibility.
Right: The students are my responsibility.
Wrong: Five of the students is missing their forms.
Right: Five of the students are missing their forms.

Work: professional lines you can paste into emails and reports

Errors in professional documents look careless. Match auxiliary verbs to the subject and prefer full forms in formal writing.

Work - Wrong: The students is expected to complete the evaluation by Friday.
Work - Right: The students are expected to complete the evaluation by Friday.
Work - Wrong: The students is scheduled for a site visit next week.
Work - Right: The students are scheduled for a site visit next week.
Work - Wrong: The students is requesting accommodations through HR.
Work - Right: The students are requesting accommodations through HR.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence, not just a fragment. Context often clarifies which verb fits.

School: syllabi, feedback, and assignment phrasing

Academic writing alternates between group and individual statements. Use singular verbs after each/every and plural verbs with group nouns like "the students."

Each/every + student → singular verb (Each student is).
Group actions use plural verbs (The students are).

School - Wrong: The students is turning in their homework late.
School - Right: The students are turning in their homework late.
School - Wrong: The students is present for roll call.
School - Right: The students are present for roll call.
School - Wrong: The students is participating in the science fair.
School - Right: The students are participating in the science fair.

Casual: quick fixes for texts, posts, and spoken reports

Casual messages mirror speech, but minor agreement errors can confuse readers. Correct verbs for clarity unless preserving quoted dialect.

In quotes, keep original wording. Otherwise, correct the verb for readability.
Avoid mixing casual contractions in formal contexts.

Casual - Wrong: The students is gonna be late, FYI.
Casual - Right: The students are going to be late, FYI.
Casual - Wrong: The students is on their way - be ready.
Casual - Right: The students are on their way - be ready.
Casual - Wrong: Someone just said 'The students is ready' in chat.
Casual - Right: Better in chat: 'The students are ready.'

Rewrite help: three-step checklist + ready-made rewrites

Checklist: 1) Find the subject. 2) Is it singular or plural? 3) Use the matching verb. If it still sounds awkward, rephrase to clarify the subject.

Step 1: Underline the subject noun (students).
Step 2: Ask "one or many?" → many → plural verb.
Step 3: Swap the verb and read aloud; if unclear, rephrase.

Rewrite:
Original: The students is going to be late; the bus broke down.
Rewrite: The students are going to be late because the bus broke down.
Rewrite:
Original: The students is planning a trip, they need permission.
Rewrite: The students are planning a trip and need permission.
Rewrite:
Original: The students is tired; each has homework.
Rewrite: The students are tired; each student has homework.
Rewrite:
Original: There is five students who want help.
Rewrite: There are five students who want help.
Rewrite:
Original: The students is required to have an ID.
Rewrite: The students are required to have IDs.
Rewrite:
Original: The students is ready to present themselves.
Rewrite: The students are ready to present.

Similar mistakes, spacing and hyphenation notes

Other agreement errors come from misidentifying the true subject. Spacing and hyphenation rarely change agreement, but punctuation can hide the subject; fix structure first.

There is/There are: match the noun after the verb (There are two students).
A number of vs The number of: A number of students are absent. The number of students is increasing.
Punctuation: avoid commas or dashes that separate the subject from its verb; when in doubt, rephrase.

Usage: Wrong: The number of students are high.
Right: The number of students is high.
Usage: Wrong: There is three students waiting.
Right: There are three students waiting.
Usage: Punctuation fix: Wrong: The students - who volunteered - is here.
Right: The students who volunteered are here.

FAQ

Is 'The students is' ever correct?

No. "Students" is plural and requires a plural verb (are, have, were). The only time you might keep "The students is" is when reproducing an exact spoken quote that is intentionally ungrammatical.

What about 'each student is' vs 'the students are'?

'Each student is' and 'every student is' use singular verbs because they refer to individuals. 'The students are' refers to the group and uses a plural verb.

How do I choose between has and have with students?

Use have with plural subjects: The students have submitted the forms. Use has only with a singular third-person subject: The student has.

Will grammar checkers catch these errors?

Yes. Most tools flag subject-verb agreement mistakes and suggest plural verbs. Still apply the reduce-or-swap test if a correction seems contextually off.

What if my sentence still sounds awkward after fixing the verb?

Rephrase to make the subject clearer. Example: 'A group of students is nervous' → If you mean individuals, write 'The students are nervous.' If you mean the group as one unit, keep 'A group of students is nervous.'

Quick practice: fix three real sentences now

Pick three recent lines from an email, homework, or post that might have agreement issues. Apply the three-step checklist and rewrite them using the examples above.

If you want a fast check, paste those lines into a grammar tool that highlights subject-verb agreement and compare its fixes to your rewrites here.