Common mistake plural subjects

Common Mistakes in Plural Subjects and Verb Agreement

One of the most common grammar mistakes people make in English is the agreement between plural subjects and verbs. This is particularly tricky because the subject and verb should always agree in number.

The Problem:

When using a plural subject, some individuals mistakenly use a singular verb while others use a plural verb. Both instances are incorrect and can lead to confusion in communication.

The Solution:

The key to solving this problem is to understand the basic rule of subject-verb agreement: Singular subjects require singular verbs, and plural subjects require plural verbs. Let's look at some examples:

Mistake 1: The team is playing well.
Correction 1: The team are playing well.
Mistake 2: The books was on the shelf.
Correction 2: The books were on the shelf.

In Mistake 1, the subject "team" is singular, but the verb "is" is plural. The correct sentence should be "The team are playing well" to match the plural subject.

In Mistake 2, the subject "books" is plural, but the verb "was" is singular. The correct sentence should be "The books were on the shelf" to align with the plural subject.

The Importance of Using Correct Subject-Verb Agreement:

Subject-verb agreement is crucial to maintaining grammatical accuracy and ensuring clear communication. When the subject and verb do not agree in number, it can confuse the reader or listener and undermine the effectiveness of your message.

Linguix Grammar Checker: To avoid these common mistakes and improve your subject-verb agreement, you can use the Linguix grammar checker. This tool quickly identifies and corrects any errors related to subject-verb agreement, enhancing the overall quality of your writing.

plural subjects mistake examples

Incorrect:
Any agents that has the marshaller set to json are not affected.

Correct:
Any agents that have|had the marshaller set to json are not affected.
Incorrect:
All classes that starts out with 50% mana have already a great advantage over the classes that do not.

Correct:
All classes that start|started out with 50% mana have already a great advantage over the classes that do not.
Incorrect:
The mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods, and services that supports economic prosperity in Tennessee.

Correct:
The mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods, and services that support|supported economic prosperity in Tennessee.
Incorrect:
All endpoints which connects and publish a messages throw 500 error.

Correct:
All endpoints which connect|connected and publish a messages throw 500 error.
Incorrect:
Here is a crazy idea: Permanent Equipement cards that turns your troop in a Battle Form.

Correct:
Here is a crazy idea: Permanent Equipement cards that turn|turned your troop in a Battle Form.
Incorrect:
The first men that succeeds in swimming the Channel were Captain Webb and Captain Crunch.

Correct:
The first men that succeed|succeeded in swimming the Channel were Captain Webb and Captain Crunch.
Incorrect:
The reports that describes everything in detail are missing.

Correct:
The reports that describe|described everything in detail are missing.
Incorrect:
Any other good troops that goes with Sacrifice?

Correct:
Any other good troops that go|went with Sacrifice?
Incorrect:
The park has much natural scenery, valuable trees and herbs which attracts many people.

Correct:
The park has much natural scenery, valuable trees and herbs which attract|attracted many people.
Correct:
Needs title that includes location.
Correct:
Tom claims that doesn't bother him.
Correct:
The horse which carries Cornelius is beautiful.
Correct:
Hertfordshire Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool, squash courts is also on this site.
Correct:
This impacts who holds what data, and who shares data with whom.
Correct:
The arms industry which rubs its hands with glee every time one of these new wars starts.
Correct:
The authoritarian manager rewards sycophants and punishes anyone who suggests possible improvements to practices and procedures.
Correct:
A women who doesn't criticize you anymore is a women who doesn't love you anymore.
Correct:
Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
Correct:
The only subject Greta treats which makes me feel slightly uncomfortable is her autism, as she calls it her “special power.”
Correct:
Encirq, an online marketing services company that protects consumer privacy, said it has raised more than $37 million in its third round of funding.
Correct:
His novella Who Goes There?
Correct:
The young woman who works at the bakery is pretty.
Correct:
The shrimp that falls asleep is carried away by the current.
Correct:
Empire Genomics (company that sells BAC clones from genomic libraries)
Correct:
Laws over who gets Bumiputra status vary between states.
Correct:
The young lady who works with us is Muslim.
Correct:
DPUC releases draft decision that denies FCEL 26MW project entirely.
Correct:
Since the wolverine is a ferocious beast, even a bear that encounters a wolverine tries to avoid it.
Correct:
Leo also introduces Nick to Pete, his middle-aged former lover who runs an antiques shop, like Nick's father, and who is sickly.
Correct:
Churchs Ferry is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States that has been impacted by the expansion of nearby Devils Lake.
Correct:
The criteria that determines one manic episode is vague and depends on the the story of the patient as reinterpreted by the psychiatrist.
Correct:
The community-created wiki, things that are smart, includes an article on repeaters that lists specific repeater models that may be of use for specific use cases:
Correct:
Later this year, Guggenheim closes the gallery and Pollock produces the first of his Drip Paintings, the series that brings him international acclaim, in the Springs, East Hampton, New York.
Correct:
The data which comes into the Plugins dashboard is being reported to it by the Plugins agent.
Correct:
Agency Nominations Affected Another area that stands to be affected is the nomination process, McLaughlin added.
Correct:
The Exchange states that bills from sellers to buyers will go to the buyers via the Exchnage.
Correct:
The only graffiti that lasts more than 24 hrs in my town is stuff by bumblebee…
Correct:
The hose that has the QD that broke, I will have to assemble myself but it is just the hose and the QD and two spring type hose clamps.
Correct:
The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms.
Correct:
The amendment would define a computer virus as "any computer instruction, information, data or program that degrades the performance of a computer resource; disables, damages or destroys a computer resource; or attaches itself to another computer resource and executes when the host computer program, data or instruction is executed or when some other event takes place in the host computer resource, data or instruction.
Correct:
Many operating systems support multitasking which enables many computer programs to appear to run simultaneously on one computer.
Correct:
..., our principal transactions lawyer who has been working for more than a year with ...
Correct:
Any young player who has good control will become a successful curve pitcher long before the pitcher who is endeavoring to master both curves and control at the same time.
Correct:
Marvel Enterprises which holds the rights to Spiderman and other characters, including Thor and the Incredible Hulk, said Wednesday it signed an exclusive deal to sell the licensing rights for the Marvel Universe online through IPnetwork.com.
Correct:
His belief that implies that angels indulged in coitus with human women.
Correct:
On the same day Governor Davis was blasting the Bush energy plan, his appointee who runs the Public Utilities Commission, Loretta Lynch, told a newspaper that power generators purposefully keep their plants idle to jack up prices.
Correct:
Bob our baby who works down at the AandW to support our propane usage.

Incorrect:
Ones that allows me to see what I'm doing while I'm programming.

Correct:
Ones that allow|allowed me to see what I'm doing while I'm programming.
Incorrect:
Things which doesn't make money are dropped, the Groups will probably be too (forcing users to use G+ instead).

Correct:
Things which do|didn't make money are dropped, the Groups will probably be too (forcing users to use G+ instead).
Incorrect:
Victims who thinks they receive freedom and had their own free will.

Correct:
Victims who think|thought they receive freedom and had their own free will.
Incorrect:
End users: Users who uses the connect app

Correct:
End users: Users who use|used the connect app
Correct:
Pig-root: Horse which bucks and tries to throw the rider.
Correct:
Yikes that sounds very powerful!!!

Incorrect:
Utilities which is a subsidiary of Con Edison.

Correct:
Utilities which are|were a subsidiary of Con Edare|wereon.
Incorrect:
Items which isn't making money are dropped, the Groups will probably be too (forcing users to use G+ instead).

Correct:
Items which are|weren't making money are dropped, the Groups will probably be too (forcing users to use G+ instead).
Correct:
Im seeing Database Sizes, Indexes, Collections which is fine but no metrics?
Correct:
Data which is confidential should be available to bidders subject to a confidentiality agreement.

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Related mistakes from category Grammar

Use the base form or the past tense with a plural noun hundreds of thousand (thousands of) users anymore (any more) ve didn't several other (others) good (well) according to knot (not) worse come to worse (worst) prostrate (prostate)