SV agreement, subjects containing clauses - plural

When a subject contains a clause, a parenthetical phrase, or words between it and the verb, writers often match the verb to the wrong noun. The verb must agree with the head (main) noun of the subject.

Below: a short rule, clear wrong/right pairs across contexts, quick rewrite templates you can paste, a memory trick, and a checklist to fix sentences fast.

Quick answer

Find the head noun (the true subject) and make the verb agree with it. Interrupting material-as well as, along with, including, relative clauses (that/who/which), prepositional phrases, and parentheticals-normally does not change the head noun's number.

Head noun singular → singular verb: The book, as well as the pens, was on the table. (book → was)
Head noun plural → plural verb: The books, including the notes, were on the table. (books → were)
True compound with and → plural verb: The manager and the assistant were at the meeting.

Core explanation: identify the head noun

Ask what the sentence is actually about. Remove everything between that head noun and the verb and test the remaining noun + verb.

Step 1: Circle the head noun (main subject).
Step 2: Delete intervening clauses or phrases and read the remaining noun + verb.
Step 3: Use a verb that matches the head noun (is/are, was/were).

Wrong: The book, as well as the pens, were on the table.
Right: The book, as well as the pens, was on the table.

Interrupting phrases: as well as, along with, together with, including

Phrases beginning with as well as, along with, together with, plus, and including add information but don't create a compound subject. Match the verb to the main noun before the phrase. If you mean plural, join nouns with and.

Parenthetical phrase = does not change subject number.
To force plural, use and: The book and the pens were on the table.

Work - Wrong: The book, along with its notes, were missing from the desk.
Work - Right: The book, along with its notes, was missing from the desk.
Work - Wrong: The documents, including the signed contract, is in the folder.
Work - Right: The documents, including the signed contract, are in the folder.
Casual - Wrong: The cake, plus the cookies, was gone by noon.
Casual - Right: The cake and the cookies were gone by noon.

Relative and subordinate clauses: ignore internal nouns when they modify the head

A relative clause (that/who/which) modifies a noun. The verb agrees with the modified head noun, not with nouns inside the clause. When a clause itself is the subject (What he said...), treat the whole clause as a single subject and choose the verb by meaning.

Head noun singular + relative clause → singular verb.
Clause-as-subject may require singular or plural sense depending on meaning.

School - Wrong: The book that I bought are on my desk.
School - Right: The book that I bought is on my desk.
Work - Wrong: The people who volunteer at the club was praised.
Work - Right: The people who volunteer at the club were praised.
School - Wrong: A list of books that are recommended are on the syllabus.
School - Right: A list of books that are recommended is on the syllabus.

Collective nouns and special cases (team, jury, group, family)

Collective nouns take singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group acts as one unit or as individuals. American English usually treats collective nouns as singular; British usage often accepts plural when members act separately. Interrupting phrases don't change that choice.

If the group acts as one unit → singular verb (The committee decides).
If members act separately → plural verb (The committee are arguing - common in UK).

Work - Wrong: The committee, including the new members, were unable to reach a decision.
Work - Right: The committee, including the new members, was unable to reach a decision.
Work - Wrong: The jury, including the alternates, were divided in their opinion.
Work - Right: The jury, including the alternates, was divided in its opinion.
Work - Wrong: The team, together with its new coach, are traveling overseas.
Work - Right: The team, together with its new coach, is traveling overseas.

Compound subjects vs mistaken compounds

Two nouns joined by and form a true compound subject and need a plural verb. Commas can turn the second noun into a parenthetical; test by removing it. If the sentence still makes sense without the second noun, the second is parenthetical, not part of the subject.

True compound: Noun A and Noun B → plural verb.
Parenthetical: Noun A, plus Noun B, → verb agrees with Noun A.

Wrong: The book, and the pen, is missing from the table.
Right: The book and the pen are missing from the table.
Casual - Wrong: The book and the pens was found under the chair.
Casual - Right: The book and the pens were found under the chair.
Casual - Wrong: My friend, and his neighbor, are coming over tonight.
Casual - Right: My friend and his neighbor are coming over tonight.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence in context rather than isolating a phrase. Context often makes the correct verb clear.

Real usage: work, school, and casual examples

Short labeled pairs show how the rule appears in real writing.

Work - Wrong: The report, including the appendices, were delivered at noon.
Work - Right: The report, including the appendices, was delivered at noon.
Work - Wrong: The board and the CEO was in the room.
Work - Right: The board and the CEO were in the room.
Work - Wrong: There is five chapters missing from the manual.
Work - Right: There are five chapters missing from the manual.
School - Wrong: A number of students is absent today.
School - Right: A number of students are absent today.
School - Wrong: The list of candidates are posted outside the office.
School - Right: The list of candidates is posted outside the office.
School - Wrong: Each student must hand in their essay by Friday.
School - Right: Each student must hand in his or her essay by Friday. (Or: Each student must hand in their essay - accepted singular they in many contexts.)
Casual - Wrong: My sister, along with her friends, are arriving late.
Casual - Right: My sister, along with her friends, is arriving late.
Casual - Wrong: The cookies, as well as the cake, was eaten.
Casual - Right: The cookies, as well as the cake, were eaten.
Casual - Wrong: The chair, as well as the tables, were dirty.
Casual - Right: The chair, as well as the tables, was dirty. (Or: The chair and the tables were dirty.)

Rewrite help: templates and instant fixes

If uncertain, rewrite to make the subject clearly singular or plural, move the interrupting phrase after the verb, or convert the subject to a compound joined by and.

Force singular: [Head noun] [singular verb], along with [other things]. → The book was, along with the pens, on the table.
Force plural: [Noun A] and [Noun B] [plural verb]. → The book and the pens were on the table.
Move the phrase: [Head noun] [verb] [interrupting phrase]. → The committee decided, after a long discussion, to change policy.

Rewrite:
Wrong: The jury, including the alternates, were divided. |
Rewrite: The jury, including the alternates, was divided.
Rewrite:
Wrong: The list of items are on the shelf. |
Rewrite: The list of items is on the shelf. (Or: The items are on the shelf.)
Rewrite:
Wrong: The chair, as well as the tables, were dirty. |
Rewrite: The chair, as well as the tables, was dirty. (Or: The chair and the tables were dirty.)

Memory trick and quick checklist

Memory trick: "Strip and Test" - strip away interrupting words, then test the remaining head noun with a simple verb (is/are, was/were).

Checklist: identify head noun → remove intervening phrase → substitute is/are or was/were → rewrite if ambiguous.

Strip and Test = remove interrupts, read head + verb.
If two nouns are joined by and → plural verb. If commas set off the second noun → likely parenthetical.

Checklist: Strip: The books, including the index, are heavy. → Head = The books → books are → correct.
Work - Checklist: Strip: The team, with its captain, is ready. → Head = The team → team is → correct.

Similar mistakes, spacing and hyphenation notes, and grammar warnings

Related errors include pronoun-antecedent mismatch (Each student must hand in their essay) and misreading there-constructions (There are five items missing). Fix these by identifying the true antecedent or subject.

Spacing and hyphenation don't change grammatical number but can hide the head noun. Avoid extra spaces around commas and keep parentheticals tight: The book, as well as the notes, was... Keep compound modifiers hyphenated (well-written) - clarity helps spotting the head noun.

Pronoun tip: Each/every + singular noun typically takes singular pronouns (his or her) unless choosing singular they intentionally.
There + verb: Decide whether the real subject follows (There are five items missing).
Formatting tip: Tight punctuation makes it easier to see the head noun at a glance.

School - Wrong: Each student must hand in their essay by Friday.
School - Right: Each student must hand in his or her essay by Friday. (Or: Each student must hand in their essay - accepted singular they in many contexts.)
Work - Wrong: There is five chapters missing from the manual.
Work - Right: There are five chapters missing from the manual.
Usage: Hyphenation example: a well-written chapter (hyphenation does not affect subject-verb agreement).

FAQ

Is it was or were after "as well as"?

Use was/were to agree with the head noun. If the head is singular (The book, as well as the pens), use was. If the head is plural (The books, as well as the pen), use were.

Should I use singular or plural with "a group of" or "a number of"?

"A group of" is usually singular (A group of students is meeting). "A number of" is idiomatically plural (A number of students are absent). Check meaning and context.

Which noun controls the verb when a clause follows the subject?

The head noun (the noun being modified) controls the verb. Ignore nouns inside the modifying clause when deciding singular vs. plural.

Can I say "the team are"?

Both forms appear. American English generally treats collective nouns as singular (the team is). British English often accepts the plural (the team are) when members act individually. For formal American writing prefer singular.

Quick fix: what do I do if I still can't tell?

Use the "Strip and Test" trick: remove interrupting phrases and test the head noun with is/are or was/were. If still ambiguous, rewrite to make the subject explicitly singular or plural or move the phrase after the verb.

Need a quick check?

When in doubt, strip away interrupts and test head + verb. Rewriting to make the subject explicitly singular or plural is the fastest fix for emails, reports, and assignments.