Who send (sends) the documents/how is (are) the kids doing

Quick answer

Match the verb to the grammatical (head) subject: singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb. Ignore intervening phrases (along with, as well as), treat indefinite pronouns (everyone, each) as singular, and make the verb agree with the nearer noun after either/or or neither/nor.

• Find the true subject, not the first noun you see.
• Cross out parentheticals and prepositional phrases before choosing the verb.
• When unsure, rewrite the sentence with an explicit subject (members, people, committee members).

Core explanation: short rule and checklist

Agreement means the verb form matches the subject's number. In present simple third-person, singular verbs usually end in -s (she runs / they run).

Quick checklist: 1) Identify the head subject; 2) Cross out intervening phrases; 3) Decide singular or plural; 4) Use the matching verb form.

• Third-person singular (he/she/it, everyone, each) → verb + s: Everyone has.
• Plural subjects (they, the students, many people) → base form: The students have.
• Either/neither ... or/nor → verb agrees with the nearest subject.

• Wrong: Everyone have to sign the form. /
  Right: Everyone has to sign the form.
• Wrong: The students in the class submits the report. /
  Right: The students in the class submit the report.

Collective nouns: decide if the group acts as one or as individuals

Collective nouns (team, committee, staff, jury, audience) can take singular or plural verbs depending on meaning and dialect. In formal American English prefer singular when the group acts as a single unit.

If you mean the individuals, rewrite to a plural subject (members, players, staff members) to avoid ambiguity.

• Singular meaning (group as one): The jury has reached a verdict.
• Plural meaning (individual actions): The jury are arguing among themselves. Or rewrite: Jury members are arguing.
• In reports and formal documents, prefer singular or rewrite for clarity.

• Wrong: The committee say the new rules are necessary. /
  Right: The committee says the new rules are necessary. (or: Committee members say the new rules are necessary.)
• Wrong: The staff are updating the schedule. /
  Right: The staff is updating the schedule. (or: Staff members are updating the schedule.)

Indefinite pronouns and either/or, neither/nor

Indefinite pronouns like everyone, everybody, someone, anyone, nobody, and each are singular and take singular verbs. Words such as both, few, several, many are plural and take plural verbs.

With either/or and neither/nor, make the verb agree with the noun or pronoun closest to the verb.

• Always singular: everyone, everybody, someone, anyone, nobody, each, either, neither.
• Always plural: both, few, several, many.
• Either/or and neither/nor: match the nearer noun: Either John or his colleagues are available. Either his colleagues or John is available.

• Wrong: Each of the students have completed the survey. /
  Right: Each of the students has completed the survey. (or: Every student has completed the survey.)
• Wrong: Neither the deadlines nor the manager were realistic. /
  Right: Neither the deadlines nor the manager was realistic.

Intervening phrases, hyphenation, spacing - don't be fooled

Phrases like "along with", "as well as", "in addition to" and appositives don't change the head subject. Hyphenation and spacing can affect meaning, but the verb still agrees with the head noun.

If a compound looks singular because of a hyphen (a ten-mile run), treat it by meaning: "a ten-mile run is". If the head noun is singular, the verb is singular even if a plural noun appears inside a phrase.

• Ignore commas and prepositional phrases for agreement: The CEO, along with two directors, is attending.
• Hyphenated noun phrases that act as one unit are singular: a long-term plan is effective.
• Spacing: "no one" is two words and singular (No one knows).

• Wrong: The book, along with its chapters, were fascinating. /
  Right: The book, along with its chapters, was fascinating.
• Wrong: A ten-mile run are scheduled for Saturday. /
  Right: A ten-mile run is scheduled for Saturday.

Examples you can copy: workplace, school, casual (quick fixes)

Grouped examples for three contexts. Copy the Right version for quick corrections; alternate rewrites are shown when they clarify meaning.

• Work examples fit reports, emails and memos.
• School examples suit essays, syllabi and feedback.
• Casual examples reflect conversational or social-media usage.

• Work - Wrong: The data shows a significant increase. /
  Right: The data show a significant increase. (or: The dataset shows a significant increase.)
• Work - Wrong: The team are finalizing the proposal today. /
  Right: The team is finalizing the proposal today. (or: Team members are finalizing the proposal today.)
• Work - Wrong: Neither the budget nor the timeline have been approved. /
  Right: Neither the budget nor the timeline has been approved.
• School - Wrong: Everyone turn in your draft on Friday. /
  Right: Everyone turns in their draft on Friday. (
  formal: Everyone should turn in his or her draft on Friday.)
• School - Wrong: Each chapter contain examples and exercises. /
  Right: Each chapter contains examples and exercises.
• School - Wrong: The number of citations were low. /
  Right: The number of citations was low.
• Casual - Wrong: The team are playing at 7 tonight. /
  Right: The team is playing at 7 tonight. (BrE speakers may say "are")
• Casual - Wrong: My pair of scissors are missing. /
  Right: My pair of scissors is missing. (Meaning: one pair.)
• Casual - Wrong: Everybody have fun tonight! /
  Right: Everybody has fun tonight! (or: Have fun tonight, everyone!)

Try your own sentence

Check the whole sentence, not just a phrase - context often clarifies agreement. Use the three-step checklist: find the head subject, cross out intervening words, and match the verb.

Rewrite help: three repair patterns + examples

When stuck, follow these steps: 1) Find the head subject; 2) Cross out anything between subject and verb; 3) Decide singular or plural and change the verb; 4) If it still feels awkward, rewrite with an explicit subject.

Three common repair patterns and safe rewrites:

• Pattern A - Remove the parenthetical: The book, along with its notes, was revised → The book was revised.
• Pattern B - Replace a collective with members: The committee are split → Committee members are split.
• Pattern C - Convert an indefinite pronoun to a plural rewrite: Each student has → All students have.

• Rewrite:
  Original: Along with the CEO, the staff was present. / Fix: Along with the CEO, the staff was present. / Cleaner: The CEO and staff were present.
• Rewrite:
  Original: The committee disagree about priorities. / Fix: The committee disagrees about priorities. / Cleaner: Committee members disagree about priorities.
• Rewrite:
  Original: Each of the team members have laptops. / Fix: Each of the team members has a laptop. / Cleaner: All team members have laptops.

Real usage: register and regional differences

Formal American English usually treats collective nouns as singular. British English often uses plural verbs with collectives when the focus is on members. Indefinite pronouns are singular in most registers, though singular "they" is widely accepted in informal and many formal contexts.

Follow the style guide for a company, journal or teacher. For internal emails, prefer clarity - rewrite if dialectal differences create ambiguity.

• Work (formal): Use singular for groups acting as a unit or rewrite for clarity.
• School (academic): Keep agreement strict; avoid casual singular "they" in very formal submissions unless allowed.
• Casual: Natural speech often relaxes agreement; focus on clarity in writing.

• Work - Usage: The board is expected to approve the plan. (formal memo)
• School - Usage: Neither the thesis nor the appendix was included. (academic paper)
• Casual - Usage: The team are a fun bunch. (common in conversational BrE; rewrite for clarity in AmE)

Memory tricks, hyphenation & spacing checks

Three quick micro-tests: 1) Read subject + verb aloud; 2) Replace the subject with he/she/they to hear singular vs plural; 3) If the subject is collective, try "members" instead.

Hyphenation and spacing notes: "no one" is two words and singular. Hyphenated modifiers like "ten-mile" act with the head noun: "a ten-mile run is".

• Micro-test 1: Say subject + verb alone - does it sound singular or plural?
• Micro-test 2: For either/or, read the phrase backwards to check nearer-noun agreement.
• Hyphen/spacing: Check whether the phrase forms a single unit (long-term plan is) or separate nouns (ten miles are).

• Wrong: No-one were interested. /
  Right: No one was interested.

Similar mistakes to watch for

Agreement problems often appear with other errors. Check pronoun case (I vs me), possessives (its vs it's), and count vs mass distinctions (fewer vs less) once the head subject is clear.

• Pronoun case: Give the report to John and me (not John and I).
• Possessive confusion: Its (possessive) vs it's (it is).
• Count vs mass: Use fewer with countable nouns, less with uncountable nouns.

• Wrong: It's components were damaged. /
  Right: Its components were damaged.
• Wrong: Give the notes to Sarah and I. /
  Right: Give the notes to Sarah and me.

FAQ

Is "data" singular or plural?

Traditionally "data" is plural (The data are). Many fields treat "data" as a mass noun (The data is). Follow your field or publisher's style guide.

Which is correct: "The team is" or "The team are"?

Both can be correct. Formal American English often uses "the team is" (group as one); British English commonly uses "the team are" when referring to members. For formal documents, rewrite: Team members are.

How do I choose the verb with "neither...nor" and "either...or"?

Make the verb agree with the noun or pronoun closest to the verb: Neither the manager nor the employees are available. Neither the employees nor the manager is available.

Do phrases like "along with" change agreement?

No. "Along with", "as well as", and similar parentheticals do not change the number of the head subject. The verb agrees with the main subject.

Can a grammar checker always fix these errors?

Grammar checkers catch many mistakes and suggest rewrites, but they can miss meaning-driven choices (collective nouns, dialect preferences). Use a checker, then apply the checklist above to verify suggested fixes.

Need a quick check?

Paste a sentence into a grammar tool and review suggested subject-verb fixes using the three-step checklist. When editing emails, reports, or essays, prefer clear rewrites (members, people, dataset) over guessing dialectal usage.