Subject-Verb Agreement

Why This Matters for Nursing: Grammatically correct documentation reflects professionalism. Subject-verb agreement errors can make writing confusing and undermine your credibility as a healthcare professional.

What You Need to Know

Subject-verb agreement means the subject and verb in a sentence must match in number:

• Singular subject → Singular verb
• Plural subject → Plural verb

🧠 Memory Trick

"One takes S, one doesn't"

• Singular nouns usually DON'T end in -s: nurse, patient
• Singular verbs usually DO end in -s: walks, administers

"The nurse walks" (singular + singular) "The nurses walk" (plural + plural)

Basic Rules

Rule 1: Singular Subject = Singular Verb

Singular verb usually ends in -s

• The nurse checks vitals.
• The patient is sleeping.
• She administers medication.

Rule 2: Plural Subject = Plural Verb

Plural verb usually does NOT end in -s

• The nurses check vitals.
• The patients are sleeping.
• They administer medication.

Tricky Situations

1. Words Between Subject and Verb

Ignore interrupting phrases — verb agrees with subject, not nearby noun

✓ "The nurse, along with two assistants, is here." (Subject = nurse, singular)

✓ "The results of the test are normal." (Subject = results, plural)

2. Compound Subjects with "And"

Usually plural

✓ "The doctor and the nurse are in the room."

3. Compound Subjects with "Or" / "Nor"

Verb agrees with the CLOSER subject

✓ "Neither the nurses nor the doctor is available." ✓ "Neither the doctor nor the nurses are available."

4. Indefinite Pronouns

• Everyone is present.
• Few are absent.
• Some of the medication is missing. (medication = singular)
• Some of the pills are missing. (pills = plural)

5. Collective Nouns

Usually singular (when acting as one unit)

• The staff is meeting today.
• The team has arrived.

Plural when emphasizing individuals:

• The staff are disagreeing among themselves.

6. "There" and "Here" Sentences

Verb agrees with the subject that follows

• There is a patient waiting. (patient = singular)
• There are patients waiting. (patients = plural)

✏️ Worked Examples

Example 1: Basic Agreement

Problem: "The nurse (walk/walks) through the hallway."

Step 1 — Find the subject. Ask: who is doing the action? → nurse. That's our subject.

Step 2 — Is the subject singular or plural? Nurse is one person. That's singular.

Step 3 — Match the verb to the subject. Singular subject → singular verb. Singular verbs usually end in -s.

• walk → no -s ending → plural verb
• walks → has -s ending → singular verb

Step 4 — Choose the singular verb: walks

Answer: "The nurse walks through the hallway."

🏥 TEAS Tip: It feels backwards, but singular verbs end in -s and plural verbs don't. "She walks" (singular) vs. "They walk" (plural).

Example 2: Interrupting Phrase

Problem: "The results of the blood test (indicate/indicates) anemia."

Step 1 — Find the subject. Read carefully — there are two nouns here: results and test. Which one is the subject?

Step 2 — Identify and mentally cross out the interrupting phrase. "Of the blood test" is a prepositional phrase — it's extra information tucked between the subject and verb. Cross it out: ~~"The results ~~of the blood test~~ (indicate/indicates) anemia."~~

Step 3 — Now it's clear: the subject is results. Is that singular or plural? Results is plural (many results).

Step 4 — Plural subject → plural verb. Indicate has no -s → plural verb. Indicates has -s → singular verb.

Step 5 — Choose the plural verb: indicate

Answer: "The results indicate anemia."

Why the wrong answer is tempting: "Test" is right next to the blank, so your brain wants to say "test indicates." But test isn't the subject — it's part of the interrupting phrase. Always find the true subject first.

Example 3: Either/Or

Problem: "Either the patient or the family members (sign/signs) the consent."

Step 1 — This sentence uses or to connect two subjects: "the patient" and "the family members."

Step 2 — Remember the Or/Nor Rule: the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb. Which subject is closer to the verb? family members — it comes right before (sign/signs).

Step 3 — Is "family members" singular or plural? It's plural (more than one person).

Step 4 — Plural subject → plural verb: sign (no -s ending)

Answer: "Either the patient or the family members sign the consent."

To see why the rule makes sense: Try flipping the order: "Either the family members or the patient signs the consent." Now the patient (singular) is closer → singular verb. The closer subject controls the verb.

Example 4: Indefinite Pronoun

Problem: "Everyone on the unit (need/needs) training."

Step 1 — Find the subject: everyone. That's an indefinite pronoun — a pronoun that refers to an unspecified group of people.

Step 2 — Check your indefinite pronoun rules. Everyone is on the "always singular" list — along with someone, anyone, no one, each, every, either, and neither.

Step 3 — Singular subject → singular verb. Needs has the -s ending → singular verb.

Answer: "Everyone needs training."

Why this trips people up: "Everyone" feels plural because it refers to a group of people. But grammatically, it's singular. Think of it like this: each and every person is doing something individually. Same idea: "Each of the nurses has a badge" — each one, individually, has a badge.

💡 Pro Tips

• Find the subject first — ignore phrases between subject and verb
• Trust "everyone," "someone," "each" — always singular
• "Or" and "nor" — look at the subject CLOSER to the verb
• Collective nouns — usually singular unless emphasizing individual actions
• On the TEAS: Watch for interrupting phrases designed to confuse you

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Tricked by nearby nouns: "The box of supplies is here" (box is subject, not supplies)
• Compound subjects: "Anxiety and depression are common" (two things = plural)
• Indefinite pronouns: "Each of the patients has a chart" (each = singular)
• There/Here sentences: "There are many reasons" (reasons = plural)

Quick Reference

Singular → Singular Verb

Plural → Plural Verb

Always Singular Pronouns

everyone, someone, anyone, no one, each, every, either, neither

Or/Nor Rule

Verb agrees with the closer subject

Subject-verb agreement mastered! 💪 Next up: Pronoun Usage