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).