Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
Agreement with news, mathematics, and other tricky subjects
When to Use Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
- •Singular despite -s: The news is good. Mathematics is difficult.
- •Plural without -s: The police are investigating.
- •Titles and names: 'The Avengers' is a great movie.
- •Amounts as units: Ten dollars is enough.
- •Subjects with phrases: The book on the tables is mine.
How to Form Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
Affirmative (+)
Tricky subject + correct singular/plural verb
Negative (-)
The news isn't good. / The police aren't here.
Question (?)
Is mathematics your favorite subject?
💡 Some -s words are singular (news, physics). Some no-s words are plural (police, people). Amounts as single units take singular.
Examples of Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
✓The news is surprising.
✗The news are surprising.
'News' is always singular despite the -s.
✓The police are looking for the suspect.
✗The police is looking for the suspect.
'Police' is always plural.
✓Five kilometers is a long walk.
✗Five kilometers are a long walk.
Amounts as single units take singular verbs.
Common Mistakes with Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
💡 Practice Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement
- • Always singular: news, mathematics, physics, economics, politics (as subjects)
- • Always plural: police, people, cattle, clothes
- • Amounts as units: singular (Ten minutes is enough)
- • Titles: singular ('The Beatles' is my favorite band)
- • Ignore phrases between subject and verb: The box of chocolates is...
Quick Quiz
Grammar sorted. Now grow your vocabulary.