UpdatesTOEFL Subject-Verb Agreement: Rules for Build a Sentence
Subject-verb agreement is one of the most critical—and most tested—TOEFL grammar skills[4] in the TOEFL 2026 Build a Sentence task[1]. The verb must match the subject in number: singular with singular, plural with plural[5]. Get it wrong, and you get zero points[2]. Master this essential grammar rule to improve your TOEFL writing score.
"The student works hard."
"The students work hard."
Watch: Subject-Verb Agreement Explained
Complete guide to matching subjects with correct verb forms
Why Subject-Verb Agreement Is Critical
In the TOEFL 2026 format, Build a Sentence often includes both singular and plural verb forms among the scrambled words (e.g., "was" and "were"). Choosing the wrong one means zero points for that item. You must correctly identify the subject and match it with the right verb form.
In This Guide
The Basic Rule
Subject-verb agreement is simple in principle: the verb must agree with its subject in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.
The Golden Rule
Singular subject = verb with -s (works, runs, is, has)
Plural subject = verb without -s (work, run, are, have)
Singular Examples
- The student works hard.
- She is studying.
- He has finished.
- The tour guide was helpful.
- My brother lives in Paris.
Plural Examples
- The students work hard.
- They are studying.
- We have finished.
- The tour guides were helpful.
- My brothers live in Paris.
Be Verb Forms
| Subject | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | was |
| He/She/It (singular) | is | was |
| You/We/They (plural) | are | were |
Finding the True Subject
The hardest part of subject-verb agreement is identifying the true subject. Don't be fooled by words that come between the subject and verb!
Key Strategy: Ignore the Middle
Words between the subject and verb (especially prepositional phrases) do NOT affect the verb choice. Find the main noun and match the verb to it.
Prepositional Phrases to Ignore
Example 1:
"The group of students is working."
Subject = group (singular) → verb = is
Example 2:
"The results of the experiment are surprising."
Subject = results (plural) → verb = are
Example 3:
"One of the books is missing."
Subject = one (singular) → verb = is
- "The group of students are studying."
- "One of my friends have a car."
- "The quality of these products are excellent."
- "The group of students is studying."
- "One of my friends has a car."
- "The quality of these products is excellent."
Tricky Subjects
Some subjects look plural but are actually singular, or vice versa. These commonly appear in Build a Sentence items.
Subjects with Relative Clauses (who/that/which)
When a relative clause (who, that, which) comes between the subject and main verb, the main verb must agree with the main subject, not a noun in the relative clause.
"The tour guides who showed us around were fantastic."
Main subject = tour guides (plural) → main verb = were
"The student who studies hard succeeds."
Main subject = student (singular) → main verb = succeeds
"The food that we ordered was delicious."
Main subject = food (singular) → main verb = was
Special Cases
Always SINGULAR:
- • News is on TV
- • Mathematics is difficult
- • Physics requires practice
- • Economics studies money
- • The United States is large
Always PLURAL:
- • The police are coming
- • People are waiting
- • Scissors are sharp
- • Pants are too long
- • Glasses are on the table
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, nobody, etc.) are a common source of errors. Most are singular, even when they seem to refer to multiple people.
The Everyone Rule
Words ending in -one, -body, or -thingare always SINGULAR.
Indefinite Pronoun Chart
Singular (-one):
- • everyone is
- • someone has
- • anyone wants
- • no one knows
Singular (-body):
- • everybody is
- • somebody has
- • anybody wants
- • nobody knows
Singular (other):
- • each is
- • either works
- • neither wants
- • every student has
- "Everyone are invited."
- "Nobody want to leave."
- "Each student have a book."
- "Everyone is invited."
- "Nobody wants to leave."
- "Each student has a book."
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns refer to groups of people or things. In American English, they're typically treated as singular.
Common Collective Nouns (Singular)
Groups:
- • group is
- • team plays
- • family lives
- • class studies
Organizations:
- • committee decides
- • company produces
- • government announces
- • university offers
Other:
- • audience watches
- • crowd cheers
- • jury decides
- • staff works
Note: In British English, collective nouns can take plural verbs when emphasizing individual members ("The team are arguing"). However, for TOEFL, follow American English conventions: collective nouns take singular verbs.
Agreement in Build a Sentence
In Build a Sentence, you'll often see both singular and plural verb forms among the word choices. Here's how to handle this:
Subject-Verb Agreement Strategy
Step 1: Find the subject
Identify the main noun that will perform the action
Step 2: Determine singular or plural
Is it one thing (singular) or multiple things (plural)?
Step 3: Choose the matching verb
Select was/is/has for singular; were/are/have for plural
Step 4: Ignore distractors
Prepositional phrases and relative clauses don't change the rule
Example: Build a Sentence with Agreement
Context:
"What was the highlight of your trip?"
Scrambled Words:
Analysis:
- • Subject = "tour guides" (PLURAL)
- • We have both "was" (singular) and "were" (plural)
- • Plural subject → need "were"
- • Discard "was" as a distractor
Correct Answer:
"The tour guides who showed us around the old city were fantastic."
Practice Examples
Test your subject-verb agreement skills with these Build a Sentence style exercises. For more comprehensive TOEFL grammar practice, see our TOEFL writing templates.
Practice 1
Context: "How is the class going?"
Reveal Answer
"Everyone is enjoying the course."
Why "is"? "Everyone" is always singular.
Practice 2
Context: "What happened to the documents?"
Reveal Answer
"One of the files is missing."
Why "is"? Subject is "one" (singular), not "files."
Practice 3
Context: "How are the new employees?"
Reveal Answer
"The new staff is very friendly."
Why "is"? "Staff" is a collective noun (singular in American English).
Practice 4
Context: "What did you think of the food?"
Reveal Answer
"The food that we ordered was delicious."
Why "was"? Subject is "food" (singular). The relative clause "that we ordered" doesn't change agreement.
Common Errors to Avoid
Subject-verb agreement errors are among the top 10 grammar mistakes that cost TOEFL points. Watch out for these common patterns.
Error 1: Matching Verb to Nearest Noun
Wrong
"The group of students are studying."
Correct
"The group of students is studying."
The subject is "group" (singular), not "students."
Error 2: Using Plural with Everyone/Everyone
Wrong
"Everyone have their own opinion."
Correct
"Everyone has their own opinion."
"Everyone" is always singular, even though it refers to many people.
Error 3: Wrong Verb After Relative Clause
Wrong
"The tour guides who helped us was fantastic."
Correct
"The tour guides who helped us were fantastic."
The main verb must agree with "guides" (plural), not "us."
Error 4: Collective Nouns with Plural Verbs
Wrong
"The committee are meeting tomorrow."
Correct
"The committee is meeting tomorrow."
In American English, collective nouns take singular verbs.
Quick Reference: Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular Verbs (is/was/has/-s)
- • He, she, it
- • One of the...
- • Everyone, somebody, each
- • Collective nouns (group, team)
- • News, mathematics
Plural Verbs (are/were/have/no -s)
- • They, we, you
- • Plural nouns (students, guides)
- • Both, few, many, several
- • People, police
- • Scissors, pants, glasses
Practice Subject-Verb Agreement
Get instant AI feedback on agreement and all grammar patterns for TOEFL 2026.
Start PracticeReferences & Further Reading
- 2026 TOEFL Format Revealed — TOEFL Resources Blog (Accessed: January 2026)
- TOEFL iBT Test Content and Structure — ETS Official Website (Accessed: January 2026)
- Subject-Verb Agreement — Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Accessed: January 2026)
- Subject-Verb Agreement Rules — Grammarly (Accessed: January 2026)
- Subject and Verb Agreement — EnglishClub (Accessed: January 2026)
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