Subject-Verb Agreement Traps

Subject-verb agreement seems simple: singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. But IELTS examiners know that this area is full of traps, and many candidates — even at Band 6 level — make errors when the sentence structure gets complex. This lesson focuses on the tricky cases that cost marks.

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The Basic Rule

Singular subject → singular verb:

The government is responsible. ✅

Plural subject → plural verb:

Governments are responsible. ✅

Simple enough. But the following situations are where candidates stumble.

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Trap 1: Words Between the Subject and Verb

The most common agreement error occurs when words come between the subject and the verb, especially prepositional phrases:

❌ The cost of the repairs are high.

✅ The cost of the repairs is high. (subject = "cost", singular)

❌ The effects of climate change is becoming evident.

✅ The effects of climate change are becoming evident. (subject = "effects", plural)

Strategy: Cross out the prepositional phrase mentally and check what's left:

• The cost of the repairs is high.
• The effects of climate change are becoming evident.

More examples:

The number of students has increased. ✅ (subject = "number")

A series of lectures was organised. ✅ (subject = "series")

The results of the experiment were published. ✅ (subject = "results")

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Trap 2: "A Number of" vs "The Number of"

This distinction trips up even advanced learners:

Expression	Agreement	Example
A number of + plural noun	Plural verb	A number of students were absent.
The number of + plural noun	Singular verb	The number of students has increased.

Why? "A number of" means "several/many" (focus on the individuals). "The number of" means "the quantity" (focus on the number itself).

❌ A number of factors has contributed to this trend.

✅ A number of factors have contributed to this trend.

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Trap 3: Uncountable Nouns

These always take a singular verb, even when they seem plural:

The information is available online. ✅ (NOT are)

The evidence suggests that the policy has failed. ✅ (NOT suggest)

The research was conducted over five years. ✅ (NOT were)

Common uncountable nouns in IELTS:

advice, information, evidence, research, knowledge, equipment, furniture, luggage, traffic, progress, behaviour, accommodation, news, homework, feedback, data (treated as uncountable in modern English)

❌ The news are shocking.

✅ The news is shocking.

❌ Their advice were very helpful.

✅ Their advice was very helpful.

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Trap 4: Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (government, team, family, committee, company, public, staff, audience, group) can be singular or plural depending on whether you see the group as one unit or as individuals:

British English (preferred in IELTS): Both are acceptable, but be consistent.

The government is planning to introduce new laws. (one body)

The government are divided on the issue. (individual members)

Safe approach for IELTS: Treat them as singular unless emphasising individual members:

The committee has reached a decision. ✅

The team is performing well this season. ✅

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Trap 5: "Each", "Every", "Either", "Neither"

These are always singular, even when followed by plural-sounding phrases:

Each of the students has a textbook. ✅ (NOT have)

Every country is affected by climate change. ✅ (NOT are)

Neither of the solutions is ideal. ✅ (NOT are — though are is common in informal English)

Either option is acceptable. ✅

Common error:

❌ Each of the candidates have their own strengths.

✅ Each of the candidates has their own strengths. (or "his or her own strengths" in very formal writing)

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Trap 6: "Either … or" and "Neither … nor"

When these correlative conjunctions join two subjects, the verb agrees with the nearest subject: