Subject–verb agreement
Make verbs match their subjects, even when the subject is long or tricky.
Why it matters
Agreement errors are highly noticeable to examiners and count against Grammatical Range and Accuracy. They multiply in Task 1, where subjects like 'the number of' and 'the percentage of' appear constantly.
The rules
Find the head noun of the subject and ignore phrases between it and the verb.
The quality of the roads in rural areas is poor.
'The number of' takes a singular verb; 'a number of' takes a plural verb.
The number of cars has doubled. A number of drivers have complained.
Uncountable nouns and gerund subjects are singular.
Information is shared online. Recycling plastic saves energy.
Each, every, either and neither take a singular verb.
Each of the countries has a different policy.
Model sentences
- The percentage of people who cycle to work has risen steadily since 2010.
- Neither of the proposed solutions addresses the underlying cause.
- Access to clean water remains a challenge in many regions.
Common mistakes
Incorrect: The number of students are increasing.
Correct: The number of students is increasing.
The head noun is 'number'.
Incorrect: People who lives in cities has more opportunities.
Correct: People who live in cities have more opportunities.
'People' is plural — and so is the verb in the relative clause.
Incorrect: The news are worrying.
Correct: The news is worrying.
'News' is uncountable.
Band tip
Check yourself
The amount of waste produced by households ___ (fall) since 2015.
has fallen
A number of factors ___ (contribute) to this trend.
contribute
Every one of the participants ___ (be) interviewed.
was