1. What Are Compound Subjects?

A compound subject consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction (such as and or or) and share the same verb.

Examples:

• Using “and”:
• Jack and Jill went up the hill.
• Using “or”:
• The dog or the cat is responsible for the mess.

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2. Rules for Verb Agreement with Compound Subjects

a. Subjects Joined by “And”

• When two or more subjects are joined by “and,” they typically form a plural subject and take a plural verb.
• Example:
  • Jack and Jill are going up the hill.

b. Subjects Joined by “Or” or “Nor”

• When subjects are joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb should agree with the subject that is closest to the verb (the rule of proximity).
• Example:
  • Either the teacher or the students are responsible for the project. (Correct: are because “students” is plural.)
  • Either the students or the teacher is responsible for the project. (Correct: is because “teacher” is singular.)

c. Compound Subjects with Different Numbers

• If a compound subject includes both a singular and a plural noun, the verb agrees with the plural noun.
• Example:
  • The dog and the cats are playing in the yard.
  • The cat and the dogs are barking.

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3. Special Cases

a. Using “Either…or” and “Neither…nor”

• When using “either…or” or “neither…nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb.
• Example:
  • Neither the students nor the teacher was available. (Correct: was because “teacher” is singular.)
  • Either the cats or the dog is in the yard. (Correct: is because “dog” is singular.)

b. Titles and Names

• A title of a work or a collective noun, even if it sounds plural, takes a singular verb.
• Example:
  • “The Chronicles of Narnia” is a popular series.

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4. Common Errors in Verb Agreement with Compound Subjects

a. Ignoring Conjunctions

• Failing to recognize the conjunction joining the subjects can lead to incorrect verb agreement.
• Incorrect: The cat and the dogis friends.
  • (Correct: The cat and the dog are friends.)

b. Misapplying the Proximity Rule

• Confusing which subject is closest to the verb can cause mistakes when using “or” or “nor.”
• Incorrect: Either the team or the playersare winning.
  • (Correct: Either the team or the players is winning.)

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5. How to Identify and Correct Errors

Step 1: Identify the Compound Subject

• Locate the subjects in the sentence to determine if they are joined by “and,” “or,” or “nor.”

Step 2: Determine the Number of Each Subject

• Check if the subjects are singular or plural.

Step 3: Choose the Correct Verb Form

• Use a plural verb for subjects joined by “and” and apply the proximity rule for subjects joined by “or” or “nor.”

Step 4: Revise as Necessary

• Adjust the verb based on the agreement rules you’ve identified.

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6. Practice Examples

• Incorrect: The cat and the dog runs outside.
• (Correct: The cat and the dog run outside.)
• Incorrect: Either the students or the teacher are late.
• (Correct: Either the students or the teacher is late.)
• Incorrect: Neither the baker nor the cakes was ready.
• (Correct: Neither the baker nor the cakes were ready.)