Agreement in English – ESLnote Grammar

Agreement (also called concord) means two parts of a sentence “match” each other. In English, we mainly check agreement in three places: subject–verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and demonstrative agreement.

Quick Overview

Type	What must match?	Example
Subject–verb	Singular/plural subject + correct verb form	She works. / They work.
Pronoun	Pronoun + the noun it replaces (number, gender)	Maria lost her keys. / The boys forgot their homework.
Demonstrative	this/these/that/those + noun number	This book. / These books.

1) Subject–Verb Agreement

The verb must agree with the subject in number. In the present simple, he / she / it usually takes -s.

Singular → singular verb
She works every day. / The dog barks loudly.

Plural → plural verb
They work every day. / The dogs bark loudly.

Common Patterns

Situation	Rule	Example
One subject	Singular subject → singular verb	The teacher explains the lesson.
Two subjects with and	Usually plural	Tom and Jerry are friends.
One combined idea	Sometimes singular (one “thing”) meaning	Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite sandwich.
There is / There are	Agree with the noun after there	There is a problem. / There are many problems.

Indefinite Pronouns

Some pronouns are usually singular (everyone, somebody, each), some are usually plural (many, few), and some depend on what comes after them (all, some, most).

Group	Examples	Verb Agreement	Sentence
Usually singular	everyone, somebody, each, nobody	singular	Everyone is ready. / Each student has a book.
Usually plural	many, few, several	plural	Many are absent. / Few have finished.
Depends on the noun all / some / most	all (of), some (of), most (of)	match the noun	All of the cake is gone. / All of the students are here.

2) Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces (the antecedent) in number and usually gender.

Antecedent	Pronoun	Example
Maria (singular, female)	her	Maria lost her keys.
the boys (plural)	their	The boys forgot their homework.
every student (singular, any gender)	their common	Every student must bring their ID.

Note: Singular they (their / them) is very common in modern English, especially when the gender is unknown or not important.

3) Demonstrative Agreement

Demonstratives must match the noun in number:

Singular	Plural	Examples
this, that	these, those	This phone is new. / These phones are new. That car is fast. / Those cars are fast.

4) Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Why
She work every day.	She works every day.	He/She/It in present simple usually needs -s.
There are a problem.	There is a problem.	Agree with the noun after there (a problem = singular).
Everyone are here.	Everyone is here.	Everyone is treated as singular.
This books are interesting.	These books are interesting.	Books is plural → use these.
My friend forgot their phone. (one friend, male, known)	My friend forgot his phone. (or their, if gender isn’t important)	Use a pronoun that matches meaning and context.

5) Real-life Usage

My manager checks emails early.
The managers check emails early.
There are two meetings today.
Everyone has a role in the project.
These documents are important—please read them.

6) Quick Tips

Find the main subject, then choose the correct verb form.
Be careful when the subject is far from the verb: The list of names is on the table.
With there is/are, look at the noun that comes next.
Use this/that for singular nouns and these/those for plural nouns.
Use singular they when the person’s gender is unknown or not important.