pitfalls pt. 6

8.Get tricky subjects to agree with their verbs

Certain annoying words are usually singular but sometimes plural.

RIGHT The committee has approved expenditure of $700,000,000,000.
(Singular, because all the people on the committee acted as one.)

RIGHT BUT SEEMS WRONG The committee have gone on holiday.
("Committee" is plural here, because the people acted as separate individuals.)
EASY FIX The committee members have gone on holiday.

Some subjects seem plural but in certain kinds of sentences are really singular. Trust your instinct. Write what you'd say when talking.

RIGHT Ten dollars is plenty.
RIGHT Two litres is a lot to drink.

Sometimes the subject of a sentence has two parts: a singular phrase and a plural phrase. Again, write exactly what you would say.

Provided English is your first language, your instinct will usually be correct. You'll naturally match the verb to the phrase immediately before it - in which case the grammar will be correct.

RIGHT Neither the topsoil nor the plants have arrived.
RIGHT Neither the plants nor the topsoil has arrived.