Is Or Are Grammar | Pick The Right Verb Every Time

Most mistakes with is and are happen in sentences that look simple at first glance and then twist a bit. A noun sits near the verb, your eye lands on it, and the wrong choice slips in. That’s why “The box of ornaments is on the shelf” trips people up. Your brain sees ornaments, yet the subject is box.

The base rule is plain: singular subject, singular verb; plural subject, plural verb. Still, English likes curveballs. Phrases like in the car, with my friends, or along with the notes can crowd the subject. Pairings like either/or can flip the verb. Group nouns can act like one unit in one sentence and many people in the next. Once you know where the subject sits and how the sentence is built, the choice gets steadier.

What “Is” And “Are” Agree With

Is and are are forms of the verb to be. They agree with the subject, not with the noun that happens to sit closest. That one habit clears up a big share of errors. In “The list of names is on my desk,” the subject is list. In “The names on the list are in order,” the subject is names.

Find The Real Subject Before The Verb

Start by stripping the sentence down to its spine. Ask, “Who or what is doing the being?” Then ignore extra phrases for a moment. “The smell of the cookies is strong” becomes “The smell is strong.” “The players on the far court are ready” becomes “The players are ready.”

Ignore Interrupting Phrases

Prepositional phrases often cause the mess. Words after of, in, with, between, and along with may add detail, but they do not control the verb. “A basket of peaches is on the table.” “The notes from the meeting are in my bag.” The subject stays the same even when extra detail stretches the sentence.

Is Or Are Grammar Rules For Tricky Subjects

Once the sentence gets past the plain singular-versus-plural rule, a few patterns show up again and again. Learn these well and your edit time drops fast.

• Two subjects joined by and usually take are: “Mia and her brother are late.”
• Two singular subjects joined by or or nor usually take is: “The pen or the pencil is in the drawer.”
• Mixed subjects with or or nor usually match the noun nearest the verb: “Either the manager or the assistants are opening,” but “Either the assistants or the manager is opening.”
• Each, every, everyone, someone, and one usually take is.
• A number of takes are, but the number of takes is.

Some nouns look plural and still take is when they name one field or one thing: “Mathematics is harder than it looks.” “The news is out.” Other nouns look singular and still take are because they refer to two matched parts: “The scissors are on the desk.” “My glasses are missing.”

Collective nouns add another layer. In American English, words like team, staff, and family often take is when the group acts as one unit: “The team is ready.” In British usage, plural agreement shows up more often when the people inside the group feel more visible: “The team are wearing different socks.” That choice is about meaning, tone, and house style.

Cambridge Dictionary’s subject–verb agreement page states the main rule in clear terms: the subject’s number controls the verb. Purdue OWL’s subject/verb agreement notes lay out the standard patterns for compound subjects and interrupting phrases. For edge cases where English follows meaning as much as form, Merriam-Webster’s note on notional agreement explains why strict logic and natural usage do not always line up.

Subject Pattern	Use	Sample Sentence
Single noun	Is	The lamp is by the sofa.
Plural noun	Are	The lamps are by the sofa.
Two nouns joined by and	Are	Tea and toast are on the tray.
Two singular nouns joined by or	Is	The spoon or the fork is in the drawer.
Mixed nouns joined by or	Match the nearest subject	Either the coach or the players are here.
Each, every, one	Is	Each of the answers is printed below.
One of + plural noun	Is	One of the windows is cracked.
A number of + plural noun	Are	A number of guests are outside.
The number of + plural noun	Is	The number of guests is rising.
There is/are openings	Match the noun after the verb	There are two reasons for the delay.

Sentences That Fool Good Writers

Some sentence patterns invite mistakes even when you know the rule cold. They deserve a second pass during editing because the ear can mislead you.

There Is And There Are

In sentences that start with there, the word there is not the subject. The true subject comes after the verb. That means “There is a reason” but “There are many reasons.” In speech, people often say “There’s two ways to do it,” and you’ll hear that often enough. In polished writing, stick with the matching form.

One Of, Each Of, And None Of

“One of the students is missing” stays singular because one is the subject. “Each of the rooms is painted blue” works the same way. None is less tidy. You’ll see both singular and plural verbs after it. “None of the cake is left” sounds natural when the noun is treated as one amount. “None of the players are ready” sounds natural when the noun points to people counted one by one.

Titles, Amounts, And Fields Of Study

When a title names one work, use is: “The Chronicles of Narnia is on my shelf” sounds odd to some ears, so many writers rewrite that kind of sentence to dodge the clash: “My copy of The Chronicles of Narnia is on the shelf.” Amounts of time, money, and distance often act as a single unit: “Five miles is too far to walk before breakfast.” The same goes for school subjects and news headlines treated as one thing.

When Meaning Pulls The Verb

English does not always move by strict counting. If the writer wants readers to feel the people inside a group, plural agreement can sound more natural in some styles. If the writer wants the group seen as one body, singular agreement can feel cleaner. That is why copy desks often set one house rule and apply it all the way through a piece.

Common Slip	Why It Goes Wrong	Better Form
The list of items are ready.	Items sits near the verb, but list is the subject.	The list of items is ready.
There’s many reasons.	The true subject is plural.	There are many reasons.
Each of the players are early.	Each takes a singular verb.	Each of the players is early.
The number of errors are small.	The number is singular.	The number of errors is small.
Either the coach or the players is here.	With or, the nearer subject guides the verb.	Either the coach or the players are here.
My glasses is on the bed.	Glasses is a plural form.	My glasses are on the bed.

A Fast Edit That Catches Most Errors

If you tend to miss these slips in your own work, use a simple check when you proofread. It takes less than a minute for most paragraphs.

1. Circle the subject. Ignore the rest of the sentence for a moment.
2. Cut out extra phrases. Remove anything after of, with, in, or along with and test the sentence again.
3. Mark the subject as singular or plural. Do not trust the noun nearest the verb.
4. Check special patterns. Watch for there is/are, one of, each of, none of, and mixed subjects joined by or.
5. Read the sentence aloud once. Your ear may catch a mismatch after the grammar check confirms the rule.

One small rewrite can also save you from a clunky sentence. If a title, group noun, or long subject makes the verb sound awkward, rewrite the line instead of wrestling with it. “The members of the jury are split” may read more smoothly than “The jury is split,” depending on your style and what you want readers to picture.

That’s the heart of clean is and are usage: find the true subject, match the verb to that subject, and slow down at the patterns that trick the eye. Once you build that habit, the rule stops feeling fussy and starts feeling automatic.