Grammar Handbook Index

8 Verb agreement
The basic rule here is that a verb must agree with its subject. Some common subsets of that rule:

Two or more subjects take the plural. (Ex: Circe and Kalypso were two women Odysseus visited.)
Subjects joined by or take the singular, unless the subjects themselves are plural. (Ex: Either Circe or Kalypso was Odysseus' greatest obstacle home.)
Indefinite pronouns take singular verbs. (Ex: Everyone agrees that Kalypso was Odysseus' greatest obstacle.)
Be sure verbs agree with the subject and not with any phrases between the subject and verb. (Ex: The central vice of the suitors was a lack of hospitality.)

Consult the Brief English Handbook for more instances of verb agreement.

*Revelle Humanities Grammar Handbook*
6 Sentence fragments 7 Run-on sentences 8 Verb agreement 13 Passive voice 15 ESL 17 Misplaced modifiers 18 Pronoun reference 20a Comparisons 21 Parallel construction 23 Commas 23d Sexist language 25/6 Semicolons & colons 29 Ellipsis 31 Brackets 35 Apostrophes 36 Abbreviations 37 Underlining 39 Numbers 41b Slang 41e Jargon 41f Pretentious language 42c Idioms 42e Clichés 43a Fluff