Subject/Verb Agreement for Sentences with Prepositional Phrases
Q: Which is correct: Each one of us “were” or “was” chewing on some sort of candy the day after Halloween. Is it “were” because it’s so close to us?…
Q: Which is correct: Each one of us "were" or "was" chewing on some sort of candy the day after Halloween. Is it "were" because it's so close to us? Or is it "was" because the subject (each one) is singular? –Karen S.
A: It's "was." The verb must always agree with the subject. The trick is to remove the prepositional phrase "of us" and then read the sentence. That will help you choose the correct verb.
Each one was chewing the gum.
The only exception to this rule is when dealing with the subjunctive mood (which I covered in this blog post). The word "subjunctive" makes this exception sound complicated, but it really isn't. And if the exception doesn't apply, stick with the proper subject/verb agreement mentioned above.
Want more?
- Pick up your copy of the Beginning Writer's Answer Book. For more details about the book, click here.
- Follow the WD Editors on Twitter: @writersdigest@BrianKlems@JaneFriedman @robertleebrewer @JessicaStrawser @ChuckSambuchino
- Become a fan at our Facebook page
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
