{"id":7541,"date":"2026-07-18T00:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/?p=7541"},"modified":"2026-07-18T00:11:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:11:02","slug":"subject-verb-agreement-taiwan-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/ko\/subject-verb-agreement-taiwan-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Subject-Verb Agreement: 8 Rules Taiwan Learners Need (2026) | \u4e3b\u8a5e\u52d5\u8a5e\u4e00\u81f4"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nQuick Answer (\u5feb\u901f\u89e3\u7b54):<\/strong> Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match its subject in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb (she works<\/em>), and a plural subject takes the base verb (they work<\/em>). The one that catches almost every Taiwanese writer is the third-person singular -s<\/strong> ending in the present tense \u2014 a form Chinese verbs never require. Learn the eight rules below and you fix the mistake that flags your English as non-native in a single sentence.\n<\/div>\n

Read any batch of writing samples from Taiwanese office workers and one error shows up more than any other: “He go to work at nine.”<\/em> The verb should be \uac04\ub2e4<\/em>. That single missing -s<\/strong> is subject-verb agreement, and it is the number-one grammar tell that separates polished English from the kind that quietly costs you a promotion or a client’s confidence. The good news is that the whole system runs on about eight rules \u2014 and once they click, they stay clicked.<\/p>\n

\"Subject-verb<\/p>\n

Subject-verb agreement is the grammar rule Taiwanese writers get flagged on most.<\/em><\/p>\n

What Is Subject-Verb Agreement? (\u4e3b\u8a5e\u52d5\u8a5e\u4e00\u81f4\u662f\u4ec0\u9ebc)<\/h2>\n

Subject-verb agreement is the rule that a verb must change its form to match the number of its subject \u2014 singular or plural. In English this mostly affects the present tense, where a third-person singular subject (he, she, it, or any single noun) forces the verb to add -s<\/strong>. Compare The teacher speaks Chinese<\/em> ~\uc640 \ud568\uaed8 The teachers speak Chinese<\/em>. Same verb, different ending, and the only thing that changed was how many teachers there are.<\/p>\n

Chinese has no equivalent. \u8001\u5e2b\u8aaa\u4e2d\u6587 stays \u8aaa whether it is one teacher or fifty. That is exactly why this rule feels invisible to native Mandarin speakers \u2014 your first language simply never asked you to track it. English does, on almost every sentence you write.<\/p>\n

Rule 1 \u2014 Add -s for Third-Person Singular (\u7b2c\u4e09\u4eba\u7a31\u55ae\u6578\u52a0 -s)<\/h2>\n

When the subject is he<\/em>, she<\/em>, it<\/em>, or a single person or thing, the present-tense verb takes an -s<\/strong>: She writes reports. The system crashes. My boss emails clients daily.<\/em> This is the workhorse rule and the one that fixes the most errors. If you remember only one thing from this guide, remember to check every present-tense verb whenever the subject is one single thing.<\/p>\n

Verbs ending in -o, -ch, -sh, -ss, -x<\/em> add -es<\/strong> instead: goes, watches, pushes, misses, fixes<\/em>. Verbs ending in a consonant plus -y<\/em> change to -ies<\/strong>: study \u2192 studies, carry \u2192 carries<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Taiwan<\/p>\n

For Taiwanese learners, English verb endings are the piece Chinese never trained.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 2 \u2014 Plural Subjects Use the Base Verb (\u8907\u6578\u4e3b\u8a5e\u7528\u539f\u5f62)<\/h2>\n

When the subject is plural \u2014 they, we, students, the managers<\/em> \u2014 the verb drops the ending and stays in its base form: They work here. The students study hard. My colleagues arrive early.<\/em> Notice the mirror image of Rule 1: the ending that looks like a plural on a noun (studentss<\/strong>) is exactly the ending you remove from the verb. Nouns and verbs handle the “-s” in opposite directions, which is precisely why learners mix them up.<\/p>\n

Rule 3 \u2014 “And” Makes a Compound Subject Plural (and \u9023\u63a5\u4e3b\u8a5e\u7528\u8907\u6578)<\/h2>\n

Two subjects joined by \uadf8\ub9ac\uace0<\/em> form a plural subject and take a plural verb: My manager and my mentor agree.<\/em> Even if each part is singular, together they count as more than one. The exception is when the two nouns describe a single unit \u2014 Fish and chips is my favorite lunch<\/em> \u2014 but for everyday writing, treat A and B<\/em> as plural.<\/p>\n

Rule 4 \u2014 With “Or\/Nor,” the Verb Follows the Nearest Subject (or\/nor \u5c31\u8fd1\u539f\u5247)<\/h2>\n

When subjects are joined by \ub610\ub294<\/em>, nor<\/em>, either\u2026or<\/em>, or neither\u2026nor<\/em>, the verb agrees with whichever subject sits closest to it. Neither the players nor the coach is happy<\/em> \u2014 the verb matches coach<\/em> (singular). Flip the order and the verb flips too: Neither the coach nor the players are happy.<\/em> This “proximity rule” trips up even advanced writers, so read the noun right before the verb and match that one.<\/p>\n

\"Open<\/p>\n

Ten minutes of focused writing practice fixes agreement faster than memorizing charts.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 5 \u2014 Indefinite Pronouns Like “Everyone” Are Singular (\u4e0d\u5b9a\u4ee3\u540d\u8a5e\u7528\u55ae\u6578)<\/h2>\n

Words that feel plural but are grammatically singular take a singular verb: everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, each, either, neither, anyone<\/em>. Everyone in the meeting wants coffee<\/em> \u2014 not want<\/em>. Mandarin instinct says “everyone = many people = plural,” but English locks these to singular. A quick test: you would say every one<\/em> \u2014 one at a time \u2014 so the verb stays singular.<\/p>\n

A handful of indefinite pronouns are always plural (both, few, many, several<\/em>), and a few flex with context (some, all, most, none<\/em>) depending on the noun they refer to: Some of the water is gone<\/em> versus Some of the files are missing<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 6 \u2014 Ignore Words Between the Subject and Verb (\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e\u7247\u8a9e\u4e0d\u5f71\u97ff)<\/h2>\n

The most common trap: a phrase sits between the subject and the verb, and the writer matches the verb to the wrong noun. The box of chocolates is on the desk<\/em> \u2014 the subject is \uc0c1\uc790<\/em> (singular), not chocolates<\/em>. Cross out the prepositional phrase (of chocolates<\/em>) and the real subject stands alone. Watch especially for along with, together with, as well as<\/em>: The manager, as well as the interns, is attending<\/em> \u2014 these phrases do not change a singular subject to plural.<\/p>\n

\"English<\/p>\n

A good teacher checks the subject first, then the verb \u2014 every single time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 7 \u2014 Collective Nouns Usually Take a Singular Verb (\u96c6\u5408\u540d\u8a5e\u591a\u7528\u55ae\u6578)<\/h2>\n

Words like team, family, staff, committee, company<\/em> name a group but usually act as a single unit, so American English treats them as singular: The team is winning. Our company hires locally.<\/em> British English sometimes uses a plural verb when it emphasizes the individual members, but for the international readers most Taiwanese businesses write to, stick with the singular. If you truly mean the individuals, add a plural noun: The team members are arguing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 8 \u2014 “There Is \/ There Are” Agrees With the Real Subject<\/h2>\n

In sentences starting with there<\/em>, the true subject comes after the verb, so match it: There is one problem<\/em> versus There are three problems<\/em>. Spoken English constantly breaks this rule (there’s two things\u2026<\/em>), but in writing it reads as sloppy. The same logic applies to here is\/here are<\/em>. Find the noun after the verb, count it, and choose accordingly.<\/p>\n

Why Subject-Verb Agreement Is Hard for Taiwanese Learners (\u53f0\u7063\u5b78\u7fd2\u8005\u7684\u96e3\u9ede)<\/h2>\n

The root cause is not laziness \u2014 it is transfer from Mandarin. Chinese verbs never inflect for person or number, so there is no mental “slot” for tracking the subject before you write the verb. English asks you to hold the subject in mind, judge its number, and adjust the verb, all in the fraction of a second before the word leaves your pen. That extra step has to become automatic, and automation only comes from reps.<\/p>\n

Speed makes it worse. In fast speech and quick emails, the -s<\/strong> is easy to drop because it carries almost no meaning \u2014 a listener understands he go<\/em> perfectly well. But Google, recruiters, and clients read it as a marker of weak English. The fix is to slow down on present-tense verbs specifically, since that is where 90% of agreement errors live.<\/p>\n