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Every subject-verb agreement trap

Is my subject singular or plural? The places the answer isn't the noun right before the verb.

Find the real subject before you choose the verb. Cross out any phrase between the subject and the verb (of the students, along with his friends); the verb agrees with what's left. Words like each, everyone, and nobody are singular. Two subjects joined by and are plural, but with or or nor the verb agrees with the nearer one. A collective noun like team takes a singular verb when the group acts as one unit. The number of is singular and a number of is plural. In a question or a there is/there are sentence, the subject comes after the verb, so find it before you pick is or are.

The subject is hiding

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A preposition together with its object and any modifiers.

Example

The box of old photographs sits in the attic.

A phrase wedged between subject and verb never changes the verb.

Singular or plural?

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A pronoun referring to an unspecified person or amount, like everyone or nobody.

Example

Everyone in the choir sings on Sundays.

each, everyone, somebody, and nobody are singular.

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A singular noun that names a group of individual members, like team or committee.

Example

The jury has reached its verdict.

Singular when the group acts as one unit.

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Two or more subjects sharing one predicate, joined by a conjunction.

Example

Tom and Jerry run. / Neither the coach nor the players were ready.

Joined by and, plural; joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the closer noun.

The same question for pronouns

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Matching a pronoun's number to its antecedent's number.

Example

Each student brought their own lunch. uses singular they, which this course accepts for a person.

A pronoun agrees in number with the noun it points back to.