Being aware of Subject-verb agreement is essential. A singular subject must have a singular verb. A plural subject must have a plural verb. Consider the following tips:
Singular count nouns, non-count nouns, and gerunds have a singular verb. Sometimes the subject and verb can be separated by a number of words or phrases. If the subject consists of more than one singular count noun, non-count noun, or gerund, then the verb is plural. (But note that two gerunds can also be considered as one activity. Example: Working and studying at the same time is very difficult.
A part-time job helps you to be more independent.
Getting a job while you are a student teaches you how to manage your own time.
The increase in tuition costs has made it more difficult for some students financially.
Dealing with customers and managing accounts are two skills you can learn from doing a part-time job.
If the sentence starts with here or there, the verb depends on the noun that follows.
Here is an example of how a part-time job can help you learn new skills.
There are two reasons why I hold this opinion.
Use singular verb with each, every, any, everyone, anyone, no one, and none. Use plural verb with all, most, or some.
I think that everyone needs to have some work experience as part of his or her education.
Most people like to earn some extra money while they are students.
Use a singular verb with neither + (singular noun) nor + (singular noun). But, if the second noun is plural, or if both nouns are plural, use a plural verb. Use a plural verb with both… and.
Neither school nor university fully prepares you for the world of work.
Neither the faculty nor the students want to see an increase in the tuition.
Both, faculty and students want to see more work placement opportunities for students.
Some nouns look plural but are singular: physics, economics, politics, statistics, news. Some nouns have unusual plurals:alumni, criteria, data (singular and plural), media (singular and plural), phenomena.
Economics is one of my most difficult classes.
The criteria for a succesful job application often include work experience.
The verb agrees with the noun that follows a lot of. In formal academic writing, it is better to use a large number of (with count nouns) and a great deal of/a large amount of (with non-count nouns).
A lot of students have part-time jobs.
A large number of students have part-time jobs.
A lot of money is spent on advertising.
A great deal of is spent on advertising.
A large amount of money is spent on advertising.
One of takes a singular verb because it refers to “one”.
One of the best reasons to run your own company is to have complete indepencence.
Collective nouns (family, government, team, staff, faculty, committee) normally use singular verbs.
The management team has decided on a new financial strategy.