Use everyone is and somebody has, even when a plural noun comes between the subject and verb. In formal writing, neither of the answers is is the usual choice; plural agreement with neither of is also common in informal speech. This article separates those verb choices from later references such as their, then gives you a short self-check.
An indefinite pronoun names a person, thing, or amount without identifying a specific individual or item. Common examples include everyone, anyone, someone, nobody, each, either, and neither. In sentence structure, agreement means that the verb and any later pronoun match the grammatical number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is singular: “Everybody is ready.” If a later pronoun refers back to that subject, the sentence must also stay consistent: “Everybody should bring his or her ticket” in traditional formal grammar, or “Everybody should bring their ticket” in modern singular-they usage. Knowing when each choice fits is part of writing well.
To edit a sentence, identify the subject before choosing the verb. In “Everybody in the rooms is waiting,” everybody controls is; rooms belongs to the intervening phrase. Practice the shorter pattern first, then put the phrase back.
Why indefinite pronouns are usually singular
The safest default is this: many common indefinite pronouns are grammatically singular even when they refer to multiple people in a general sense. Everyone means every person individually, not all people as one plural unit. That is why we write “Everyone has a role,” not “Everyone have a role.” The same logic applies to someone is, anybody knows, nobody wants, each was, either seems, and neither works.
This pattern follows meaning as well as convention. Words like each and every point to members one at a time. Even when a group is implied, the grammar treats the reference as singular. Consider the difference between “All of the students are present” and “Each of the students is present.” The first sentence emphasizes the group collectively. The second emphasizes individual members separately. That shift in emphasis changes the verb form.
In “Each of the proposals is detailed,” each controls the verb. You can set aside of the proposals to see the shorter structure, “Each is detailed.” For formal writing, use “Neither of the options meets the budget.” The informal plural pattern with neither of is a separate usage choice; a shorter-version test does not remove that distinction.
Core singular indefinite pronouns and how they behave
Common singular indefinite pronouns include anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, and something. Each and standalone either also take singular verbs. Use singular agreement with neither of in formal writing. Do not treat every indefinite pronoun as singular: few, many, and several are plural, while all can refer to a singular amount or plural items.
Compare “Somebody has the key” with “Several have keys.” The first subject refers to an unspecified person; the second is plural. With neither of, distinguish register: “Neither of the claims is accurate” suits formal edited writing, while plural agreement occurs in informal speech.
Use this reference table when checking agreement in sentence structure:
| Indefinite pronoun | Standard verb agreement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | Singular | Everyone is expected by noon. |
| Somebody | Singular | Somebody has left a file behind. |
| Neither of | Singular in formal writing; plural also occurs informally | Neither of the routes is safe at night. |
| Each | Singular | Each of the samples was labeled correctly. |
| Anyone | Singular | Anyone who applies meets the first condition. |
| Several | Plural | Several were missing signatures. |
| Few | Plural | Few understand the full procedure. |
| All | Singular or plural | All of the water is gone; all of the reports are filed. |
Where writers make mistakes in sentence structure
One agreement problem is choosing a verb to match a nearby noun instead of the subject. Compare “One of the reasons is unclear” and “Everybody in the offices is waiting.” In these sentences, one and everybody control the singular verbs, even though reasons and offices are plural.
Another frequent issue appears in longer sentences with modifiers and relative clauses. In “Neither of the consultants who reviewed the draft thinks the timeline is realistic,” the singular verb thinks is correct because the head subject remains neither. The clause “who reviewed the draft” adds information about consultants, but it does not change the subject. When editing complex sentence structure, identify the head subject first, then match the verb.
Correlative constructions also create confusion. Compare “Neither the manager nor the assistants were ready” with “Neither the assistants nor the manager was ready.” Traditional agreement follows the nearer subject after neither…nor. Because this pattern can sound awkward, strong writers often revise instead of forcing a fragile structure: “The manager and assistants were not ready” or “None of the team was ready.” Revision is often the best grammar fix.
Singular agreement versus notional agreement
Agreement needs to be checked for the particular construction. Everyone and somebody take singular verbs. Neither of allows a register distinction, and all varies with its reference: “All of the water is gone,” but “All of the reports are filed.” A single rule for every indefinite pronoun would miss these differences.
A later reference to a person can use singular they: “Everyone is bringing their notes.” Keep is with everyone, but use the usual they verb forms if they becomes the subject: “They are bringing notes,” not “They is bringing notes.” Singular they can be used in formal writing as well as conversation.
Follow any stated house style for a particular assignment. A plural rewrite is another option: “All participants should bring their badges.” This changes the subject, so check the new sentence rather than carrying over the old verb form automatically.
Sentence structure across the wider grammar system
Three checks help here: find the subject, choose its verb form, and check later pronoun references. For ordinary third-person singular present-tense verbs, the form often ends in -s, as in knows. Account for irregular forms such as is and has. These contrasts are visible in “Everyone knows,” “Somebody is waiting,” and “Somebody has a key.”
Try this editing sequence: underline the subject, bracket an interrupting phrase, and choose the verb. Then check who any later pronoun refers to. For “Somebody on the stairs has dropped their keys,” the subject is somebody, the intervening phrase is on the stairs, and their refers to the unspecified person.
If you want cleaner sentence structure overall, practice indefinite pronouns alongside related areas such as fragments, run-ons, parallelism, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and compound subjects. These topics reinforce one another. Once you learn to see the grammatical spine of a sentence, indefinite pronouns stop being tricky and start becoming predictable.
Keep two decisions separate: choose is or has with everyone and somebody, then check any later reference such as their. For neither of, the singular is the formal-writing choice; hearing a plural verb in informal speech does not make every such example a mistake.
For more practice, write one sentence with everyone and another with several. Add a phrase between each subject and verb, then check that the phrase has not changed your verb choice.
Use the check below to test subject identification, singular they, and the formal neither of pattern. Explain your choice before opening the answers.
Five-question agreement check
Choose a form or explain the contrast. The final question asks for formal written English.
- Everyone in the two rooms ___ ready. (is / are)
- Somebody ___ left their notebook. (has / have)
- Several of the answers ___ missing. (is / are)
- Which version shows a present-tense agreement contrast: “everyone brought / students brought” or “everyone brings / students bring”?
- Neither of the two files ___ complete. (is / are, formal writing)
Show answers and explanations
- is. The subject is everyone, not rooms.
- has. Somebody takes a singular verb; later their can refer to that person.
- are. Several is plural.
- everyone brings / students bring. Brought has the same past-tense form with either subject.
- is. This is the formal-writing pattern. Plural agreement with neither of also occurs in informal speech.
Usage references: Cambridge: neither constructions; Language Portal of Canada: indefinite pronoun reference; British Council: indefinite pronouns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do words like “everyone,” “somebody,” and “neither” take singular verbs if they seem to refer to more than one person?
Everyone and somebody take singular verbs: “Everyone is ready” and “Somebody has left a note.” Neither by itself also takes a singular verb. For neither of plus a plural noun or pronoun, singular agreement is used in formal writing, but plural agreement is common in informal speech.
Is “everyone are” ever acceptable, or should it always be “everyone is”?
Use “everyone is” in standard edited English. Everyone takes a singular verb even when it refers to many people. Compare “Everyone is invited” with “All the guests are invited”: the meaning is similar, but the subjects have different grammatical forms.
How does agreement work when an indefinite pronoun is followed by a plural phrase, such as “everyone in the offices” or “neither of the answers”?
In “Everyone in the offices is attending,” everyone controls is; offices does not. With neither of, use “Neither of the answers is acceptable” for formal writing. Plural agreement with neither of occurs informally. Do not extend the everyone rule to all indefinite pronouns: “All of the answers are acceptable” has a plural reference.
What about pronouns after the verb—should I write “everyone brought his or her book” or use singular “they”?
“Everyone brought their book” is acceptable with singular they. The past-tense form brought does not show a singular/plural contrast: both “everyone brought” and “the students brought” use it. To see agreement, compare the present-tense forms “Everyone brings their book” and “They bring their books.” “His or her” is another wording option when appropriate to the context.
Does “neither” always take a singular verb, or are there exceptions I should know?
Distinguish three patterns. Standalone neither takes a singular verb: “Neither is ready.” With neither of, singular agreement is the formal choice, while plural agreement is common informally. With neither … nor, the nearer subject commonly controls agreement: “Neither the manager nor the assistants are ready,” but “Neither the assistants nor the manager is ready.” You can also rewrite an awkward sentence.
