Understanding the Plural of “Is”: Rules, Usage, and Common Mistakes

by

In English grammar, understanding how verbs change to match singular and plural subjects is crucial for clear, accurate communication. One area that often confuses learners is the use of “is”—the present singular form of the verb to be—and how it changes in plural contexts. Many students wonder, “What is the plural of is?” or struggle with subject-verb agreement, leading to common mistakes in both writing and speaking.

This topic is especially relevant for ESL/EFL students, teachers, advanced learners, and anyone who wants to master English verb forms. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the definitions, rules, examples, common errors, practice exercises, advanced notes, and frequently asked questions related to the plural of “is”. By the end, you’ll have a thorough understanding of how to use “is” and its plural forms correctly in any context.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

A. What is “Is”?

“Is” is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb to be. It serves as an auxiliary verb and a linking verb, connecting the subject of a sentence to a subject complement (such as a noun, adjective, or prepositional phrase).

  • She is a teacher.
  • The sky is blue.
  • It is raining.

B. What Does “Plural of Is” Mean?

The phrase “plural of is” does not refer to a plural noun form, but rather to the plural present tense form of the verb “to be”. In English, verbs change their form depending on whether the subject is singular or plural—a rule known as subject-verb agreement.

For example, the plural of “is” is “are” when the subject is plural.

  • One dog is outside.
  • Two dogs are outside.

C. Function and Usage Contexts

“Is” is used as a linking verb with singular subjects. It appears in statements, questions, and negatives, and is often contracted in informal speech and writing.

Table 1: “Is” in Different Sentence Types
Sentence Type Example Contraction (if any)
Affirmative The cat is sleeping. The cat’s sleeping.
Negative The cat is not sleeping. The cat isn’t sleeping.
Interrogative Is the cat sleeping? —

4. Structural Breakdown

A. Subject-Verb Agreement Fundamentals

Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match the subject in number (singular/plural). With the verb to be, this is especially important:

  • Singular subjects take “is”.
  • Plural subjects take “are”.
Table 2: Subject + Correct Form of “To Be”
Subject Singular Plural
Dog The dog is barking. The dogs are barking.
Student The student is studying. The students are studying.

B. Forms of “To Be” in Present Simple

The verb “to be” has three forms in the present simple:

  • am (with “I”)
  • is (with he/she/it, singular nouns)
  • are (with we/you/they, plural nouns)
Table 3: Personal Pronouns and “To Be” Forms
Pronoun To Be (Present Simple) Example
I am I am ready.
He/She/It is He is ready.
We/You/They are They are ready.

C. Patterns and Rules for Pluralization

Use “are” instead of “is” when the subject is plural. This includes:

  • Compound subjects: “Tom and Jerry are friends.”
  • Plural nouns: “My shoes are dirty.”
  • Coordinated nouns: “Bread and butter are on the table.”

Collective nouns and indefinite pronouns may vary based on meaning and dialect.

D. Placement and Syntactic Roles

“Is” and “are” can appear in statements, negatives, and questions. In questions, inversion occurs (“Is she…?” or “Are they…?”).

Table 4: Sentence Structures Comparing “Is” and “Are”
Sentence Type Singular Plural
Affirmative She is tired. They are tired.
Negative He is not here. We are not here.
Question Is it late? Are they late?

5. Types or Categories

A. Regular Subjects

  • Plural nouns: “Cats are playful.”
  • Compound subjects: “Tom and Jerry are friends.”

Practice examples:

  • The books are on the shelf.
  • My friends are here.
  • The apples are delicious.
  • Dogs are loyal animals.
  • Children are playing outside.

B. Irregular Plural Subjects

  • Collective nouns: “The team is winning.” / “The team are winning.” (UK)
  • Indefinite pronouns: “Both are invited.” / “Many are coming.”
  • Nouns with plural forms but singular meaning: “The news is surprising.”

C. Special Subjects

  • Uncountable nouns: “Water is essential.” (never “are”)
  • Quantifier phrases: “A group of students is here.” / “A number of students are here.”
Table 5: Types of Subjects with Correct Verb Form
Type of Subject Example Correct Verb
Plural noun The cars are fast. are
Compound subject John and Mary are here. are
Collective noun (US) The team is strong. is
Collective noun (UK) The team are strong. are
Uncountable noun Music is relaxing. is
Indefinite pronoun All are welcome. are
Quantifier phrase A group of friends is coming. is
Noun with plural form/singular meaning Mathematics is difficult. is

6. Examples Section

A. Basic Examples

Simple subject + verb agreement:

  • The dog is barking. / The dogs are barking.
  • The apple is red. / The apples are red.
  • My friend is here. / My friends are here.
  • The car is clean. / The cars are clean.
  • The student is studying. / The students are studying.
  • The book is interesting. / The books are interesting.
  • The child is sleeping. / The children are sleeping.
  • The chair is broken. / The chairs are broken.
  • The flower is blooming. / The flowers are blooming.
  • The bird is singing. / The birds are singing.

B. Intermediate Examples

  • Tom and Jerry are playing outside.
  • My parents are at work.
  • The teachers are meeting now.
  • The team is winning the game.
  • My brother and his friend are late.
  • Both are correct answers.
  • The group is ready to start.
  • Many are chosen for the program.
  • The committee is deciding.
  • A number of students are absent today.

C. Complex/Advanced Examples

  • Neither the teacher nor the students are here.
  • All that glitters is not gold.
  • There are several problems to solve.
  • Here are the papers you asked for.
  • If any of the answers are incorrect, let me know.
  • The news that was reported is shocking.
  • A group of children is playing in the park.
  • None of the information is accurate.
  • Some of the cookies are missing.
  • The team, along with its coach, is traveling tomorrow.

D. Negative Sentences

  • The apples are not ripe.
  • The apple is not ripe.
  • The children are not here.
  • The teacher is not available.
  • My shoes are not clean.

E. Questions

  • Are the books on the table?
  • Is the book on the table?
  • Are your friends coming?
  • Is your friend coming?
  • Are the children ready?

F. Table 5: Side-by-side Comparison of “Is” vs. “Are”

Table 6: “Is” vs. “Are” in Various Contexts
Singular Plural
The dog is barking. The dogs are barking.
The car is new. The cars are new.
The teacher is busy. The teachers are busy.
My friend is here. My friends are here.
The apple is red. The apples are red.
Is the book on the table? Are the books on the table?
The cat is not sleeping. The cats are not sleeping.
The team is winning. The teams are winning.
My brother is late. My brothers are late.
The news is surprising. —
The group is ready. The groups are ready.
None of the information is correct. None of the answers are correct.
Is your friend coming? Are your friends coming?
The committee is meeting. The committees are meeting.
A number of students are absent. —

G. Notes for this section

In total, this section has provided 50+ examples covering basic, intermediate, advanced, negative, and interrogative forms. Use these as references for practice and review.

7. Usage Rules

A. Core Rules for Using “Is” vs. “Are”

  • Singular subjects take “is”.
  • Plural subjects take “are”.
  • “Is” goes with he/she/it; “are” with we/you/they.
Table 7: Pronouns and Correct Verb Forms
Pronoun Verb Example
He is He is happy.
She is She is waiting.
It is It is raining.
We are We are ready.
You are You are kind.
They are They are students.

B. Special Cases and Exceptions

  • Collective nouns: In British English, both “is” and “are” can be correct based on meaning (“The team is/are winning.”). In American English, “is” is preferred.
  • Titles and names: Even if plural in form, use “is” if the subject is singular (“Gulliver’s Travels is a famous book.”)
  • Indefinite pronouns: “None is/are…,” “All is/are…” depend on the noun referred to.
  • Time, money, distance: Use “is” for amounts (“Five dollars is enough.”)
  • There is/are: Choose based on the noun that follows (“There is a book.” / “There are books.”)

C. Formal vs. Informal Usage

  • Contractions: “He’s ready.” / “They’re ready.”
  • Spoken vs. written: Contractions are common in speech and informal writing but are less used in formal writing.

D. Table 7: Common Exceptions and Their Correct Usage

Table 8: Common Exceptions and Correct Usage
Subject Correct Verb Example
News (singular meaning) is The news is surprising.
Mathematics (singular meaning) is Mathematics is interesting.
Gulliver’s Travels (title) is “Gulliver’s Travels” is a novel.
None (plural noun) are None of the students are missing.
None (uncountable noun) is None of the information is missing.
Five dollars (amount) is Five dollars is enough.
The police (always plural) are The police are here.

8. Common Mistakes

A. Misusing “is” with Plural Subjects

  • Incorrect: The boys is playing. Correct: The boys are playing.
  • Incorrect: The apples is red. Correct: The apples are red.
  • Incorrect: My friends is coming. Correct: My friends are coming.
  • Incorrect: The students is ready. Correct: The students are ready.
  • Incorrect: The shoes is dirty. Correct: The shoes are dirty.

B. Misusing “are” with Singular Subjects

  • Incorrect: She are happy. Correct: She is happy.
  • Incorrect: The cat are sleeping. Correct: The cat is sleeping.
  • Incorrect: My friend are here. Correct: My friend is here.
  • Incorrect: The child are playing. Correct: The child is playing.
  • Incorrect: The book are interesting. Correct: The book is interesting.

C. Confusion with Collective Nouns

  • Incorrect: The team are winning. (US, singular meaning) Correct: The team is winning.
  • Incorrect: The family are large. (US, singular meaning) Correct: The family is large.
Table 9: Correct vs. Incorrect with Collective Nouns
Sentence US UK
The team ___ winning. is is/are (both possible)
The family ___ here. is is/are (both possible)

D. Agreement in Questions and Negatives

  • Incorrect: Are the cat sleeping? Correct: Is the cat sleeping?
  • Incorrect: The children is not here. Correct: The children are not here.
  • Incorrect: Is your friends coming? Correct: Are your friends coming?
  • Incorrect: My friend are not present. Correct: My friend is not present.

E. List of Top 10 Frequent Mistakes (with corrections)

  1. Incorrect: The students is ready. Correct: The students are ready.
  2. Incorrect: The cat are sleeping. Correct: The cat is sleeping.
  3. Incorrect: Are the book on the table? Correct: Is the book on the table?
  4. Incorrect: My friends is here. Correct: My friends are here.
  5. Incorrect: She are happy. Correct: She is happy.
  6. Incorrect: The apples is red. Correct: The apples are red.
  7. Incorrect: The family are large. Correct: The family is large. (US)
  8. Incorrect: The news are surprising. Correct: The news is surprising.
  9. Incorrect: None of them is coming. Correct: None of them are coming. (if “them” is plural)
  10. Incorrect: Mathematics are interesting. Correct: Mathematics is interesting.

9. Practice Exercises

A. Fill-in-the-Blank

  1. The books ____ on the shelf. (is/are)
  2. My friend ____ coming over. (is/are)
  3. The children ____ playing outside. (is/are)
  4. The cat ____ sleeping. (is/are)
  5. The apples ____ ripe. (is/are)
  6. My parents ____ at home. (is/are)
  7. The dog ____ barking. (is/are)
  8. The teachers ____ busy. (is/are)
  9. The car ____ clean. (is/are)
  10. My shoes ____ dirty. (is/are)

B. Error Correction

  1. The students is ready.
  2. Are the cat sleeping?
  3. She are happy.
  4. The apples is red.
  5. My friends is here.
  6. The car are new.
  7. The team are winning. (US)
  8. The book are interesting.
  9. My brother and his friend is late.
  10. The child are playing.

C. Identify the Subject

Underline the subject and select the correct verb.

  1. My friends ____ (is/are) coming.
  2. The apple ____ (is/are) red.
  3. The children ____ (is/are) sleeping.
  4. The dog ____ (is/are) barking.
  5. The teachers ____ (is/are) meeting.
  6. The car ____ (is/are) clean.
  7. Tom and Jerry ____ (is/are) friends.
  8. The news ____ (is/are) surprising.
  9. My shoes ____ (is/are) dirty.
  10. The committee ____ (is/are) deciding.

D. Sentence Construction

Write a sentence using the correct form of “to be.”

  1. dog / barking
  2. children / happy
  3. apple / on the table
  4. teachers / busy
  5. car / new
  6. my friends / here
  7. book / interesting
  8. parents / at home
  9. cat / sleeping
  10. shoes / dirty

E. Mixed Practice

  1. Are the students ready?
  2. The apple is not ripe.
  3. The teachers are meeting now.
  4. Is your friend coming?
  5. My friends are not here.
  6. The car is clean.
  7. Are the cats sleeping?
  8. The children are playing outside.
  9. Is the book interesting?
  10. My parents are not at home.

F. Answer Key

Practice Exercises: Answer Key and Explanations
Section Question Answer Explanation
Fill-in-the-Blank 1 are “Books” is plural.
2 is “Friend” is singular.
3 are “Children” is plural.
4 is “Cat” is singular.
5 are “Apples” is plural.
6 are “Parents” is plural.
7 is “Dog” is singular.
8 are “Teachers” is plural.
9 is “Car” is singular.
10 are “Shoes” is plural.
Error Correction 1 The students are ready. “Students” is plural.
2 Is the cat sleeping? “Cat” is singular.
3 She is happy. “She” is singular.
4 The apples are red. “Apples” is plural.
5 My friends are here. “Friends” is plural.
6 The car is new. “Car” is singular.
7 The team is winning. Collective noun, US English.
8 The book is interesting. “Book” is singular.
9 My brother and his friend are late. Compound subject is plural.
10 The child is playing. “Child” is singular.

10. Advanced Topics

A. Inversion and Emphasis

In structures like “Here is/are…” and “There is/are…”, the verb agrees with the real subject that follows:

  • Here is your book. / Here are your books.
  • There is a problem. / There are many problems.

This inversion occurs for emphasis or stylistic effect, especially in writing or formal speech.

B. Agreement with Collective Nouns (British vs. American English)

Collective nouns (e.g., “team,” “family”) often take singular verbs in American English, but may take plural verbs in British English, especially when emphasizing individual members.

Table 11: UK vs. US Usage with Collective Nouns
Sentence US English UK English
The team ____ winning. is is/are
The family ____ arguing. is is/are
The staff ____ working hard. is is/are

C. Formality, Register, and Stylistic Variation

In formal English, contractions (“he’s,” “they’re”) are less common. In informal speech, contractions are prevalent.

Some regional varieties may use nonstandard forms in casual contexts.

D. Agreement in Complex Sentences

  • The group of students is ready.
  • The group of students who are waiting outside is large.
  • Each of the books is on the shelf.
  • Neither the coach nor the players are available.

E. Pluralization in Non-Standard or Regional Varieties

In some dialects or informal varieties, you may hear “There’s” used for both singular and plural (“There’s two apples on the table”). While common in speech, this is considered nonstandard and should be avoided in formal writing.

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the plural of “is”?
    The plural of “is” (the present singular form of “to be”) is “are.” Use “are” with plural subjects.
  2. When should I use “are” instead of “is”?
    Use “are” when the subject is plural (e.g., “The students are here.”). Use “is” for singular subjects.
  3. Can “is” ever be used with plural subjects?
    Generally, no. “Is” is only used with singular subjects, though there are exceptions with collective nouns in British English (“The team are playing.”).
  4. What do I do with “there is/are” at the start of a sentence?
    Match the verb to the noun that follows. “There is a dog.” / “There are dogs.”
  5. How do I handle collective nouns—should I use “is” or “are”?
    In American English, use “is.” In British English, use “are” if emphasizing individuals: “The team is/are winning.”
  6. Are there exceptions to the rule for plural verb forms?
    Yes. Some nouns look plural but are singular in meaning (“news,” “mathematics”) and use “is.” Amounts of time, money, and distance usually use “is.”
  7. How does subject-verb agreement work in questions?
    The verb comes before the subject. Use “is” for singular, “are” for plural: “Is the cat sleeping?” / “Are the cats sleeping?”
  8. What about sentences with “none,” “some,” or “all”?
    Use “is” or “are” based on the noun that follows: “None of the information is correct.” / “None of the answers are correct.”
  9. Does the rule change in formal or informal English?
    The rule does not change, but contractions are more common in informal English (“He’s,” “They’re”).
  10. Can you provide more examples for practice?
    See the Examples Section and Practice Exercises above for additional sentences.
  11. How do I teach this concept to beginners?
    Use simple examples, clear tables, and lots of practice. Focus on matching verbs to subject number (singular/plural).
  12. What are common mistakes to avoid?
    Avoid using “is” with plural subjects and “are” with singular subjects. Watch out for collective and irregular nouns.

12. Conclusion

Mastering subject-verb agreement, especially with the verb “to be”, is essential for speaking and writing clear, correct English. Understanding when to use “is” and its plural form “are” will help you avoid common errors and communicate confidently. The rules, examples, and practice exercises in this guide provide a solid foundation for learners at any level. Refer back to this article whenever you encounter a tricky case or want to reinforce your knowledge. Keep practicing, and don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek clarification—accurate grammar is within your reach!

Leave a Comment