Subjects with "And" and "Or" and Verb Agreement

When two or more nouns are joined by the word "and" it is called a compound subject. Even when each noun is singular, the whole phrase takes a plural verb. Below are some examples of this.

• Her book and her purse are sitting on the table.
• An apple and an orange were left in the cafeteria.
• Cheryl and Frank are traveling to Japan next month.

When a compound subject is joined by the word "or" an English teacher will tell you that the verb should agree with the noun closest to it. When each noun in a compound subject with "or" is singular, the verb should be singular too. These rules are followed in formal writing, but the choice between a singular and plural verb often varies in actual use. Below are some examples of this.

• Either John or his sisters are calling us tonight.
• The house key or the car key is missing from his key ring.
• Either those books or that box are good enough to use as a table for now.
• One or more of us is going to have to move over to make room.
• He knows a banana or an orange is waiting for him in his lunchbox.
• The girls or their mother have to come with us to pick out a gift.

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