Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

• A. The team of players are winning.
• B. The teams of players is winning.
• C. The team of players is winning.
• D. The teams of players are winning.

Answer: (C)

Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match the number of the subject. Here the head noun is team, which is singular, even though it’s described by the phrase of players. Because the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular, so is is the correct choice. The phrase of players doesn’t change the number; it just adds detail about who makes up the team. The other sentences mix singular and plural in ways that don’t match: using are with a singular subject implies multiple teams acting as individuals, and using is with a plural subject (the teams) breaks the rule. If the sentence referred to multiple teams, the correct form would be a plural verb, as in are winning.

Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match the number of the subject. Here the head noun is team, which is singular, even though it’s described by the phrase of players. Because the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular, so is is the correct choice. The phrase of players doesn’t change the number; it just adds detail about who makes up the team.

The other sentences mix singular and plural in ways that don’t match: using are with a singular subject implies multiple teams acting as individuals, and using is with a plural subject (the teams) breaks the rule. If the sentence referred to multiple teams, the correct form would be a plural verb, as in are winning.