When a subject is followed by as well as, along with, together with, accompanied by, in addition to, besides or not to mention and then another noun phrase, many learners assume the verb must become plural — after all, two people or things are mentioned. It doesn't. The verb agrees only with the first, main subject. The phrase that follows is treated as extra, parenthetical information, not as a second subject joined to the first.
The manager, as well as his team, is responsible for the results. The grammatical subject is still just "the manager" — singular — so the verb stays singular: is, not are.
The Core Rule
These connecting phrases add information about who else was involved, but they do not create a true compound subject the way and does. Because the added noun phrase is optional and non-essential to the core sentence, it is often set off by commas, and the verb ignores it completely:
- The manager, as well as his team, is responsible for the results. (subject = "the manager" only)
- The CEO, together with several board members, was present at the meeting. (subject = "the CEO" only)
- My sister, along with her two children, is visiting us this weekend. (subject = "my sister" only)
- The director, accompanied by his lawyer, has arrived. (subject = "the director" only)
Contrast with "And": A True Compound Subject
This is the single most useful comparison for remembering the rule. And genuinely joins two subjects into one plural unit, so the verb must be plural. The phrases above do not — they simply add commentary about a companion.
| With "and" (true compound subject → plural verb) | With "as well as" / "along with" (single subject → verb unchanged) |
|---|---|
| The manager and his team are responsible for the results. | The manager, as well as his team, is responsible for the results. |
| The CEO and the board members were present at the meeting. | The CEO, together with the board members, was present at the meeting. |
| My sister and her children are visiting this weekend. | My sister, along with her children, is visiting this weekend. |
| The teacher and her students were late. | The teacher, accompanied by her students, was late. |
Notice that the same real-world situation — several people involved — can be expressed either way, but the choice of connector changes the grammar. "And" makes them a joint plural subject; "as well as" (and its relatives) keeps the first noun as the sole grammatical subject and demotes the second to an aside.
Comma cue: "As well as", "along with" and "together with" are frequently set off by commas when used this way — The manager, as well as his team, is… The commas are a visual signal that the phrase between them is extra information, not part of the core subject, much like an appositive.
Other Phrases That Behave the Same Way
- accompanied by: The bride, accompanied by her father, walks down the aisle.
- in addition to: The report, in addition to the appendices, needs to be submitted by Friday.
- besides: The chairman, besides two directors, attends every budget meeting.
- not to mention: The hotel, not to mention the surrounding villages, draws thousands of tourists each summer.
When "As Well As" Joins Actions, Not Subjects
This subject-verb agreement rule applies specifically when "as well as" (or similar phrases) sits between a subject and a second noun phrase. It does not apply the same way when "as well as" links two verb phrases describing what the same subject does:
- She sings as well as dances. Here "as well as" adds a second action ("in addition to singing, she also dances"), not a second subject. There's only one subject ("she"), so this isn't really an agreement question at all — both verbs simply match that one subject.
- She, as well as her sister, sings. Here "as well as" adds a second person, so the agreement rule applies: the verb matches "she" alone, giving singular "sings".
A Different Meaning: "As Well As" for Comparison
Be careful not to confuse the additive use above with a completely different, very common meaning of "as well as": a comparative expression meaning "equally well as", used after a verb to compare how well two people do something.
- He plays the guitar as well as his brother does. (He plays it just as skilfully as his brother — a comparison of quality, not a subject-verb agreement question at all.)
In this comparative use, "as well as" has nothing to do with adding a second subject to a sentence, so the agreement rule described on this page simply doesn't come into play.
Rule Summary Table
| Connector | Creates a compound subject? | Verb agrees with |
|---|---|---|
and | Yes | Both nouns together → plural verb |
as well as | No (parenthetical addition) | First/main subject only |
along with | No (parenthetical addition) | First/main subject only |
together with | No (parenthetical addition) | First/main subject only |
accompanied by | No (parenthetical addition) | First/main subject only |
in addition to | No (parenthetical addition) | First/main subject only |
Common Mistakes
-
Pluralising the verb because "as well as" feels like "and": This is by far the most common error, because learners hear two nouns mentioned and assume a plural subject.
Wrong: The manager, as well as his team, are responsible for the results.
Correct: The manager, as well as his team, is responsible for the results. -
Dropping the commas and losing the parenthetical meaning: Without commas, a reader may briefly misparse the sentence as having a compound subject.
Better: The CEO, together with several board members, was present at the meeting. - Treating the comparative "as well as" as if it were the additive one: "He plays as well as his brother does" is about skill, not about a second subject — there's no agreement rule to apply here.
- Assuming this rule works the same as "neither…nor": Correlative conjunctions like "neither…nor" and "either…or" use a different rule (the verb agrees with the nearer subject). "As well as" phrases are not correlative conjunctions at all — they behave more like an appositive aside.
Practice Tips
Test with the "comma-out" trick: Mentally delete everything between the commas — "The manager, as well as his team, is responsible" becomes "The manager…is responsible." If the sentence still makes sense with the phrase removed, the remaining single noun is your true subject, and the verb must match it.
- Rewrite with "and": If you're unsure, try rewriting the sentence with "and" instead and see how the verb would change — then remember "as well as" does NOT trigger that same change.
- Watch for commas: If the phrase is set off by commas, treat it as parenthetical and ignore it when choosing the verb.
- Check whether it's linking two subjects or two verbs: "As well as" linking verb phrases (sings as well as dances) doesn't raise an agreement question at all — only when it introduces a second noun phrase after the subject.
Practice Exercises
Grammar Quiz
Choose the correct verb form for sentences with "as well as", "along with" and "together with".
Complete the Sentence
Type the correct verb to match the main subject in each sentence.
True or False
Decide whether each verb correctly agrees with the main subject only.
Flash Cards
Drill "and" versus "as well as" sentence pairs and their verb changes.
Matching Pairs
Match subjects to their correctly agreeing verb forms.
Unjumble
Reorder scrambled words into a correctly agreeing sentence.
Practise Subject-Verb Agreement
LexFizz has free interactive exercises to help you master tricky agreement rules — no sign-up needed. Start practising today.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does "as well as" make a verb plural?
No. When "as well as" connects a subject to another noun phrase, the verb agrees only with the first, main subject and stays singular if that subject is singular: "The manager, as well as his team, is responsible for the results." The phrase after "as well as" is treated as extra, parenthetical information rather than a true second subject.
What is the difference between "and" and "as well as" for subject-verb agreement?
"And" creates a genuine compound subject, so the verb must be plural: "The manager and his team are responsible." "As well as" (and similarly "along with", "together with") does not create a compound subject; it simply adds a parenthetical aside about a companion, so the verb still agrees with the original subject alone: "The manager, as well as his team, is responsible."
Why doesn't "along with" affect the verb?
"Along with" introduces additional information about who else was present or involved, but grammatically it does not join two nouns into one subject the way "and" does. The core subject of the sentence remains just the first noun phrase, so the verb continues to agree with that single subject: "My sister, along with her two children, is visiting us this weekend."
Should I use commas around "as well as" or "together with"?
Yes, commas are commonly used to set off these phrases when they add parenthetical information about a companion, as in "The CEO, together with several board members, was present at the meeting." The commas visually signal that the enclosed phrase is extra information, not part of the core subject, which helps readers see immediately why the verb stays singular.
Does "accompanied by" follow the same rule as "as well as"?
Yes. "Accompanied by" behaves the same way as "as well as", "along with" and "together with": it introduces a companion without creating a compound subject, so the verb agrees only with the noun before it. For example: "The director, accompanied by his lawyer, has arrived," not "have arrived."
Is "as well as" always used for adding a second subject?
No. "As well as" can also link two verb phrases describing the same subject's actions, meaning "in addition to doing one thing, also does another": "She sings as well as dances." Here there is only one subject ("she"), so there's no agreement question to resolve; the case with a second noun phrase, like "She, as well as her sister, sings," is the one where the agreement rule matters.
Does "as well as" always mean "in addition to"?
No, "as well as" has a second, very common meaning: a comparative expression meaning "equally well as", used after a verb, as in "He plays the guitar as well as his brother does." This comparative use is about comparing skill or quality between two people and has nothing to do with subject-verb agreement, unlike the additive use covered on this page.
What is the most common mistake learners make with this rule?
The most common mistake is pluralising the verb because two nouns are mentioned, treating "as well as" as if it were "and". For example, writing "The manager, as well as his team, are responsible" instead of the correct "is responsible." Remembering that the phrase between commas is parenthetical, not part of the subject, helps avoid this error.
How can I quickly check which verb form to use?
Try mentally deleting the phrase set off by commas and read the sentence again: "The manager, as well as his team, is responsible" becomes "The manager...is responsible," which confirms the singular verb is correct. If the sentence still reads naturally with the phrase removed, the remaining noun is your true subject and the verb must match it.
At what level is this agreement rule typically taught?
This more advanced agreement pattern is typically introduced at B2 level, once learners are already comfortable with basic subject-verb agreement and compound subjects joined by "and". It requires learners to distinguish true compound subjects from parenthetical additions, which is a subtler distinction taught after the fundamentals are secure.