For subjects and verbs to agree, both the subject and verb must be singular and both must be plural. When the subject and verb are close together in the sentence, it is much easier than when they are separated by a phrase. Compare the sentences: “The coat of many colors hangs on the boulder” and “The coats hang in the closet”. Compound subjects are a bit more complicated. If compound subjects are joined by the word, and they take a plural verb. The bell and the ball start with the letter. However, if two singular subjects are joined by the word nor or the word or, they take a singular verb. Neither the coat nor the hat was going to dry.