Northern Subject Rule

The Northern Subject Rule is a grammatical pattern that occurs in Northern English and Scots dialects. Present-tense verbs may take the verbal ‑s suffix, except when they are directly adjacent to one of the personal pronouns I, you, we, or they as their subject. As a result, they sing contrasts with the birds sings; they sing and dances; it's you that sings; I only sings. Various core areas for the rule have been proposed, including Yorkshire and southern Scotland.

The Northern subject rule is also present in Newfoundland English, although a 2011 study by Philip Comeau argues that it differs from the Northern subject rule of British dialects, because it is a marker of habitual aspect or verb stativity.

In several other dialects across England, occasional variations in agreement between subjects and verbs can be found.