Welcome, Today we will learn and read about The Subject Verb Agreement in English Grammar. In this article you will get all information like rules of subject verb agreement, Subject Verb Agreement, subject verb agreement exercise, subject verb agreement rules, subject verb agreement rules examples, subject verb agreement with example, what is Subject Verb Agreement and much more.
What Is Subject Verb Agreement?
The use of verb according to the number and person of the Subject in any sentence is called ‘ Subject Verb Agreement
Subject Verb Agreement Definition
The verb must agree with the Subject in person and number i.e. a Finite verb must be of the same person and number as its subject.
Examples:
· He comes to school
↓ ↓
(Sing. Sub.) (Sing. Verb)
[If the subject is ‘Singular’, only ‘Singular verb’ is used.]
· They come to school.
[If the subject is ‘Plural’, only ‘Plural verb’ is used.]
· According verb of Singular nouns/pronouns and Plural nouns/pronouns are used .
Subject Verb Agreement Rules
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 1
Two or more singular nouns/pronouns connected by ‘and’ usually take a Plural verb.
(When two or more singular subjects are joined by ‘and’, the verb is always used in plural number.)
Examples:
· He and I are good friends.
· Oil and Water do not mix.
· Rohit, Raman and Sumit are engineers.
· Tobacco and Alcohol are injurious to health.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 2
If two or more singular noun/pronoun connected by ‘and’ are used to describe the same person, animal, object or idea, the subject takes a singular verb.
If two or more nouns or adjectives are joined by ‘and’ but they refer to the same person, thing or idea, then a singular verb is used. Such nouns are also called Parcel Subject.
eg. Slow and steady, Bread and butter, Hammer and sickle, Rice and curry, Truth and honesty, Crown and glory, Age and experience, Eggs and bacon, Long and short, Screaming and shouting, Coming and going etc.
Examples:
· Slow and steady wins the race.
· Bread and butter is his favourite food.
· Horse and carriage is standing at the door.
· Rice and curry is a popular dish.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 3
When referring to two different persons by repetition of two nouns, articles or possessive pronouns , plural verbs are used .
Examples:
· The teacher and the guide are dead.
· The poet and the writer were honoured.
· My guardian and my father want me to go to the U.S.A.
· The poet and the philosopher are no more.
· A black and a white dog guard the house.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 4
Article/Possesive Pronoun + subject + and + subject + Singular Verb
Examples:
· The long and short of it is that I don’t want to go there.
· A black and a white dog guards the house.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 5
We always use a singular verb after a subject that starts with ‘each, every, no, either or neither’ etc.
Examples:
· No smoking and drinking is allowed.
· Every man, woman, and child was given a life preserver.
· Each graduate and undergraduate is required to pass the exam.
· Each book and notebook in this bag belongs to me.
· Either of the doors opens in the hall.
· Neither of his parents wants to send him abroad.
Note: A plural verb is used when ‘each’ follows a plural noun.
Examples:
· The boys each have a bicycle.
· The women each have a hand-bag.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 6
यदि वाक्य का subject Indefinite pronouns like ‘everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody, something, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything’ etc. हो, तो singular verb का use किया जाता है।
Examples:
· Nobody is here.
· Everybody helps when there is a crisis.
· Somebody wants to speak to you.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 7
When two subjects are joined by ‘or, nor, either____or, neither____nor, not only____but also’ etc., the verb agrees with the second subject.
(If two subjects are joined by ‘or, nor, either____or, neither____nor, not only____but also’ etc. , then the verb is used according to the second subject.)
Examples:
· Our happiness or our sorrow is largely due to our actions.
· Either you or I am mistaken.
· His brother or his sister is arriving here tonight.
· Neither the teacher nor the students are responsible.
· Not only Kishor but also his neighbours have complained about the noise.
· Neither his brother nor his parents were with him.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 8
यदि दो subjects ‘as well as, except, in addition to, along with, together with, rather than, accompanied by, like, unlike, no less than, nothing but, with, but, besides, except, including’ etc. connectives से जुडे़ हुए हो, तो verb first subject के अनुसार use की जाती है।)
Examples:
· Justice as well as mercy allows it.
· Silver as well as Cotton has fallen in price.
· The politician along with the newsmen is expected shortly.
· Everyone except me was having fun.
· Maruti in addition to Tata is lowering its car prices to encourage better sales.
· English besides Hindi and Sanskrit is taught to the students.
· The captain along with the sailors was drowned.
· My father unlike my uncles is very strict.
· Mr. D’souza, accompanied by his wife is travelling to India.
· Patience in addition to hardwork is needed for success.
· A dictionary besides all the course books was given to him.
· All the girls including Trisha are talking the test.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 9
A singular verb is used with the measurement of money, time and distance.
Examples:
· One hundred dollars is a lot of money for a bottle of wine.
· Two hours is a long time to wait to see a doctor.
· 93,000,000 miles is the distance from the sun to the earth.
· Six years is a long time to stay away from.
· Forty kilometres is not a short distance.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 10
The following words almost always use the plural form of verbs: ‘all, both, few, many, several, some’ etc.
Examples:
· Some people in my office are very annoying.
· Few mountain climbers have successfully reached the peak of Mt. Everest.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 11
If there is used as an introductory subject, then the verb with there is used according to the number and person of the noun or pronoun used after there .
Examples:
· There are many unverified legends about the life of Shakespeare.
· In the old building hangs the new painting.
· There are almost seven million volumes in the main library.
· Where are Mary’s brothers?
· There were thousands of people at the parade.
· In the small pond swim four large fish.
· There is no one left in the room.
· In later life comes great wisdom.
· Near the lake stand two old banyan trees.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 12
When the word number is preceded with the word ‘a’, use a plural verb. When the word number is preceded with the word ‘the‘, use a singular verb.
A number of is used with a plural countable noun and a plural verb is used with it.
The number of is used in the sense of a certain number, followed by the plural subject and when it is used as the subject of a sentence, a singular verb is used with it.
A number of + Plural Noun + Plural Verb
The number of + Plural Noun + Singular Verb
Examples:
· A number of people are waiting to see you.
· The number of stars in the sky seems countless.
· A number of questions were asked to him by the interviewer.
· The number of student present in the class is eleven.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 13
Always use a singular verb after a subject that starts with ‘Either of, Neither of, Each of, Every one of, One of’ etc.
If ‘Either of, Neither of, Each of, Every one of, One of’ etc. If followed by a plural noun, then the subject of the sentence is singular. Therefore, singular verb is used with them.
Examples:
· Neither of them is available to speak right now.
· Either of us is capable of doing the job.
· Either of the five members is at fault.
· One of the five members is at fault.
· Neither of them takes the exam.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 14
The following nouns are always plural and always take a plural verb.
Some Nouns are always used in plural form only. By removing ‘ s’ at the end of these Nouns , they are not made singular . They also look plural in appearance, and their use is also like plural .
They are ‘Scissors, Tongs , Spectacles, Binoculars , Trousers, Pants, Knickers, Breeches, Shorts, Pincers, Bellows , Pyjamas , Gallows , Fangs , Goggles, Sunglasses, Alms , Amends ‘ and other nouns used in a pair .
Note:- A pair of scissors + Singular verb
Examples:
· The scissors are dull. (Or, The pair of the scissors is dull.)
· Do you wear trousers?
· Where are my binoculars?
· His pants were torn.
· Alms were given to the beggars.
· The embers of the fire were still burnings.
· He wears a pair of spectacles when he goes outside.
· A pair of scissors was given to her.
· A pair of trousers was found in his bag.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 15
The following nouns though plural in form, are used in singular.
Some nouns appear plural in appearance but are singular in meaning. Its use is always the use of singular verb .
They are ‘Quarters (house), News, Wages, Measles, Mumps, Billiards, Draughts (a table game), Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Civics, Mechanics, Politics, Statistics, Innings, Ethics, Rickets, Diabetes, Shingles, Athletics, Linguistics’ etc.
Names of diseases : Measles, Mumps, Rickets, Shingles etc.
देश के नाम: The United States, The West Indies etc.
Names of Books : The Arabian Nights, Three Musketeers etc.
Game Names : Billiards, Darts, Draughts etc.
विषयों के नाम: Physics, Economics, Civics, Statistics, Politics, Linguistics etc.
Examples:
· No news is good news.
· Billiards is a costly game.
· The wages of sin is death.
· Physics is my favourite study.
· Diabetes has become very common in our country.
· Measles is a dreadful disease.
· Calculus requires great skill in algebra.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 16
Certain nouns of Latin and Greek origin have unusual singular and plural forms.
Singular – Plural
¨ Action – Agenda
¨ Alumnus Alumni
¨ Analysis – Analyses
¨ Bacterium – Bacteria
¨ Basis – Bases
¨ Bureau – Bureaux, Bureaus
¨ Crisis – Crises
¨ Criterion – Criteria
¨ Curriculum – Curricula, Curriculums
¨ Said – Said
¨ Formula – Formulas, Formulas
¨ Fungus – Fungi
¨ Index – Indices, Indexes
¨ Medium – Media
¨ Memorandum – Memoranda
¨ Nucleus – Nuclei
¨ Oasis – Oases
¨ Phenomenon – Phenomena
¨ Radius – Radii
¨ Layer – Layers
¨ Stimulus – Stimulus
¨ Syllabus – Syllabi
Examples:
· The syllabi have been revised.
· The crises were not properly managed.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 17
Mathematical expressions of subtraction and division require singular verbs, while expressions of addition or multiplication take either ‘singular or plural verbs’.
Examples:
· Ten divided by two equals five.
· Five times seven equals (or equal) thirty-five.
· Two and two makes (or make) four.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 18
If Infinitive , Gerund, Phrase, Clause is used as a Noun , then it is used as singular subject and the verb is also used as singular .
Examples:
· Hiding your mistakes does not make them go away.
· Swimming is a good exercise.
· Collecting paintings is one of her hobbies.
· Asking questions was not allowed in the class.
· Writing poems gives him pleasure.
· Reading books is a good way to improve English.
· What I need is to be loved.
· Whether there is any connection between the two events is unknown.
· What you have said is true.
· What they need is food and shelter.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 19
Collective Nouns:
It generally takes a singular verb.
It takes a plural verb if there are argument,
agreement and division in the group.
Singular verb is always used with Collective Noun . But if there is a difference in Collective Noun or if it is about each person, then plural verb, plural adjective and plural pronoun are used.
Examples:
· The committee comprises eight members.
· The team has played really very well.
· The staff are fighting over a trivial issue.
· The government is planning to raise taxes.
· The jury are divided in their opinion.
· The audience have taken their seats.
· The herd of cows is grazing in the field.
· The committee has unanimously taken its decision.
· The Parliament makes laws for the nation.
· The Parliament are divided over the bill.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 20
Many + Plural Noun + Plural Verb
Many a + Singular Noun + Singular Verb
Examples:
· Many houses have been built by the builder.
· Many students have passed.
· Many a student is standing in the canteen.
· Many flowers fade away unseen.
· Many a flower fades away unseen.
· Many men were killed the war.
· Many man was killed the war.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 21
Examples:
· Twenty percent of the houses have been sold.
· Two-third of the money has already been spent.
· Half of the cakes were eaten.
· Forty percent of the population was illiterate.
· Thirty percent of our employees are post gradutes.
· Thirty percent of the money was paid to them in advance.
· One-third of our employees work over time regularly.
· Two-thirds of the milk was used to prepare sweets.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 22
Some of + Uncountable Noun + Singular Verb
Some of + Plural Noun + Plural Verb
Examples:
· Some of the money has been deposited in his bank.
· Some of the grain was stored in containers.
· Some of the questions were asked by him.
· Some of his friends live in Canada.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 23
If a subject is joined to a verb by a Relative Pronoun (who, which, that etc. ) , then the verb is used according to the subject which is the antecedent of that Relative Pronoun .
Examples:
· She is one of the noblest women who lived on this earth.
· I am not one of those who deceive others.
· Those who work hard, succeed.
· The man who lives in this house is a farmer.
· The men who live in this house is a farmer.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 24
If all is used in the sense of uncountable, then it is considered singular and singular verb is used with it.
If All is used to give the sense of ‘ number of persons or things ‘, then it is considered plural, and plural verb is used with it.
Examples:
· All is well that ends well.
· All are well at home.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 25
Some nouns are uncountable. They are used only in singular form . Article ‘a/an’ is also not used with them.
They are ‘Scenery, Poetry, Furniture, Advice, Information, Hair, Business, Mischief, Bread, Stationery, Crockery, Luggage, Baggage, Postage, Knowledge, Wastage, Money, Jewellery, Breakage, Equipment, Etiquette, Evidence, Percentage, Dirt, Dust, Traffic, Electricity, Music, Confectionery, Pottery, Bakery, Fuel, Paper’ etc. इनके साथ हमेशा singular verb का use किया जाता है।
Examples:
· The scenery of Kashmir is very charming.
· I have no information about her residence.
· The mischief committed by him is unpardonable.
· His hair is black.
· I have bought some equipment that I needed for the project.
· The furniture was made of wood.
· Learn some etiquette.
Note:
These nouns do not have a plural form.
Singular verb is used with them.
Few, Many, Both, Each, Every, A/An are not used with these nouns.
Examples:
· He has good news for you.
· His luggage was stolen at the bus-stop.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 26
Most of + Plural Noun + Plural Verb
Most of + Uncountable Noun + Singular Verb
Examples:
· Most of her time was spent at home.
· Most of their products are expensive.
· Most of the girls want to learn English.
· Most of his time is spent at home.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 27
Singular Noun + after + Singular Noun + Singular Verb
Examples:
· House after house was set on fire.
· Girl after girl is coming.
Subject Verb Agreement Rule – 28
The + Adjective + Plural Verb
Examples:
· The rich are not as happy as they seen to be.
· The honest are respected.
Subject Verb Agreement Video
Read More:
| Noun | Factor |
| Pronoun | sentence idea |
| Adjective | speech |
| Articles | Phonetics |
| Action | Era |
| Word | indecent word |
| adverb | Idioms |
| Treaty | Proverbs |
| gender | character idea |
| Promise | punctuation |
| Samas | one word for phrase |
| prefix | Glossary of Terms |
| suffix | Factors sign |
| ambiguous words | Antonyms |
| Synonyms | Derivative words |
| monosyllable | all other articles |
Subject Verb Agreement exercise/ Worksheet
here we attached worksheet for subject verb agreement and exercise .
Q.1A large part of the distinctive features of the mind __ due to its being an instrument of communication.
1
is
2
are
3
was
4
none of these
Q.2Principal and staff members __ on a strike yesterday.
1
were
2
was
3
are
4
is
Q.3A stack of file folders _ neatly arranged on one side.
1
have
2
are
3
was
4
were
Q.4A variety of fruits and vegetables _ available in the National Handloom.
1
is
2
are
3
was
4
has
Q.5Neither of the restaurants we went _ expensive.
1
is
2
are
3
was
4
were
Q.6A rise and fall of the tide _ due to lunar influence.
1
is
2
are
3
have
4
were
Q.7Helicopter behind helicopter _ at the ground.
1
are arrived
2
have arrived
3
is arrived
4
none of these
Q.8The staff members but not the Principal _ decided not to teach on Maha Shivratri.
1
have
2
has
3
has been
4
none of these
Q.9The man and the director __ me about the party.
1
has informed
2
have informed
3
is informed
4
was informed
Q.10Each and every __ very similar meanings, but there are important differences of meaning and usage.
1
has
2
are
3
have
4
were Direction: (136-145) Find out the erroneous part of the given sentences.
Q.11Many people have the perception (A)/ that the affluent is the happiest (B)/ lot on the earth. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.12The measles are (A)/ a disease that causes (B)/ fever and a red rash. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.13The scissor is (A)/ lying on (B)/ the table. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.14The various consequences of (A)/ the decision taken by the (B)/ Finance Ministry was not foreseen by the bureaucrats. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.15More persons than one (A)/ has been involved (B)/ in this quarrel. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.16Neither the Principal nor the teachers (A)/ takes interest in the (B)/ general welfare of the students. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.17Patience as well as perseverance (A)/ are necessary (B)/ for success. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.18A pair of shoes (A)/ were standing (B)/ in the corner. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
Q.19Their company is going to incur (A)/ heavy losses this year because (B)/ of the big discounts they (C)/ offers to customers. (D)/ No error (E)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
5
E
Q.20Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ (A)/ have been read by me (B)/ several times. (C)/ No error (D)
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D