Subject-Verb Agreement Rules with Examples

 

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules with Examples

 

🔵 1. Singular Subject → Singular Verb

• Rule: A singular subject takes a singular verb.
• Example: She writes neatly.

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🔵 2. Plural Subject → Plural Verb

• Rule: A plural subject takes a plural verb.
• Example: They write neatly.

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🔵 3. Two Singular Subjects Joined by 'and' → Plural Verb

• Example: Ramesh and Suresh are brothers.

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🔵 4. Two Subjects Joined by 'or' / 'nor' → Verb Agrees with the Closer Subject

• Example: Either the teacher or the students have complained.
• Example: Neither the boys nor the girl has arrived.

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🔵 5. Collective Nouns → Usually Singular

• Use Singular Verb: When group acts as one unit.
• Example: The team is winning.
• Use Plural Verb: When members act individually.
• Example: The team are arguing among themselves.

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🔵 6. Indefinite Pronouns → Usually Singular

• Examples:
• Each, everyone, anyone, someone, nobody, etc.
• Example: Everyone is present.
• Example: Each of the players has a jersey.

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🔵 7. Some Indefinite Pronouns Are Plural

• Examples: many, few, several, both
• Example: Many have applied.

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🔵 8. Some Indefinite Pronouns → Depend on Context

• Examples: all, any, more, most, some
• Example: Some of the water is spilled.
• Example: Some of the students are absent.

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🔵 9. Titles of Books, Movies, Countries, etc. → Singular Verb

• Example: The United States is powerful.
• Example: The Lord of the Rings is epic.

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🔵 10. Distances, Periods of Time, Sums of Money → Singular Verb

• Example: Ten dollars is too much.
• Example: Five years is a long time.

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🔵 11. 'There is' / 'There are' – Verb Matches the Real Subject

• Example: There is a pen on the table.
• Example: There are pens on the table.

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🔵 12. Subjects Separated by Phrases – Verb Matches True Subject

• Ignore prepositional phrases (e.g., "of the students").
• Example: The list of items is on the desk.
• Not: The list of items are...

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🔵 13. With Words like ‘with’, ‘as well as’, ‘in addition to’ → Use Singular

• Example: The teacher, along with the students, is present.

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🔵 14. 'One of the...' → Singular Verb

• Example: One of the boys is missing.

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🔵 15. 'More than one' → Singular Verb

• Example: More than one student has failed.

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🔵 16. 'Many a' + Singular Noun → Singular Verb

• Example: Many a man has tried.

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🔵 17. Relative Pronouns (who, which, that) → Verb Agrees with Antecedent

• Example: She is one of the players who play well.
• (“players” is plural, so “play” is plural)
• Example: He is the only one who has passed.
• (“one” is singular)

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🔵 18. Gerund (verb-ing as subject) → Singular Verb

• Example: Swimming is good for health.

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🔵 19. Plural-Looking Singular Nouns → Singular Verb

• Examples: news, mathematics, physics, measles
• Example: Mathematics is tough.
• Example: The news is fake.

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🔵 20. Always Plural Nouns → Plural Verb

• Examples: trousers, scissors, tongs, binoculars
• Example: My trousers are wet.
• Example: Scissors are sharp.

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🔵 21. Fraction or Percentage – Verb Depends on the Noun

• Example: Half of the pizza is gone.
• Example: Half of the pizzas are gone.
• Example: 30% of the class is absent.
• Example: 30% of the students are absent.

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🔵 22. Uncountable Nouns → Singular Verb

• Examples: advice, furniture, luggage, information
• Example: The furniture is new.

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🔵 23. Inverted Sentences – Identify the Real Subject

• Example: There go the children.
• Example: Here comes the bus.

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🔵 24. Use of 'Each of', 'Every one of', etc. → Singular Verb

• Example: Each of the students is ready.

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🔵 25. Nouns Like 'Cattle', 'Police', 'People' → Plural Verb

• Example: The police are investigating.
• Example: Cattle are grazing in the field.

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📌 Common Traps in Exams:

Wrong	Correct
The jury were divided. (if acting as a unit)	The jury was united.
One of my friends have gone.	One of my friends has gone.
Neither of the two girls are intelligent.	Neither of the two girls is intelligent.

 

 

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