🔹 Subject–Verb Agreement
(Complete Guide – From Basic to Honours Level)
1️⃣ What is Subject–Verb Agreement?
Subject–Verb Agreement means the verb must agree with its subject in number (singular/plural) and sometimes person.
👉 Singular subject → Singular verb
👉 Plural subject → Plural verb
Example:
She writes well.
They write well.
2️⃣ Basic Rule
Singular Subject → Verb + s/es
He plays.
The boy runs.
Plural Subject → Base Verb
They play.
The boys run.
3️⃣ Important Rules (Exam-Oriented)
🔹 Rule 1: Each / Every / Either / Neither
Always singular.
Each student is ready.
Neither of the boys is present.
Every girl has done her work.
🔹 Rule 2: A number of / The number of
A number of students are absent. (Plural meaning)
The number of students is small. (Singular meaning)
🔹 Rule 3: Along with / As well as / Together with
Verb agrees with the first subject.
The teacher, along with the students, is present.
Ram, as well as his friends, is coming.
🔹 Rule 4: Either…or / Neither…nor
Verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
Either Ram or his friends are coming.
Either the boys or the teacher is coming.
🔹 Rule 5: Collective Nouns
May be singular or plural depending on meaning.
The team is winning. (One unit)
The team are fighting among themselves. (Individuals)
🔹 Rule 6: Uncountable Nouns (Always Singular)
Advice
Information
Furniture
News
Scenery
Luggage
The news is shocking.
The furniture is expensive.
🔹 Rule 7: Plural-looking but Singular
Mathematics
Physics
Economics
Politics
Mathematics is difficult.
🔹 Rule 8: Plural-only Nouns
Scissors
Trousers
Police
Cattle
Clothes
The police are investigating.
My trousers are new.
🔹 Rule 9: One of the + plural noun
Verb is singular.
One of the boys is absent.
🔹 Rule 10: Many a / More than one
Singular verb.
Many a student has failed.
More than one person is absent.
4️⃣ Indefinite Pronouns
Singular:
Each, Someone, Everyone, Nobody, Anybody
Everyone is happy.
Somebody has called you.
Plural:
Few, Many, Several
Many are absent.
5️⃣ Fractions and Percentages
Verb depends on the noun after "of".
Half of the cake is eaten.
Half of the students are absent.
6️⃣ Titles of Books / Films (Always Singular)
"The Ramayana" is a great epic.
"Gulliver’s Travels" is famous.
7️⃣ Distance / Time / Money as One Unit
Ten kilometers is a long distance.
Five years is a long time.
Fifty thousand rupees is a big amount.
8️⃣ Common Errors
❌ Each of the boys are present.
✔ Each of the boys is present.
❌ The quality of the mangoes are good.
✔ The quality of the mangoes is good.
❌ Neither he nor his friends is coming.
✔ Neither he nor his friends are coming.
❌ A number of students is absent.
✔ A number of students are absent.
9️⃣ Advanced Linguistic Note (Honours Level)
Subject–Verb Agreement depends on:
Grammatical number
Notional number (meaning-based)
Proximity principle (nearest subject rule)
Concord system
Example:
The committee have decided. (British English – notional agreement)
The committee has decided. (American English – grammatical agreement)
🔟 Competitive Exam Focus (SLST / WBCS / WBPSC / NET)
Important areas:
✔ Complex subjects
✔ Indefinite pronouns
✔ Collective nouns
✔ Either–or constructions
✔ Error detection
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