SUBJECT VERB
AGREEMENT
The key
is to Yeahhh…
identify I know.
the
subject.
The basic principle of subject-verb agreement is
that singular subjects need singular verbs.
Plural subjects need plural verbs:
Singular Plural
The girl is playing. The girls are playing.
The boy has gone to school. The boys have gone to school.
He likes sweets. They like sweets.
The rules regarding the person are as
follows:
(i) The first person singular or plural takes
a singular verb:
● I like this scenery.
● We like this scenery.
(ii) The second person singular or plural
takes a singular verb:
● You like this scenery.
The rules regarding the person are as
follows:
(iii) The third person singular takes a
singular verb:
● He likes this scenery.
(iv) The third person plural takes a plural
verb:
● They like this scenery.
When some nouns are regarded as one
unit, they take a singular verb:
● Bread and butter is a wholesome
food.
● Brick and stone is lying scattered all
over the place.
● Time and tide waits for none.
● The novelist and poet is dead.
Let’s check!
1. He …… to play chess. (like / likes)
2. Rishi and Ishita ….. Friends. (is / are)
3. Rice and wheat …… available in my shop. (
was / were)
4. Rice and curry …… my favourite dish. (is/ are)
5. A horse and carriage ….. ready for us. (are/ is)
When We use an uncountable noun as the
subject of a verb, we use a singular form of
the verb:
● Honesty is the best policy.
● Fear begins to haunt him.
When the subject consists of ‘one of +
plural noun’, the verb is singular:
● One of the girls was singing.
● One of the students was talking.
● One of the birds was chirping.
When a clause or a long group of words is
the subject, we have to be careful to make
the verb agree with the subject:
● The chairs which I bought yesterday
are very costly.
● The woman whom I met in the
market was my friend’s sister.
The verb has to agree with the real subject
that follows the introductory there. If the
subject is singular, then there will be
followed by a singular verb. If the real
subject is plural, then ‘there’ will be
followed by a plural verb:
● There is no chair in the room.
● There are no chairs in the room.
● There are fifty boys in the class.
● There is one girl in the class.
Let’s check!
1. Laughter …… the best medicine. (is/are)
2. One of my friends …… going to join the Indian
Army. (is/are)
3. The lady sitting between the the anchor and
the judge …… my mother. (is/are)
4. Here ….. two apples. (is/are)
5. This …… a great news. (is/are)
For distances, weight, height or amounts of
money, we use a singular verb even when
the subject is plural:
● Ten thousand rupees is not a small
sum.
● Three kilometers is a small
distance.
● Five hundred feet above sea level is
not a great height.
The title of a book, the name of a house or
a hotel in plural takes a singular verb:
● “The Arabian Nights” has
interesting stories.
● “The Hotel Brewers” is a five-star
hotel.
Nouns which are plural in form but singular
in meaning usually take a singular verb:
● Mathematics is not an easy subject.
● Economics is a dull subject.
● Measles is an infectious disease.
● The latest news is that the criminal
has been arrested.
Collective nouns like group, crowd, flock,
regiment, etc. are generally followed by a
singular verb:
● A group of boys was playing in the
ground.
● A crowd of people rushes into the
hall.
● A regiment of soldiers was
marching towards the town.
Let’s check!
1. Ten years …… a long time. (is/are)
2. A bunch of grapes ….... kept on the table. (is/are)
3. The United Nations …… an international organization.
(is/are)
4. Rickets …… caused due to deficiency of Vitamin D.
(is/are)
5. Mathematics …………… practice. (require/ requires)
‘Class’ nouns such as food, furniture,
clothing, etc. take a singular verb:
● This furniture is very old.
● This imported cutlery is very costly.
● His clothing consists of a
bullet-proof jacket, a blue pair of
trousers and some other items.
Some nouns which appear to be plural in form
when preceded by a pair of take a singular verb,
for example, shoes, scissors, trousers, etc.
● A pair of scissors was taken out of the
drawer.
● A pair of trousers was washed by the
servant.
● A pair of shoes was bought by him.
But when these nouns are used without ‘a pair
of’, they take a plural verb:
● His shoes have worn out.
● My scissors do not cut well.
When a singular subject is joined by as well as, in
addition to, except, etc. with another noun or
pronoun, we use a singular verb.
● Sohan as well as his brother has come.
● My father in addition to our neighbour
has gone out for a walk.
● Everyone except Satish was present.
Let’s check!
1. All the furniture here …… new. (is/are)
2. Where …… my new shoes? (is/are)
3. A pair of trousers …… not enough for the tour.
(is/are)
4. My friends as well as I …… interested in the
game. (was/ were)
A singular verb is used with singular pronouns,
e.g. each, either, neither, anyone, etc.
● Each of the boys was given a prize.
● Neither of the students was absent.
● Everybody has helped her.
When two or more subjects are connected by
nor or or, the verb is used according to the
number of the noun nearest to it:
● Neither she nor her sisters visit the
temple. ‘
● Either they or he is telling a lie.
A collective noun such as jury, committee,
family, etc. takes a singular verb when it is
considered one unit. But when they are regarded
as individuals, they take a plural verb:
● The jury is about to give its decision.
● The jury are divided in their opinion.
● There was a huge audience in the
stadium.
● The audience were enjoying the concert.
Let’s check!
1. Either you or Ishita …… done it. (has/have)
2. Each child …… a chocolate. (has/have)
3. Some sugar …… needed. (is/are)
4. Some mangoes …… sour. (is/are)
5. Neither he nor his brothers …… arrived.
(has/have)
WELL
DONE!!!
