Subject-Verb Agreement: Types, Rules and Examples
Subject-verb agreement, also called concord, is the rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. The rule sounds simple, but the subject is often hidden behind phrases, and the number of the subject is then misjudged, which is why this topic appears again and again in the error-spotting and fill-in-the-blanks sections of every competitive examination.
In APSC, ADRE, Assam Police, SSC and Railway examinations, subject-verb agreement regularly carries two to four marks, and it also controls tense, voice and question formation. This deep-study note covers the basic terms, the core rules, the kinds of questions asked, the step-by-step method, the common mistakes and a practical preparation plan, so that a candidate can find the true subject and choose the correct verb with speed and confidence.
Basic Terms
- Subject: the person or thing that performs the action or is being described.
- Verb: the word that agrees with the subject in number and person.
- Singular and plural: the two numbers of nouns, pronouns and verbs.
- Concord: another name for subject-verb agreement.
- Collective noun: a noun naming a group, such as team, family, jury and crowd.
- Intervening phrase: words that come between the subject and the verb, such as "along with" or "as well as".
- Indefinite pronoun: pronouns such as everyone, somebody, each, either and neither.
- Compound subject: two or more subjects joined by "and" or "or".
- Expletive: the words "there" and "it" used to begin a sentence.
- Nearest-noun rule: the rule that with either ... or, neither ... nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Core Concepts and Rules
- A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject a plural verb: "The boy plays" and "The boys play".
- Words and phrases between the subject and the verb do not change the number of the verb: "The box of apples is heavy".
- Two subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb, as in "Ram and Shyam are friends".
- But if the two subjects form one idea or one person, the verb is singular, as in "Bread and butter is my breakfast".
- With either ... or, neither ... nor and not only ... but also, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- Words joined to the subject by with, along with, as well as, besides, including and together with do not change the number of the verb.
- Indefinite pronouns such as everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, each, either and neither are singular.
- Both, few, many, several and all (of a plural noun) take a plural verb.
- Collective nouns take a singular verb when the group acts as one, and a plural verb when the members act individually.
- In "there is" and "there are", the verb agrees with the noun that follows, not with "there".
- Uncountable nouns such as news, mathematics, physics, politics and measles are singular even though they end in -s.
- Words such as trousers, scissors, spectacles, cattle and people are plural, and "a pair of" makes them singular.
- A relative pronoun such as who or which takes a verb that agrees with its antecedent.
Types of Subject-Verb Agreement Questions
The first type gives a sentence with two options for a verb and asks which one agrees with the subject. The second type hides the subject behind an intervening phrase and tests whether the candidate can ignore that phrase. The third type tests compound subjects with "and", "or" and "nor". The fourth type tests indefinite pronouns such as each, everybody and neither. The fifth type tests collective nouns and the words that look plural but are singular, and the sixth type is error spotting where a wrong verb form has to be identified and corrected.
Steps to Solve a Subject-Verb Agreement Question
First, find the real subject and ignore everything between it and the verb, because phrases such as "along with" and "as well as" are traps. Second, decide whether the subject is singular or plural. Third, apply the special rules: "and" makes a plural, the nearest noun decides after either ... or, and indefinite pronouns are singular. Fourth, decide the tense and the correct form of the verb. Fifth, in "there is, there are" sentences, look to the right of the verb and agree with the noun there. Finally, read the whole sentence and confirm that the subject and the verb sound correct together.
Examination Trends
Subject-verb agreement is one of the most predictable topics in the English paper. The examiner repeatedly tests the intervening phrase, the words joined by "as well as" and "along with", the nearest-noun rule with neither ... nor, and the indefinite pronouns each and everybody. Nouns that look plural but are singular, such as news and mathematics, and nouns that look singular but are plural, such as cattle and police, are also frequent. Because every clause needs a correct verb, this topic is tested directly and also inside voice and narration questions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not let a phrase after the subject change the verb: "The list of items is ready", not "are ready".
- Do not use a singular verb after two subjects joined by "and".
- Do not use a plural verb after each, everyone, somebody and neither.
- Do not use "are" for news, mathematics, physics and politics.
- Do not use a singular verb for cattle, police and people.
- Do not forget the nearest-noun rule after or, nor and but also.
How to Prepare This Topic
Start by underlining the subject and the verb in twenty sentences, ignoring everything in between, because finding the true subject is the whole skill. Then make two lists, one of words that look plural but are singular and one of words that look singular but are plural, and revise them aloud. After that, practise mixed error-spotting sets and correct only the verb, so that the rule is applied under exam-like pressure.
A useful habit is to keep a personal list of your repeated errors, such as using "are" after "one of the", and to redrill only those. Remember that after "one of the", the verb agrees with "one" and is singular, even though the noun after it is plural. Daily practice of twenty questions for a fortnight, in English and Assamese, makes finding the subject quick and makes subject-verb agreement a reliable source of marks.
Quick Revision Tips
- Ignore phrases between the subject and the verb.
- "And" makes a plural; "or" and "nor" follow the nearest noun.
- Everyone, each, neither and somebody are singular.
- News, mathematics and physics are singular; cattle, police and people are plural.
- With "there is, there are", agree with the noun after the verb.
- Collective nouns are singular when the group acts as one.
Final Revision Note
In the final revision, take ten long sentences, mark the true subject and choose the correct verb, then say the rule that decided each answer aloud. Note down and redrill the mistakes you repeat. The examiner tests whether you can see past the words between the subject and the verb, and a steady daily habit of underlining the subject makes this topic fast, accurate and useful across the whole English paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is subject-verb agreement?
Subject-verb agreement is the rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person: a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Does a phrase between the subject and verb change the verb?
No. Words joined by with, along with, as well as, besides and including do not change the number of the verb.
What verb is used after "each" and "everyone"?
A singular verb, because each, everyone, everybody, somebody and neither are grammatically singular.
Which verb is used after "neither ... nor"?
The verb agrees with the nearer subject, as in "Neither the teacher nor the students were present".
Why do news, mathematics and physics take a singular verb?
They are singular in meaning even though they end in -s, so they take a singular verb, as in "The news is good".