Subject-Verb Concord (Agreement)

Entry Ticket:
Fill up the blank with a verb keeping in mind the subject verb agreement.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates ______(go/goes) on that shelf.

Learning Objective:
Analyze the organisation of subject and verb in a sentence pattern.

Subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship between the subject and verb
in a sentence.
Rules:
1. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.
John lives in France.
The cats chase the mice.
(Remember the exception: The first person pronoun I takes a plural verb.
I live in France.)
2. When two or more singular subjects are connected by 'and', the verb should
be in the plural.
Tinu and Vinu are playing Football.
Mrs and Mr Gupta are going to the market.
3. When two singular nouns refer to the same person, the verb must be in the
singular.
The captain and coach of the team has been sacked.

(In case these were two different individuals, two articles need to be used:
The captain and the coach of the team have been sacked.)

When two subjects make one unit or together express one idea, singular
verb is used.
Bread and butter is crucial for survival.
Rice and curry is my favourite dish.
4. When a singular subject is qualified by 'each' or 'every', the verb must be in
the singular.
 Every player has a purpose of his own.
Every boy was allowed to sing.
5. Indefinite pronouns (such as "everyone," “everybody,” "someone,"
“somebody,” "no one," “nobody,” "anyone," “anybody” etc.) take
singular verbs.
Everyone is here.
6. When the phrase ‘one of’ is used, the verb must be singular.
One of the books is complete.
One of my friends is from Italy.
One of the students was selected to visit NASA.
7. If subjects are joined by ‘or’, ‘either’, ‘neither’, ‘nor’ the verb agrees to
the subject nearest to it.
Neither he nor his sister was there.
He or his friends are to be blamed.
8. When a sentence begins with introductory 'there' or ‘here’, the verb should
agree with the noun that follows it.
There is a man at the door.
There were three bonfires burning in the field.
9. If subjects are joined by 'as well as', ‘with’, ‘together with’, "along with"
or "in addition to" the verb must agree with the first subject, irrespective of
whether it is singular or plural.
My friend as well as my colleagues is going abroad.
The mother, with her children, goes to work.
10.None is singular but takes a plural/singular verb according to the sense
involved in the sentence.
I asked for a maid, but none was there.
None of them are coming.
11.If a plural noun referring to distance, weight, height or amount of money,
represents a single figure or a specific quantity, it should be followed by a
singular verb.
Two hundred dirhams is too much for this item.
Two-thirds of the city is in ruins.
12. The title of a book, play, story, movie, musical composition, house or hotel
(even if in plural form), takes a singular verb.
 ‘The Three Musketeers’ is an interesting book.
13.When the subject of a sentence is a singular noun or pronoun that refers to a
group of people or things, it takes a singular verb.
The government has announced a new policy.
14.When the plural noun is a proper name for some single object or some
collective unit, it must be followed by a singular verb.
The United Nations is not an effective body for world peace.

15. A collective noun (referring to a group of people or things; e.g.: team, city,
group, state, company, committee, council, organization, government,
family, staff, choir, orchestra, class, jury, army etc.) takes a singular verb,
when the collection is thought of as one whole.
 It takes a plural verb when the stress is on the individuals.
The herd of zebra is running for safety.
My family is going on holiday for Christmas.
The family are doing different jobs around the house today.
The team is playing well.
The team are arguing among themselves.
The cartel of oil-supplying countries has submitted its report.
The cartel of oil-supplying countries are divided over the issue.
(Note: In most cases, the use of words different/their/among + plural noun
denotes a stress on the individual.)
16.The nouns, plural in form but singular in meaning like news, physics,
economics, measles, aerobics etc., take the verb in singular.
No news is good news.
Aerobics is a good exercise.
17. Descriptive nouns like the rich, the blind, the guilty are always plural.
The guilty are always afraid.
The blind have no notion of time.
18. Uncountable nouns such as education, accommodation, baggage,
homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel,
clothing, food, furniture, crockery, cutlery, stationery and footwear are
singular and take a singular verb.
The cutlery is damaged.
 The food has gone stale.
19. Nouns like police, people, pants, trousers, shoes, spectacles (glasses),
amends, compasses, goods, tongs always take a plural verb.
The police were clueless.
His shoes are glossy.

(Remember the exception: When used with ‘a pair of,’ they are singular.
A pair of branded shoes is quite expensive these days.)
Challenge 1:
Pick out the right verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Few applicants ______(has/have) backed out.
2. She shall _______(come/comes) soon.
3. The company _________ (has/have) decided to increase production.
4. Either the students or the teacher ____(is/are) responsible for cleaning the
classroom.
5. Neither our roommate nor our friends ________(know/knows) that we
are getting fired.
6. Public speaking _____(is/are) a skill.
7. Some of the rice ______(is/are) still left.
8. The jury ______(was/were) divided in their opinion.
9. The teacher with his students _______ (go/goes) to the basketball court.
10.Here _______(come/comes) the bride.
11.The chief along with his family ______(is/are) involved.
12. I _____(drive/drives) to college.
13. The list of items _____ (is/are) on the desk.
14. A bouquet of yellow roses _____(lend/lends) beauty to the arrangement.

Challenge 2:
Vivek has gone to the bank. He (1) ............. (want/wants) to take out some
money. First he (2) .........(has/have) to fill a form for a new cheque book. All
the cheques in the old book (3) ............. (has/have) already been used. He……
(make/makes) a cheque for the amount he (5) ............ (want/wants) to withdraw.
The manager (6) ………. (inform/informs) him about the ATM card and e-
banking which (7) ............. (be) introduced shortly. The man well as as the
counter-clerks (8) ............ (try/tries) to persuade him to go for an ATM card.
Challenge 3:
There is an error in each line of the passage given below. Write the incorrect
word and the correction.

The quality of bananas were not good. a)

Many of them was rotten. b)
Cause of worries were that the children c)
will not know this fact. d)
The guru decides to leave the kingdom of fools. e)
He realised that it was danger to live there. f)
He was not sure about the people and feel that g)
they could harmed the guru and his disciples. h)
Answers:

Entry Ticket: go

Challenge 1:
1. have 2. come 3. has 4. is 5. know 6. is 7. is
8. were 9. goes 10. comes 11. Is
12.drive 13. is 14. Lends

Challenge 2:
1. wants 2. has 3. have 4. makes 5. wants 6. informs
8. is being 7. tries

Challenge 3:
Error Correction
a) were was
b) was were
c) were was
d) will would
e) decides decided
f) danger dangerous
g) feel felt
h) harmed harm