Concord

Chapter 18
 Concord
Concord literally means agreement.
In grammar, concord means the
agreement or harmony between the
subject and the verb, subject and the
complement, subject and the object
and also subject and the pronoun.
 Subject- Verb Agreement
1. A verb must agree with its subject in number and person. But
often, the verb is made to agree in number with a noun near it
instead of its proper subject. This error is called ‘Error of
Proximity’ and this should be avoided.
E.g. The quality of mangoes was not good (not were)
The introduction of tea and coffee and such other beverages has
not been without some effect (not have)
Every member of that crowd of 2,ooo people was dissatisfied
with the performance on the stage (not were)
The man who stole the vehicles was caught (not were)
The men who stole the vehicle were caught (not was)
The state of his affairs was such as to cause anxiety to his
creditors (not were)
The results of the recognition of this fact are seen in the gradual
improvement of the diet of the poor
If it were possible to get near when one of the volcanic eruptions
takes (singular) place,we should see a grand sight
“If it were” is used when we speak of imaginary
things or things that are contrary to facts. E.g. If
I were a dog, I would sleep all day
“If I was” is used for things that could have
happened in the past or now
2. Two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ require a
plural verb
E.g. Gold and Silver are precious metals
Fire and water do not agree
Knowledge and wisdom have of times no connection
Are your father and mother at home?
In him were centered their love and their ambition
He and I were playing
Rani and Razia are studying in the same college
India and China are making rapid progress in their economy
But if the nouns suggest one idea to the mind or refer to the same
person or thing, the verb is singular, as:
E.g. Time and tide waits for no man
The horse and carriage is at the door
Bread and butter is his only food
Honour and glory is his reward
The rise and fall of the tide is due to lunar influence
My friend and benefactor has come
The novelist and poet is dead
Slow and steady wins the race
3. Words joined to a singular subject by ‘with’, ‘as well as’, ‘along with’,
’together with’ etc… are parenthetical (supplementary) and do not affect
the number The verb should therefore be put in the singular
E.g. The auditorium as well as its premises was crowded with people
(the real subject of the sentence is ‘auditorium’ and that is singular)
The house, with its contents, was insured
The mayor, with his counsellors, is to be present
The ship, with its crew, was lost
Silver, as well as cotton, has fallen in price
Sanskrit, as well as Arabic, was taught there
Justice, as well as mercy, allows it
The guidance, as well as the love of a mother, was wanting
4. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ (i.e
‘neither…...nor’ construction or ‘either…..or’ construction)require a
singular verb
E.g Neither the stage attendants nor the manager was able to
control the crowd (not were)
. No nook or corner was left unexplored
Our happiness or our sorrow is largely due to our own actions
Either the cat or the dog has been here
Neither food nor water was to be found there
Neither praise nor blame seems to affect him
But when one of the subjects joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ is plural, the verb
must be plural and the plural subject should be placed nearest the verb.
We generally allow proximity principle to operate in this case- that is to
say, the verb agrees with the noun near it. The real subject is. the
noun that comes after ‘nor’
E.g. Neither the Chairman nor the directors are present
It seemed that either the poor arrangements or the lack of space
was responsible for this situation (not were)
(here the verb should be singular because the noun nearest it, that is
the noun after ‘or’ is singular. But it is advisable to put the plural noun,
if any, after ‘or’/’nor’ and make the verb plural)
E.g. It seemed that either the poor arrangements or the lack of
space was ………………………………..
It seemed that either the lack of space or the poor arrangements
were ………………………………..
5. When the subjects joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ are of different persons,
the verb agrees with the nearer, as:
E.g. Neither my brother nor I am interested in this
Either he or I am mistaken
Either you or he is mistaken
Neither you or he is to blame
Neither my friend or I am to blame
We allow proximity principle to operate in this case as well- that is to
say, the verb agrees with the noun near it. The real subject is. the
noun that comes after ‘nor’
6. Either, neither, each, everyone, many a, (indefinite pronouns)... must
be followed by a singular verb
E.g. He asked me whether either of the applicants was suitable
Neither of the two men was very strong
Each of these substances is found in India
Everyone of the prisons is full
Everyone of the boys loves to ride
Many a man has done so
Many a man does not know his own good deeds
 7. Two nouns qualified by each or every, even though connected
by ‘and’ require a singular verb
E.g. “No, every man, woman, and child who came here. Is to blame”,
said someone
(Singular nouns preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’ are treated as
singular even when they come in a row
Similarly, ‘there is’ is preferred to ‘there are’ if a series of
singular nouns follow it
E.g. There is no joy, no hope, no peace and no charity here)
Every boy and every girl was given a packet of sweets
Each passenger of the bus was thoroughly searched by the police
Every room in this hotel is neat and clean
Everyone in this company is well paid
Everybody faces certain ups and downs in their lives
8. Some nouns which are plural in form, but singular in meaning, take
a singular verb
E.g. This news is true
The wages of sin is death
Mathematics is a branch of study in every school
9. Some nouns which are singular in form but plural in meaning take a
plural verb.
E.g. According to the present market rate twelve dozen cost one
hundred rupees
10. A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is
thought of as one whole;
plural verb when the individuals of which it is composed are thought of
The committee has issued its report
The committee are divided on one minor point
But we must be consistent
The audience was restive and it greeted the singer with boos and
catcalls
(‘audience’ is a collective noun and can be used either as singular or as
plural. We should prefer the plural verb when the personal individuality
within the group is meant. If we look at the group as a single unit, we
can use a singular verb. But we should not treat it as singular and
plural in the same sentence.)
E.g. The audience were restive and they greeted the singer with boos
and catcalls
The audience was restive and it greeted the singer with boos and
catcalls
The committee has appended a note to its report (not their)

Important collective nouns → board, family, team, group, committee,

class, organization, army, club, crowd, government, jury, minority, public,
mob, bouquet, fleet, nation, congress etc..
 E.g. The electricity board has decided to increase the pay of its
employees
My friend’s family is undergoing terrible hardships
A group of people is waiting to see the minister
A flock of birds is circling overhead now
The jury was divided in its opinion
The jury members were divided in their opinion
11. The crowd grew so muddle-headed that good and bad music alike
were greeted with shouts
‘Music’ is an uncountable noun. The question here is whether the subject
‘good and bad music’ is singular or plural. This phrase is really the
collapsed version of ‘good music’ and ‘bad music’ and so a plural verb
may legitimately follow it.
12. When the plural noun is a proper name for some single object or
collective unit it must be followed by a singular verb
E.g. The Arabian Nights is still a great favourite
The United States has a big navy
Gulliver’s Travels was written by Jonathan Swift
13. When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or amount
considered as a whole, the verb is generally singular.
E.g. Fifteen minutes is allowed to each speaker
Ten kilometers is a long walk
Fifty thousand rupees is a large sum
Three parts of the business is left for me to do
14. When two nouns that are connected by “not only… but also” differ in
person or number Or both, the verb agrees with the nearest noun
E.g. Not only Earth but also the other planets go around the sun
Not only the students but also the management needs to be blamed
for the low result
15. E.g. More than one attempt was made to rush on to the stage
The subject of the sentence is notionally plural but in English ‘more than
one’ is treated as singular.
16. “It is I who am to blame for bringing in these fools,” lamented the
manager
It is a basic rule that a relative pronoun (in this case ‘who’) is followed
by a verb in agreement with the antecedent ( in this case I)
However, “It’s me who is to blame” is very common in conversational
English

(a relative pronoun is a word that introduces a dependent (or relative) clause

and connects it to an independent clause. A clause beginning with a relative
pronoun is poised to answer questions such as Which one? How many? or What
kind? Who, whom, what, which, and that are all relative pronouns. )

*When the pronoun ‘it’ is used in the beginning of a sentence, the verb
is singular
E.g. It was these books that I wanted
It was they who did the mischief
17. E.g. In the meantime, Mr.John, the manager’s son and the deputy
manager of the company was seen talking to the troublemakers
The singular verb ‘was’ is alright here if the manager’s son and the
deputy manager are the same person. But the presence of ‘the’
before deputy manager gives the impression that they are different.
If they are two different persons use ‘were’ instead of ‘was’.
18. “Here come the C.I. and a few policemen,” cried someone (not
comes)
The subject of the sentence is “the C.I. and a few policemen”.
Therefore the verb should be plural.
 “
Note that the subject of a sentence need
not be a noun. It can be a pronoun, a
verbal noun, a phrase, a coordinated
subject or a clause.
Thank You