Subject Verb Agreement in English Grammar - Rules, Examples and Errors

What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Subject-Verb Agreement means the verb must agree with its subject in number and person. If subject is singular, verb is singular (He writes, She goes, Ram is), if subject is plural, verb is plural (They write, They go, Boys are). For SSC CGL, CHSL, CPO, Railway, Banking, CTET this is most tested topic in error spotting and sentence improvement because students miss hidden subject after preposition, collective noun trick, indefinite pronoun trick, either-or neither-nor proximity rule. Basic rule: Singular subject takes singular verb with s/es in present indefinite (He goes, She eats, Ram plays), Plural subject takes plural verb without s (They go, Boys play, Students are). Person rule: I am, He is, You are, We are, They are. Number rule overrides proximity - verb agrees with real subject, not with noun near verb.

Types of Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

Collective Nouns, Indefinite Pronouns and Each-Every

Collective Nouns: team, committee, jury, family, crowd, army, class, group. Rule: When collective noun acts as one unit, singular verb - The team is winning, The committee has decided, The family is happy. When members act individually, plural verb - The team are fighting among themselves, The committee are divided. Indefinite Pronouns: everybody, everybody, someone, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, each, every, either, neither are always singular - Everybody is present, Everyone has come, Each boy is honest, Every student is intelligent, Either of the boys is honest, Neither of them is guilty, Someone is knocking. Compound Subjects: Two subjects joined by and take plural verb - Ram and Shyam are friends, He and I are going. But if same person or same idea or and joins uncountable same dish - Bread and butter is my breakfast, Slow and steady wins the race, Horse and carriage is at door, singular. Either-or, Neither-nor: verb agrees with nearest subject - Either Ram or his friends are coming, Either his friends or Ram is coming, Neither Ram nor Shyam is guilty, Neither his friends nor Ram is guilty.

Compound Subjects, Uncountable Nouns, Quantifiers and Questions

Uncountable Nouns: water, milk, sugar, furniture, information, advice, luggage, news, mathematics, physics, economics are singular - Furniture is costly, Information is important, News is true, Mathematics is difficult, Water is precious. But when mathematics means skill, plural? No, still singular. Quantifiers: Many, Few, Several, A few take plural - Many boys are present, Few students are honest. Much, Little, A little take singular - Much water is wasted, Little money is left. Some, All, Half depend on noun after of - Some water is wasted (water singular is), Some boys are absent (boys plural are). Each and Every: Each boy and every girl is present? Actually Each and Every take singular verb always - Each boy is honest, Every girl is sincere, Each and every boy is honest (singular). Agreement in Questions: In interrogative, subject comes after auxiliary - Are you going? Is he coming? Where are the boys? Does he know? Real subject still decides - What are the reasons? Reason plural are.

Common Subject-Verb Agreement Errors for SSC

Most common SSC error patterns: 1) Box of mangoes is/are - real subject box singular so is. 2) Each and every boy is/are - each every always singular so is. 3) Many a boy has/have - Many a always singular - Many a boy has come (singular), but Many boys have come (plural). 4) One of the boys is/are - One of is singular - One of the boys is honest (one is), but The boys are honest. 5) The number of students is many vs A number of students are many - The number singular is, A number plural are. 6) More than one boy is honest (more than one singular is). 7) Mathematics, news, innings are singular though look plural - Mathematics is interesting. 8) People, police, cattle, gentry are plural - Police are coming, People are happy. 9) 5 kilometers is not far - distance, money, time as one unit singular - 5 km is, 10 lakh rupees is, 2 hours is enough. 10) Either Ram or I am? Verb agrees with nearest - Either Ram or I am going, Either I or Ram is going (nearest Ram is). Remember proximity rule only for either-or, neither-nor, not for and.