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| Subject Verb Agreement Rules |
What is Subject-Verb Agreement?
Subject Verb Agreement rules and Examples 👇
1. A singular subject takes the Verb in Singular; as,
- He writes.
- I write.
- I am in the kitchen.
- There is a rabbit.
2. A plural subject takes the verb in plural; as,
- They write
- We write
- They are in the auditorium.
- There are five goats in ground.
- They are happy after marriage.
3. Compound Subject (noun) joined by ‘and’ or two or more singular Noun or Pronoun joined by ‘and’ requires a Plural Verb; as,
- Sandhya and I are great friends.
- Sami and Saddique are going to Bangalore.
- A carpenter and a blacksmith lives near my house.
- Riya and their friends were present in the marriage ceremony.
- My father in law and his friend have arrived here.
- Only boys, and not the girl, are guilty.
- The Captain and the Manager of the team are coming.
(Captain and Manager are two different person)
4. Two subjects express one idea or if two singular Nouns refer to the same person or thing, the Verb must be singular; as,
- The Captain and the Manager of the team is coming. (Captain and Manager is the same person)
- Bread and jam is my favorite food.
- Slowly but steady wins the race.
- Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.
5. Title or names(Nouns) like physics, economics, measles, cards, aerobics are of plural forms but singular in meaning also take a Singular Verb; as,
- Gulliver's travels is a good book.
- Mughal-e-Azam was a very successful film.
- Mathematics is a difficult subject.
- Biryani is my favorite dish.
- Yoga is a good exercise.
6. A phrase of measurement, though plural in form, takes a Singular Verb; as,
- Two hours is a long time to wait.
- Five miles is too far to walk.
- Thousand rupees is too much for this bag.
- Two third of this city is in ruins.
- Three part of work is left for me to do
- Twenty kilometer is a long distance to cover in an hour.
7. A Collective Noun takes a Singular Verb when it is thought of as a whole; as
- Our team is defeated.
- The whole class is absent.
- The team has dispersed.
- Two fifty rupees is enough for a bag.
8. A Collective Noun takes a Plural Verb when the individuals are separately thought of; as,
- The committee are divided in respect of details.
- The committee usually raise their hands to vote ‘yes’
- The crew are arrested.
9. Uncountable Nouns like advice, news, measles, mums, media, stationary, furniture etc. takes a Singular verb.
- The news of his accident is not true.
- The 9 O'Clock news is about to begin.
- The crop is not for sale.
- One must not offer advice unless asked.
10. Some Nouns like spectacles, pants, trousers, Shoes, people, police, scissors, staff etc. which are singular in form but plural in meaning always takes Plural Verbs; as,
- My spectacles need to be changed.
- My trousers are dirty.
- Your shoes are glossy.
Note: But when used a pair of they are singular; as,
“A pair of branded shoes is quite expensive these days.”
Similarly,
- The police are questioning a man. (Plural verb)
- The policeman is watching outside. (Singular verb)
11. Indefinite Pronoun such as every, each, any, everyone, everybody, somebody, someone, nobody, anyone, anybody, either, neither, anything and nothing etc. always take a singular verb.
- Every students has a book.
- Each boy is wicked in my class.
- Someone is crying on the road.
- Nobody is perfect in this world.
Note: When each follows by plural subject the verb is plural; as
The pupils each have to take a test.
12. Two or more singular subjects (or two nouns) preceded by each or every are connected by ‘and’, takes a Singular Verb; as,
- Each boy and every girl was given covid vaccination.
- Each boy and each girl was dressed with a new shawl.
- Every, man, woman and child was charmed in the temple.
- Every hour or minute brings its call for duty from company.
13. When the Plural Noun is a proper name for some single object or some collective unit i.e. name of a country or province or the title of a book, it must be followed by a Singular Verb; as,
- The United Nation is not an effective body for world peace.
- ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ was written by swift.
- ‘Fairy tales’ is an interesting story book.
14. When words are joined by ‘with’, ‘together with’, ‘as well as’, ‘besides’, ‘and not’, ‘no less than’, etc. the verb agrees with the first subject i.e. the Verb is Singular; as
- The house with its contents is burnt.
- He together with its crew is saved.
- Silver as well as gold is a precious metal.
- Maria as well as Shyam is missing from school.
- He is no less than you guilty.
- Arshi, and not you, has won the prize.
- Rameez together with his friends, was present in class.
15. Some noun which are singular in form, but plural in meaning, takes a Plural Verb; as,
- One dozen of eggs cost only ten rupees.
- Two dozen (not dozens) make twenty four.
16. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either….or’, ‘neither….nor’, take a verb in singular; as,
- Either he or his sister has stolen the watch
- Neither he nor his friend is guilty.
- My father or mother is fond of sweet.
17. When the subjects joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either….or’, ‘neither….nor’, are of different numbers, the plural subject comes latter and the Verb must be Plural; as
- Srishty or his friends have done this work.
- Neither Akbar nor his brothers were hurt.
18. When the subjects joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either….or’, ‘neither….nor’ are of different persons, the verb agrees in person with the one nearest to it; as,
- Either Arshi or his companions were guilty.
- Neither her parents nor she is mistaken.
- Either he or his friends has broken this dinner set.
19. We can use the+ Adjective with a Plural Verb to refer some group of people in society; as
- The old woman are generally respected in our society.
- The poor are not always dishonest.
- The number of books is very small.
- A number of books are missing.