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Subject–Verb Agreement

Introduction

One of the most common grammar errors in English involves the mismatch between a subject and its verb. This pattern, called Subject-Verb Agreement, ensures that the verb correctly matches the subject in both number (singular/plural) and person (first, second, third).

Mastering this concept is crucial because even if the meaning of a sentence is clear, incorrect agreement makes it grammatically wrong.

Pattern: Subject–Verb Agreement

Pattern

The verb must agree with the subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

Step-by-Step Example

Question

Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

  1. He go to school every day.
  2. He goes to school every day.
  3. He gone to school every day.
  4. He going to school every day.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Subject

    Identify the subject - He (third person singular).

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    Apply the rule - Singular subject → singular verb form.

  3. Step 3: Verify the Verb Form

    Verb “go” takes “goes” for third person singular → He goes.

  4. Final Answer:

    He goes to school every day. → Option B.

  5. Quick Check:

    Plural subject check → “They go to school every day.” ✅

Quick Variations

1. Compound subjects joined by “and” take plural verbs (e.g., Ram and Sita are playing).

2. Subjects joined by “or” or “nor” take the verb that agrees with the nearest subject (e.g., Neither the teacher nor the students are present).

3. Indefinite pronouns like everyone, each, somebody are treated as singular (e.g., Everyone likes ice cream).

Trick to Always Use

  • Step 1: Identify the true subject of the sentence - ignore words in between.
  • Step 2: Check whether the subject is singular or plural.
  • Step 3: Match the verb accordingly - singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb.

Summary

Summary

In Subject-Verb Agreement:

  • Always ensure the verb agrees with the subject in number and person.
  • Ignore words that come between the subject and verb - focus only on the main subject.
  • Be careful with tricky cases like collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and compound subjects.

Practice

(1/5)
1. Choose the sentence that follows correct subject-verb agreement.
easy
A. She walks to office every morning.
B. She walk to office every morning.
C. She walking to office every morning.
D. She walked to office every morning.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Subject

    Identify the subject → She (third person singular).

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    Singular subjects take singular verbs (add ‘s’ to the base verb in present tense).

  3. Step 3: Verify the Verb Form

    Correct verb form is ‘walks’.

  4. Final Answer:

    She walks to office every morning. → Option A.

  5. Quick Check:

    Plural form → They walk to office every morning ✅
Hint: Add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the verb when the subject is singular (he, she, it).
Common Mistakes: Using base verb ‘walk’ with singular subject.
2. Identify the grammatically correct sentence.
easy
A. The list of items are long.
B. The list of items is long.
C. The lists of items is long.
D. The list of items were long.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Main Subject

    Main subject is ‘list’, not ‘items’.

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    ‘List’ is singular, so it takes a singular verb.

  3. Step 3: Verify the Agreement

    Use ‘is’ instead of ‘are’.

  4. Final Answer:

    The list of items is long. → Option B.

  5. Quick Check:

    If plural → The lists of items are long ✅
Hint: Focus on the main subject, not the word after 'of'.
Common Mistakes: Using verb according to the plural noun after 'of'.
3. Choose the correct sentence according to subject-verb agreement.
easy
A. Ram and Shyam are good friends.
B. Ram and Shyam is good friends.
C. Ram and Shyam be good friends.
D. Ram and Shyam was good friends.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Subject Structure

    ‘Ram and Shyam’ is a compound subject joined by ‘and’, making it plural.

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    Plural subjects take plural verbs → ‘are’.

  3. Step 3: Verify the Correct Form

    Hence, correct sentence is ‘Ram and Shyam are good friends.’

  4. Final Answer:

    Ram and Shyam are good friends. → Option A.

  5. Quick Check:

    Singular → Ram is a good friend ✅
Hint: When subjects are joined by ‘and’, use a plural verb.
Common Mistakes: Using singular verb ‘is’ with plural compound subject.
4. Find the sentence with correct verb agreement.
medium
A. Neither the teacher nor the students is happy.
B. Neither the teacher nor the students were happy.
C. Neither the teacher nor the students are happy.
D. Neither the teacher nor the students be happy.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Rule Structure

    When ‘or’ or ‘nor’ connects subjects, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    Nearest subject is ‘students’ (plural).

  3. Step 3: Verify the Agreement

    Hence, plural verb ‘are’ is correct.

  4. Final Answer:

    Neither the teacher nor the students are happy. → Option C.

  5. Quick Check:

    If reversed → Neither the students nor the teacher is happy ✅
Hint: In ‘either/or’ and ‘neither/nor’, verb agrees with the nearest subject.
Common Mistakes: Choosing verb according to the first subject instead of the one nearest the verb.
5. Which sentence is grammatically correct?
medium
A. Everyone in the team are working hard.
B. Everyone in the team were working hard.
C. Everyone in the team be working hard.
D. Everyone in the team is working hard.

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the Subject Type

    ‘Everyone’ is an indefinite pronoun treated as singular.

  2. Step 2: Apply the Rule

    Singular subject → singular verb → ‘is’.

  3. Step 3: Verify the Sentence

    Hence, ‘Everyone in the team is working hard.’

  4. Final Answer:

    Everyone in the team is working hard. → Option D.

  5. Quick Check:

    Plural version → All in the team are working hard ✅
Hint: Words like everyone, each, somebody are always singular.
Common Mistakes: Using plural verbs with singular indefinite pronouns.

Mock Test

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