Subject–Verb Agreement (Basic Rules)
(Complete English Grammar Theory for SSC, Banking, PSC & UPSC Exams)
1. Introduction
Subject–Verb Agreement means that the verb must agree with its subject in number (singular or plural) and sometimes in person.
- Singular subject → Singular verb
- Plural subject → Plural verb
This topic is extremely important for:
- SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS)
- Banking (IBPS, SBI, RBI)
- State PSC
- UPSC
Questions are commonly asked in:
- Error Detection
- Sentence Improvement
- Fill in the Blanks
- Cloze Test
BASIC RULES OF SUBJECT–VERB AGREEMENT
Rule 1: Singular Subject Takes Singular Verb
A singular subject takes a singular verb.
Example:
- He plays cricket.
- She writes a letter.
In the Present Simple:
- Singular subject → Verb + s/es
- Plural subject → Base verb
Rule 2: Plural Subject Takes Plural Verb
Example:
- They play cricket.
- The students are ready.
Rule 3: Two Singular Subjects Joined by “And” Take Plural Verb
Example:
- Ram and Shyam are friends.
- Bread and butter are available.
Exception:
If two nouns refer to one person or one idea, use singular verb.
Example:
- Bread and butter is my breakfast.
- The poet and philosopher is dead. (One person)
(Important for SSC exams)
Rule 4: Subjects Joined by “Or / Nor / Either…Or / Neither…Nor”
The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
Example:
- Either the teacher or the students are responsible.
- Either the students or the teacher is responsible.
(Verb agrees with nearest subject.)
Rule 5: Indefinite Pronouns Take Singular Verb
Words like:
- Everyone
- Someone
- Anyone
- Nobody
- Each
- Either
- Neither
Take singular verb.
Example:
- Everyone is present.
- Each of the students has a book.
(Very common error area.)
Rule 6: “Each” and “Every” Take Singular Verb
Example:
- Each student has a pen.
- Every boy and girl is ready.
Rule 7: Collective Nouns
Collective nouns (team, committee, jury, family) usually take singular verb when acting as one unit.
Example:
- The team is winning.
But if members act individually, plural verb may be used (rare in objective exams).
Rule 8: “A Number of” vs “The Number of”
- A number of + plural noun → plural verb
- The number of + plural noun → singular verb
Example:
- A number of students are absent.
- The number of students is increasing.
(Highly important for Banking & SSC.)
Rule 9: “Many a” Takes Singular Verb
Example:
- Many a student has failed.
Rule 10: Uncountable Nouns Take Singular Verb
Examples:
- Information
- Furniture
- Advice
- News
- Luggage
Example:
- The news is shocking.
- The furniture is expensive.
Rule 11: Titles of Books, Countries, Organizations Take Singular Verb
Example:
- Mathematics is difficult.
- The United States is a powerful country.
Rule 12: Distance, Time, Money (as a Unit) Take Singular Verb
Example:
- Five kilometers is a long distance.
- Ten years is a long time.
- Thousand rupees is enough.
Rule 13: Relative Pronoun “Who/Which/That”
Verb agrees with the noun before it.
Example:
- She is one of the students who have passed.
- She is the only one who has passed.
(Common in UPSC-level exams.)
COMMON ERRORS IN EXAMS
❌ Each of the players have a jersey.
✅ Each of the players has a jersey.
❌ A number of students is absent.
✅ A number of students are absent.
❌ Neither of the boys are guilty.
✅ Neither of the boys is guilty.
❌ The quality of the apples are good.
✅ The quality of the apples is good.
(Verb agrees with “quality”, not “apples”.)
EXAM STRATEGY
- Identify the real subject (ignore prepositional phrases).
- Check connectors (and, or, nor).
- Watch indefinite pronouns carefully.
- Identify uncountable nouns.
- Check “number of” pattern.
- Look for relative clause traps.
QUICK REVISION TABLE
| Subject Type | Verb Type |
|---|---|
| Singular noun | Singular verb |
| Plural noun | Plural verb |
| Each / Every | Singular |
| Everyone / Someone | Singular |
| A number of | Plural |
| The number of | Singular |
| Many a | Singular |
| Time / Money (unit) | Singular |