Subject-Verb Agreement
Overview
Subject-verb agreement is a foundational grammar concept that appears consistently in the KAR TET Language II English paper. Questions typically test whether candidates can identify errors in sentences or select the correct verb form to match a given subject. Mastery of this topic is essential because errors in concord are common in everyday English usage, and teachers must be able to identify and correct them in student work.
The core principle is simple: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. However, the complexity arises from determining whether a subject is singular or plural, especially with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, compound subjects, and inverted sentence structures.
Key Concepts
- Basic concord rule: Singular subjects take singular verbs (adds -s/-es in present tense); plural subjects take plural verbs (base form). Example: "The boy runs" vs "The boys run."
- Prepositional phrases don't change agreement: The subject is never inside a prepositional phrase. In "The quality of the mangoes is good," the subject is "quality" (singular), not "mangoes."
- Compound subjects with "and": Two or more subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb. Exception: when they refer to a single entity ("Bread and butter is my breakfast").
- Either/or, neither/nor rule: The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it. "Neither the teacher nor the students were present" vs "Neither the students nor the teacher was present."
- Collective nouns: Treat as singular when the group acts as one unit ("The team is playing well") and plural when members act individually ("The jury are divided in their opinions").
- Indefinite pronouns: Some are always singular (each, every, everyone, somebody, nothing), some always plural (few, many, several), and some depend on context (some, all, none, most).
- Inverted sentences: In questions and sentences beginning with "there" or "here," identify the true subject. "There are many reasons" — "reasons" is the subject.
- Titles, distances, amounts as single units: Treated as singular. "Five kilometres is a long distance." "The Arabian Nights is a famous book."
Formulas / Key Facts
| Rule | Singular Verb | Plural Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Each, every, everyone, anybody, nothing | ✓ | |
| Few, many, several, both | ✓ | |
| Some, all, none, most | Depends on noun referred to | Depends on noun referred to |
| Subject + with/along with/as well as | Agrees with first subject | |
| Either...or / Neither...nor | Agrees with nearest subject | Agrees with nearest subject |
| A number of | ✓ | |
| The number of | ✓ | |
| News, mathematics, physics, economics | ✓ (treated as singular) | |
| Scissors, trousers, spectacles | ✓ (treated as plural) |
Key fact: "A number of" means "many" (plural), while "The number of" refers to a specific quantity (singular).
Worked Examples
Example 1: Error identification Sentence: "Each of the students have submitted their assignments."
Analysis: The subject is "each" (singular indefinite pronoun), not "students." The phrase "of the students" is a prepositional phrase.
Correction: "Each of the students has submitted their assignments."
Example 2: Fill in the blank Sentence: "Neither the captain nor his teammates _____ (was/were) ready for the match."
Analysis: With "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the nearest subject. The nearest subject is "teammates" (plural).
Answer: "Neither the captain nor his teammates were ready for the match."
Example 3: Choose the correct option Sentence: "The committee _____ (has/have) announced its decision."
Analysis: "Committee" is a collective noun acting as a single unit (unanimous decision). Use singular verb.
Answer: "The committee has announced its decision."
Example 4: Identify the correct sentence (A) Mathematics are my favourite subject. (B) The news are disturbing. (C) The scissors is on the table. (D) Fifty rupees is not a big amount.
Analysis:
- (A) Wrong — "Mathematics" takes singular verb
- (B) Wrong — "News" takes singular verb
- (C) Wrong — "Scissors" takes plural verb
- (D) Correct — Amount treated as single unit
Answer: (D)
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: Matching verb with the nearest noun instead of the true subject.
- Wrong: "The box of chocolates were expensive."
- Fix: Identify the head noun. "Box" is singular → "The box of chocolates was expensive."
- Mistake: Treating "each" and "every" as plural because they imply multiple items.
- Wrong: "Every student and teacher were present."
- Fix: "Each" and "every" always take singular verbs → "Every student and teacher was present."
- Mistake: Using plural verb with "The number of."
- Wrong: "The number of accidents have increased."
- Fix: "The number of" is singular → "The number of accidents has increased."
- Mistake: Forgetting that "along with," "as well as," "together with" don't make subjects plural.
- Wrong: "The principal, along with the teachers, were present."
- Fix: Only the first subject determines agreement → "The principal, along with the teachers, was present."
- Mistake: Using singular verb with "a number of."
- Wrong: "A number of students has failed."
- Fix: "A number of" means "many" (plural) → "A number of students have failed."
Quick Reference
- Singular subjects = singular verbs; Plural subjects = plural verbs.
- Ignore phrases between subject and verb (of, with, along with, as well as).
- "Either/or" and "Neither/nor" → verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- "Each," "every," "everyone," "nobody" → always singular.
- "A number of" = plural; "The number of" = singular.
- Collective nouns: singular when acting as unit, plural when acting individually.