Subject-verb agreement is one of the most frequently tested grammar topics in UPTET Language II (English). The rule is simple in principle—a verb must agree with its subject in number and person—but its application becomes tricky when sentences contain intervening phrases, compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, or inverted structures.
For UPTET, you need to quickly identify the true subject of a sentence and apply the correct singular or plural verb form. Questions typically appear as error-spotting items or fill-in-the-blanks where you must choose between "is/are," "has/have," or "was/were." Mastering concord rules will help you secure easy marks and also improve your ability to teach correct English usage to upper-primary students.
This topic connects directly to your classroom practice: students commonly make agreement errors in speech and writing, and a teacher who understands these rules can provide effective correction and explanation.
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Key Concepts
**Basic Rule**: A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb. Example: *The boy runs.* / *The boys run.*
**Intervening Phrases**: Words between the subject and verb do not affect agreement. Ignore phrases like "along with," "together with," "as well as," "in addition to," "accompanied by." The verb agrees with the main subject before the phrase.
**Compound Subjects with "and"**: Two or more subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb. Exception: When they refer to a single idea or person (e.g., "Bread and butter is my breakfast").
**Either...or / Neither...nor / Or / Nor**: The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it. Example: *Neither the teacher nor the students were present.*
**Collective Nouns**: Words like "team," "committee," "family," "jury" take a singular verb when acting as one unit, but a plural verb when members act individually.
**Indefinite Pronouns**: Some are always singular (each, every, everyone, someone, nobody, anything), some always plural (both, few, many, several), and some depend on context (some, all, most, none).
**Titles, Amounts, and Distances**: Titles of books, films, or subjects, amounts of money, periods of time, and distances take singular verbs because they represent a single unit.
**Inverted Sentences**: In questions or sentences beginning with "there" or "here," identify the true subject that follows the verb to determine agreement.
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Key Facts / Rules to Remember
1. **"Along with," "together with," "as well as"** do not make the subject plural. *The captain, along with his teammates, was present.*
2. **Each / Every / Either / Neither** (as subjects) always take singular verbs. *Each of the students has submitted the assignment.*
3. **"A number of"** takes a plural verb; **"The number of"** takes a singular verb.
5. **"None"** can be singular or plural depending on context, but in formal usage with countable nouns, it often takes a plural verb.
6. **Plural-looking singular nouns**: "News," "mathematics," "economics," "measles," "politics" (as a subject) are singular.
7. **"There is" / "There are"**: Determined by the noun that follows. *There is a book on the table.* / *There are books on the table.*
8. **Relative pronouns (who, which, that)**: The verb agrees with the antecedent. *He is one of the students who have passed.* (antecedent = students)
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Worked Examples
### Example 1: Intervening Phrase **Question**: The quality of the mangoes _____ not good. (is / are)
**Solution**:
Step 1: Identify the subject. "The quality" is the main subject; "of the mangoes" is a prepositional phrase.
Step 2: "Quality" is singular.
Step 3: Use singular verb.
**Answer**: *is*
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### Example 2: Either...or Construction **Question**: Either the principal or the teachers _____ responsible for this decision. (is / are)
**Solution**:
Step 1: With "either...or," the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Step 2: "Teachers" (plural) is nearer to the verb.
Step 3: Use plural verb.
**Answer**: *are*
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### Example 3: Collective Noun **Question**: The jury _____ divided in their opinions. (was / were)
**Solution**:
Step 1: "Jury" is a collective noun.
Step 2: Here, members of the jury hold different opinions—they act as individuals.
Step 3: Use plural verb.
**Answer**: *were*
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### Example 4: "A number of" vs "The number of" **Question**: A number of students _____ absent today. (is / are)
**Solution**:
"A number of" emphasises the students (plural idea) → plural verb.
**Answer**: *are*
**Contrast**: *The number of students is increasing.* (Here "number" is the subject → singular verb)
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Common Mistakes
| Wrong Thinking | Correct Fix | |----------------|-------------| | Assuming "along with" makes the subject plural: *"The teacher along with students are coming."* | "Along with" does not change the subject. Correct: *The teacher along with students is coming.* | | Using plural verb with "each/every": *"Each of the boys have a book."* | "Each" is always singular. Correct: *Each of the boys has a book.* | | Treating "news/mathematics/physics" as plural: *"The news are shocking."* | These are uncountable and singular. Correct: *The news is shocking.* | | Ignoring the nearer subject in "neither...nor": *"Neither the students nor the teacher are present."* | Verb agrees with the nearer subject. Correct: *Neither the students nor the teacher is present.* | | Confusing "A number of" with "The number of": *"A number of books is missing."* | "A number of" → plural verb. Correct: *A number of books are missing.* |
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Quick Reference
**Ignore interrupters**: "along with," "together with," "as well as," "in addition to" → verb agrees with the main subject.