S u b j e c t Ve r b

A g re e m e n t
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
 To apply
grammar rules
LEARNING
INTENTION in spoken and
written
expression
 To explain the rules for
subject-verb agreement

LEARNING
To construct sentences in
OBJECTIVE which the subject and verb
agree

To identify and correct

errors in subject-verb
agreement
WHAT IS A
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6jX40WM3
w&pp=QAA%3D

SUBJECT VERB
AGREEMENT
RULE 1

Two or more singular subjects

joined by ‘and’ usually take a
verb in the plural.

 My friend and his mother are

in town.
 Suman and Shaan were stuck in
the traffic.
 RULE- 2
If two singular nouns refer to the same
person or thing, the verb must be in the
singular.

 Red beans and rice is my mom’s favourite

dish.

 The captain, who is the coach of the team,

has been sacked.
 RULE- 3
When a singular noun or pronoun is
joined to a second noun by ‘along with’
or ‘as well as’, the verb is in the singular.

 Her bag as well as her mobile has gone

missing.

 The politician, along with the newsmen,

is expected shortly.
 RULE 4
The verb in a
either/or, or neither/nor sentence
agrees with the noun or pronoun closest
to it.

 Either the bears or

the lion has escaped from the zoo.

 Neither the lion nor

the bears have escaped from the
zoo.
 RULE 5
Always use a singular verb with
‘every’, ‘each’, ‘anybody’, ‘nobody’,
‘everybody’, ‘everyone’ ‘no one’.

 Everyone wants to go swimming.

 Nobody was allowed to enter the stadium

to watch the cricket match.

 Is there anyone interested in taking part

in the Solo Singing Competition?
PRACTICE TIME
1. Either the man or the ladies _______ involved in the conflict. ( was/were)
2. Neither my cousins nor Joan ______ interested in watching the movie.(seem/seems)
3. Each member of the group _____ supposed to be a part of the presentation. (is/are)
4. Everyone ______ for a walk in the evening. (go/goes)
5. Mr. Singh along with his wife ______ expected to arrive shortly. (is/are)
6. I will be ever indebted to my eldest sister, my guide, who (is/are) always by my side.
7. My school and the Art Academy _______ closed. (is/are)
8. Nobody ________ the way she does. (argues/argue)
RULE 6

When a collective noun is the subject, the

verb is singular.

 The herd of zebras is running for safety.

 A bouquet of yellow roses lends color
and fragrance to the room.
RULE 7
Some nouns which are plural in
form but singular in meaning take a
singular verb.

 Billiards is played all over the

world.
 Athletics is good for young people.
RULE 8

Titles of books are followed by

singular verbs.

 ‘Salt Houses’ is a very

interesting book.
 ‘The Famous Five ’ is very
popular.
RULE 9

The verb does not agree in

number with a noun near it. It
agrees only with its proper
subject.

 The quality of the apples was very

good.
 The price of the cars is too high.
RULE 10
We use a singular verb with
expressions of time, money,
weight and distance when
considered as a whole or unit.

 Ten kilometers is a long distance.

 100 dirhams was all I needed to
buy that toy.
PRACTICE TIME
1. Pediatrics _______ a branch of medicine dealing with infants and children.(is/are)
2. The audience _______ seen cheering the boys as they marched towards the victory stand.
(was/were)
3. The bunch of flowers ______ beautiful (look/looks)
4. Rs 1000 _____ worth the struggle when you don’t have a penny for yourself. (is/are)
5. The helplessness of the people during this time of crisis _________me feel sad.
(make/makes)
6. The movie,‘Lord of the Rings’ ______ worth watching. (is/are)
RULE 11
The following words are always plural: pants, trousers, pliers. scissors, tongs. However, if the
word pair is used, the verb is singular.

 The pants are torn into two.

 The pair of scissors was paced on the table.
RULE 12

When fractions or percentage are used, the

verb agrees with the object of the OF
PHRASE.

 One half of the cake was consumed.

 One fourth of the employees were
attending the seminar.
PRACTICE TIME
1. A pair of gloves _________ kept on the table.(is/are)
2. Her trousers _______ dirty. (was/were)
3. Twenty five percent of the lemonade ______ been finished off. (has/have)
4. Two-thirds of the students ______on the field trip today. (is/are)