Subject-Verb-Concord

The word subject can be defined as part of a sentence that defines what the sentence is about and the one who acts. Verbs are used to describe an action, state, or occurrence of an event. The word object is used to talk about the thing on which the action is done.

Importance of Subject-Verb-Concord

The subject-verb-concord states that it is important for the subjects and verbs to agree with each other. The relationship between subject and verbs forms the heart of grammatically correct English. Subject-verb agreement unifies a sentence so that it can be understood easily. Concord plays an essential role in the correct application of grammatical rules; without these, one cannot speak good English. 

Rules of Subject-Verb concord:

The rules of subject-verb concord make it easier for the reader to understand the concept of subject-verb concord. There are 11 main rules of subject-verb concord that are given as under: 

Rule 1: 

• The subject and verb must agree with the numbers.

This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular. If the subject is plural, then the word should also be plural.

Example: 

She plays Cricket (SINGULAR)

They play cricket (PLURAL)

Rule 2: 

• The number of the subject, whether in singular or plural, will not change due to the words or phrases present between the subject and the verb. 

Example: 

1. The bouquet of lilies smells pleasant.

(Here, the bouquet is the subject, not lilies. Therefore, the verb should be smells, not smell.)

2. The jar of chocolates is empty.

(Here, the subject is the jar. Therefore, the verb should be is.)

Rule 3: 

• The subjects that are joined by and in the sentence use a plural verb for them. Nearest subjects that are joined by either or/neither nor use singular verbs for them.

Example: 

Ram and Shyam are friends.

Neither Virat nor Dhoni is playing today

India or New Zealand is winning today.

Rule 4: 

• The verb in the sentence carrying ‘either/or’ and ‘neither/nor’ must agree to its closest noun or pronoun.

Example: Neither shoes nor the bag matches the outfit.

(As here bag is close to the verb, so matches are used) 

Neither bag nor shoes match the dress

(As shoes is closer to the verb. Hence, ‘match’ is used.)

Rule 5: 

If the case is, the object is being followed by the words ‘as well as, besides, along with, then simply ignore them and use a singular verb if the subject is singular.

Example: 

Jonathan, along with his friends, is going to the party.

Rule 6: 

In the case of sentences that begin with words like ‘here and there, the subject is followed by a verb. 

Example: 

Here lies the camera.

Rule 7: In the case of sentences that include money, time, or units, use singular verbs for them.

Examples: 

• 1000 rupees is such a high price for this dress. 

Rule 8: 

• In the case of words like a lot of, some, etc., one must pay attention to the noun after ‘of’.
•  If the noun after ‘of’ is singular, then the verb will be singular, and if it is plural, the verb will use the plural form.

Example: 

All the items are sold 

All of the items are sold

Rule 9: 

• In the case of collective nouns such as family, group within the sentence. The verb can be singular and plural, depending upon its use in the sentence.

Examples: 

The group of boys is here

The group of boys are here. 

Rule 10: 

• In the case of nouns of subjects like mathematics, civics, etc., the plural form seems singular in meaning, so a singular verb should be used.

Example: 

The news is heart-wrenching

Civics is very important to understand. 

Rule 11: 

• In the case of sentences that express requests, wishes, etc. also, the word ‘were’ is used instead of ‘was’. 

Examples: 

Sia requested that she shake her legs. 

Conclusion: 

Subject-verb concord is also known as subject-verb agreement. Subject can be a noun or pronoun that informs you what sentences will be about. Verbs represent the action taken place in the sentence. In simple words, subject-verb concord can be defined as the means that subject and verb in the sentence should match each other in terms of tense, gender and number; otherwise, the sentence will not be grammatically sound.