Subject-Verb Concord

Introduction

The ‘subject’ is a word or pronoun that informs us what the statement is about, while the ‘verb’ is the activity in the sentence. The subject-verb concord/agreement’  signifies that the subject and verb of a sentence should concur or coincide in order for the sentence to sound right.

 Rules relating to Subject Verb Concord:

Rule 1: The verb and subject must have the same number (singular or plural)

This indicates that if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular as well, and if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural as well.

Examples:

1. He eats ice cream. (Singular)
2. They eat ice cream. (Plural)

Rule 2: The number of the subject (singular or plural) would not change the outcome of words/sentences between both the subject and the verb.  Examples:

1.     One of the bottle is full of milk. (Here, since the subject is ‘one’, the verb should be ‘is’).

Rule 3: In a sentence, use a plural verb for subjects linked by ‘and.’ Subjects linked by ‘either/or’ or ‘neither/nor’ need a singular verb form.

Examples:

1.     Ram and Sham are brothers.

Rule 4: In a sentence involving ‘or,’ ‘either/or,’ or ‘neither/nor,’ the verb agrees with the noun form or pronoun nearer to it.

Examples:

1.     Neither you nor Ram catches the ball. (Here, ‘Ram’ is closest to the verb, hence ‘catches’)

 Rule 5: If the subject is followed by words like “as well as,” “together with,” “besides,” “not,” and so on, disregard them and use a singular verb form if the subject is in singular form.

Example:     Ron, as well as her mother, is expected anytime.

Rule 6: The genuine subject normally comes after the verb in phrases that begin with ‘here’ or ‘there.’

Example:     Here are the balloons. 

Rule 7: Use singular verbs in phrases that incorporate sums of money, time periods, or distances, etc. (as a unit).

Example:     20 rupees is a low cost to pay. 

Rule 8: While nouns like mathematics,’ ‘civics,’ and ‘news’ are plural in form, they are singular in meaning and require singular verbs.

Examples:

1.     The incident is very shocking. 

Rule 9: The word ‘were’ is used instead of ‘was’ in statements expressing a wish, request, or contrary to fact.

Example:      I wish my mother was with me.

Subject-Verb Concord Examples That Have Been Solved:

Question: In the sentences below, select the appropriate subject-verb combinations.

1. The woman in the bus (look/looks) like your mother.
2. Most of the children (is/are) gone.
3. One of the sticks (has/have) broke.
4. Either Amy or Gary (is/are) cleaning the class.
5. Where (is/are) the pencil box?
6. The bunch of flowers (is/are) here for you.
7. Law (is/are) a difficult subject.

Solution:

1. The woman in the bus looks like your mother.
2. Most of the children are gone.
3. One of the sticks has broken.
4. Either Amy or Gary is cleaning the class.
5. Where is the pencil box?.
6. The bunch of flowers is here for you.
7. Law is a difficult subject.

Here are a few practice questions for the Subject-Verb Agreement:

1.     Question: Roopa’s aunt were hit in the road accident. four months ago.

Solution: Roopa’s aunt was hit in a road accident, four months ago.

2.     Question: Ram copies his brother and does whatever his brother was do.

Solution: Ram copies his brother and does whatever his brother does.

3.     Question: Everyone need to kneel down when the bell rings.

Solution: Everyone needs to kneel down when the bell rings.

4.     Question: The apples are now perfectly riped to be eaten.

Solution: The apples are now perfectly ripe to be eaten.

5.     Question: Either my aunt or my uncle are coming to attend the cousin’s wedding in Goa.

Solution: Either my aunt or my uncle is coming to attend the cousin’s wedding in Goa.

Conclusion

A basic subject-verb agreement interpretation suggests that both the subject and verb of the phrase are in complete agreement. Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental element of the English language. It explains that the subject and verb in the sentence must agree. The aim here is to evaluate if the verb and subject agree in terms of both number and person.