Subject-Verb Agreement

"The quality of mangoes were not good"

"His knowledge on Indian vernaculars are far beyond the common"

"The president, as well as the councillors, are in a meeting"

Do you feel the above sentences are correct? 

These statements might sound correct but in actuality are grammatically erroneous. 

 Every time you answer your grandmom's question, over the phone, by saying "Everyone are fine here, How are you?" Wren and Martin turn  in their graves...

You might wonder,  Why are they wrong? This is because the Subject does not agree with the verb in these statements... 

In today's blog, we will be learning more about this Subject's and Verb's agreement with each other and how this international treaty, if broken,  wreaks havoc in every student's English exam and our everyday conversations 

Subject-Verb agreement / Subject-verb concord basically states that the Verb must agree with its Subject in Number and Person. 

If the subject is singular,  the verb has to be singular, If the subject is plural then the verb has to be plural  (Easy huh?) 

Hence when we say " The quality of mangoes were not good" the verb is agreeing to its nearest noun ( Mangoes), not the actual subject ( The quality). Hence the right way of writing the above statement would be:- " The quality of mangoes was not good"  (This is called the 'Error of Proximity')

There are a few rules we need to remember while learning Subject-Verb Concord

1) One Important thing to remember here is that verbs are usually made singular by adding 's' or 'es' 

Eg:- That Girl plays hockey 

        Girls play hockey (similarily verb can be made plural by removing the 's' or 'es'

       He cooks well

       They cook well

 

2) The pronoun "You" always takes a plural verb

Eg:- You are impeccable!

      Have you completed your homework yet? 

3) Two or more singular nouns/pronouns joined by and should have a plural verb 

Eg:- Gold and Silver are non-corrosive in nature

           He and I were completing our work.

(exception:- If the nouns suggest one idea to the mind, or the same person/thing -- verb is singular

Eg:- Honour and Glory is his reward

         My teacher and well-wisher has left town for a week. 

4) If two words are connected with -- as well as, in addition to, accompanied by, together with, no less than and with -- they should have a verb which satisfies with the first subject.

Eg:- The President, as well as the councilors, is in a meeting.

        The house, with its contents, was burned to the ground.

5) Two or more subjects connected by --- or, nor, either...or, neither...nor, not only ....but also-- should have a verb that satisfies with the second (latter) subject 

Eg:- Our happiness and failures are largely dependent on our own actions.

         Either I or he is mistaken

6) The Indefinite pronouns -- several, few, both, many, others -- are always plural in verb

Eg:- Few of the bags are missing 

         Many cats were found near the garbage.

 

7) Either, neither, each, everyone, many a, everybody, no one, another, anybody, nobody, every, nothing, everything, anyone, someone, somebody -- should be followed by a singular verb 

Eg:- Neither of the two women was confident enough to do the presentation

        Each one of these substances is found in India

         Someone is coming! Hide quickly! 

8) None usually takes a plural verb

Eg:- None of the burgers are cooked through

9) A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is thought of as a whole; plural verb when the individuals of which it is composed are thought of  ( Usually when the committee or collective noun is shown as a united group -- singular verb, when shown as divided  -- plural verb)

Eg:- The team has issued its report

        The team are divided on one minor polemic.

10) Some nouns might look plural in form but are in actuality singular in meaning, take a singular verb 

Eg:- The News is false

         Mathematics is very important in every person's life

         Mumps is a viral disease.

          The United States has a huge army 

11) The words -- Pants, Trousers, Pliers, Scissors, Shears, Tongs -- take plural verb but when used with 'pair' -- take a singular verb

Eg:- Scissors are a necessary item in every classroom

        A Pair of scissors is a necessary item in every classroom.

12) Few, several, both, all, some, when used with a countable noun -- takes a plural verb, but when used with an uncountable noun -- takes a singular verb 

Eg:- There are still some chocolates left in the bowl

        There is still some rice left in the bowl 

13) Singular verbs follow when we use One of + Plural nouns

Eg:- One of the blogs is about Subject- Verb Agreement

One of my friends is a debonair artist.

14) Plural nouns denoting a mass, a quantity, or a number need a singular verb when the noun is regarded as a unit.

Eg:- A hundred kilograms is the maximum weight this old elevator can hold

        Four hours is a long time to waste doing nothing! 

15) The expression 'the number ' takes a singular verb while the expression 'a number' takes a plural verb

Eg:- The number of adults, who squander their money has increased in the past few years 

       A number of students were hagridden after the incident.

Well, that's it, folks! 🙃. So the next time you talk to that grandmom and she answers "Oh, good that you are all doing well. How were the quality of mangoes I sent you over for Diwali? " 

Pass on this blog to her and become the Shakespearean grandchild of your family.