Practical English Grammar By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr)
AGREEMENT OF THE VERB WITH ITS SUBJECT
A verb must agree with its subject in number and person, as:
The girl reads the lesson.
The girls read the lesson.
I sing a song.
She sings a song.
Main rules of subject –verb concord (agreement of the verb with its subject) are as follows: -
1. Two or more singular subjects joined by ‘and’ take a ‘plural’ verb, as:
(i) Alok and Deepak are here.
(ii) Time and Tide wait for no man.
(iii) Anjali, Shammi and Meenu go to the same school.
Note: - Sometimes two subjects are regarded as representing one idea, and then the verb is
singular, as:
(i) Rice and Curry is my favorite dish.
(ii) Bread and butter is my breakfast.
2. If two singular noun refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular, as:
(i) The poet and philosopher is dead.
(ii) The orator and statesman is dead.
(iii) The director and the chairman of board was present.
Note: - The article is used only once when the two nouns refer to the same person. If different
persons were referred to, the article would be used before each noun, and the verb would be
plural, as:
(i) The poet and the philosopher are dead.
(ii) The director and the chairman of the board were present.
3. If singular subject are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’ the verb is usually singular, as:
(i) Each boy and girl is ready to go to picnic.
(ii) Every man, woman and child was present.
(iii) Each day and each hour brings him duty.
4. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either’ ‘or’, ‘neither’ ‘nor’,
take a singular verb, as:
(i) Neither she nor her friend was to blame.
(ii) Either Abdul or Amir has stolen the watch.
(iii) Any boy or girl sees it at once.
Note: -
1
, Practical English Grammar By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr)
(1) When the subject joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’ are of different persons the verb agrees in person
with the one nearest to it, as:
(i) Either he is mistaken, or I am.
(ii) Neither he is blame nor I.
(2) When the subject joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’ are of different numbers, the verb must be plural,
and the plural subject must be placed next the verb, as:
(i) Hardeep or his brother have done this.
(ii) Neither Amir nor Samaan were present.
5. If two nouns are joined by ‘with’, ‘as well as’, ‘besides’, ‘together with’, ‘along with’,
the verb agrees with the first noun, i.e., if the first noun is singular, the verb must be singular,
even if the second noun is plural, as:
(i) The Prime Minister as well as his minister has arrived.
(ii) Besides Sam, everyone is paying attention.
(iii) The principal with his staff was praised.
(iv) The culprit, together with his clients, was jailed.
6. ‘Either’, ‘neither’, ‘many a’, ‘every’, ‘one of the’, ‘nobody’ must be followed by a
verb in the singular, as:
(i) Everything that glitters is not gold.
(ii) Either of the buses is comfortable to travel.
(iii) Neither of the boys helps me in the household work.
(iv) One of the students behaves very well.
(v) Everyone plays basket ball here.
(vi) Nobody shows any hurry.
7. The expression ‘many’, ‘a few’, ‘several’, and ‘both’ take a plural verb.
(i) Many students are properly dressed.
(ii) A few of them are shabbily dressed.
(iii) Several people haven’t come to their duty.
(iv) Both the monitors are absent.
8. The expression ‘much’ and ‘a little’ take a singular verb.
(i) Much of the work is done.
(ii) A little stress is manageable.
9. When the sentence begins with ‘there’ the subject is placed after the verb and the verb
agrees with the real subject.
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AGREEMENT OF THE VERB WITH ITS SUBJECT
A verb must agree with its subject in number and person, as:
The girl reads the lesson.
The girls read the lesson.
I sing a song.
She sings a song.
Main rules of subject –verb concord (agreement of the verb with its subject) are as follows: -
1. Two or more singular subjects joined by ‘and’ take a ‘plural’ verb, as:
(i) Alok and Deepak are here.
(ii) Time and Tide wait for no man.
(iii) Anjali, Shammi and Meenu go to the same school.
Note: - Sometimes two subjects are regarded as representing one idea, and then the verb is
singular, as:
(i) Rice and Curry is my favorite dish.
(ii) Bread and butter is my breakfast.
2. If two singular noun refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular, as:
(i) The poet and philosopher is dead.
(ii) The orator and statesman is dead.
(iii) The director and the chairman of board was present.
Note: - The article is used only once when the two nouns refer to the same person. If different
persons were referred to, the article would be used before each noun, and the verb would be
plural, as:
(i) The poet and the philosopher are dead.
(ii) The director and the chairman of the board were present.
3. If singular subject are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’ the verb is usually singular, as:
(i) Each boy and girl is ready to go to picnic.
(ii) Every man, woman and child was present.
(iii) Each day and each hour brings him duty.
4. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either’ ‘or’, ‘neither’ ‘nor’,
take a singular verb, as:
(i) Neither she nor her friend was to blame.
(ii) Either Abdul or Amir has stolen the watch.
(iii) Any boy or girl sees it at once.
Note: -
1
, Practical English Grammar By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr)
(1) When the subject joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’ are of different persons the verb agrees in person
with the one nearest to it, as:
(i) Either he is mistaken, or I am.
(ii) Neither he is blame nor I.
(2) When the subject joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’ are of different numbers, the verb must be plural,
and the plural subject must be placed next the verb, as:
(i) Hardeep or his brother have done this.
(ii) Neither Amir nor Samaan were present.
5. If two nouns are joined by ‘with’, ‘as well as’, ‘besides’, ‘together with’, ‘along with’,
the verb agrees with the first noun, i.e., if the first noun is singular, the verb must be singular,
even if the second noun is plural, as:
(i) The Prime Minister as well as his minister has arrived.
(ii) Besides Sam, everyone is paying attention.
(iii) The principal with his staff was praised.
(iv) The culprit, together with his clients, was jailed.
6. ‘Either’, ‘neither’, ‘many a’, ‘every’, ‘one of the’, ‘nobody’ must be followed by a
verb in the singular, as:
(i) Everything that glitters is not gold.
(ii) Either of the buses is comfortable to travel.
(iii) Neither of the boys helps me in the household work.
(iv) One of the students behaves very well.
(v) Everyone plays basket ball here.
(vi) Nobody shows any hurry.
7. The expression ‘many’, ‘a few’, ‘several’, and ‘both’ take a plural verb.
(i) Many students are properly dressed.
(ii) A few of them are shabbily dressed.
(iii) Several people haven’t come to their duty.
(iv) Both the monitors are absent.
8. The expression ‘much’ and ‘a little’ take a singular verb.
(i) Much of the work is done.
(ii) A little stress is manageable.
9. When the sentence begins with ‘there’ the subject is placed after the verb and the verb
agrees with the real subject.
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