Errors in Use of Subject Verb Agreement for Competitive Exams

Errors in Use of Subject Verb Agreement for Competitive Exams

1. Singular subject must have singular verb.

Examples:

He writes.

I write.`

2. Plural subject must have plural verb.

Examples:

They write.

We write.

3. Two subjects joined by and will always take a plural verb.

Examples:

The Doctor and nurse work together.

The Doctor and nurses work together.

The Doctors and nurse work together.

4. Two singular subjects joined by or and nor will take a singular verb.

Examples:

A Doctor and a nurse are working in the hospital.

5. A singular subject and a plural subject joined by or and nor will take a singular or plural verb depending on which subject is nearer the verb.

Examples:

Neither Deepak nor his friends are joining the tour.

Neither his friends nor Deepak is joining the tour.

6. If the subject is singular and the predicate is plural, the verb must agree with its subject and not it’s predicate.

Examples:

Physical conditioning and mental attitude are winning combinations.

The winning combination is physical conditioning and mental attitude.

7. Indefinite pronouns such as:

Someone, somebody, each, nobody, anyone, anybody, one, no one, everyone, everybody, either, neither, etc. always take a singular verb.

Examples:

Each of my friends calls me once a month.

8. Indefinite pronouns which indicate more than one (several, few, both, many) always take plural verbs.

Examples:

Both of the books required careful reading.

Several of the fielders regularly run four or five kilometers a day.

9. Collective nouns (fleet, army, committee, and crowd) are singular when the group works together as a unit and hence take singular verbs.

Examples:

The jury has reached its verdict.

The team runs in a smooth way.

10. Collective nouns are plural when the members of the group are acting individually and hence take plural verbs.

Examples:

The jury has argued for five hours.

The team is putting on their uniforms.

11. Some words (such as news, measles, mumps etc.) end in—s but represent a single thing. These words need singular verbs.

Examples:

The 7 o’clock news is about to begin.

Measles sometimes has rather serious side effects.