In one line
Subject-verb agreement means a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb, and errors occur when the real subject is hidden.
Explained simply
'The boy plays' and 'The boys play'. Simple. But in 'The list of items ____ ready', many people write 'are' because 'items' is right next to the verb. The real subject is 'list', so 'is' is correct. The trick is to find the true subject.
Technically, the verb must agree with its subject in number (singular/plural) and person. In error-spotting questions of the CAT/GRE/TOEFL level, the subject is often separated from the verb by phrases or disguised by special words.
How it works
- Find the true subject; ignore phrases between subject and verb: 'The quality of the components is poor.'
- 'Each', 'every', 'either', 'neither', 'everyone', 'somebody' take singular verbs: 'Each of the students has a laptop.'
- 'Along with', 'as well as', 'together with' do not change the subject: 'The manager, along with his team, is attending.'
- 'Either...or' and 'neither...nor': the verb agrees with the nearer subject: 'Neither the manager nor the engineers were present.'
- 'A number of' = plural ('A number of students are absent'); 'The number of' = singular ('The number of students is 60').
- Collective nouns (team, committee) usually take a singular verb when acting as one unit.
- Subjects that look plural but are singular: Physics, news, mathematics: 'The news is good.'
- Amounts as a whole are singular: 'Five thousand rupees is a lot.'
Quick example
Spot the error: 'One of the engineers who designed the bridges have resigned.' The subject of the main verb is 'One', not 'engineers'. Correct: 'One of the engineers who designed the bridges has resigned.'
Common mistakes
- Matching the verb with the nearest noun instead of the true subject.
- Treating 'each of' and 'one of' as plural.
- Using 'are' with 'news' or 'Physics'.
How MU asks it
Asked as 'Identify and correct the errors in the following sentences' (sets of 5, 1 mark each) or MCQs. For full marks: rewrite the whole corrected sentence and, if asked, name the error type ('subject-verb agreement'). Practise the special cases listed above.