Grammar Essentials (Handbook)

high importance~7 Q in Tier 1⚡ 18 shortcuts8 subtopics

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Subtopic 3 of 8·← Tenses and sequence of tenses·Articles (a, an, the, zero article) and determiners →

Subject-verb agreement (all rules and exceptions)

Subject-verb agreement (SVA) is the single most tested grammar point in SSC error spotting. The rule is simple (singular subject → singular verb), but the traps are in finding the real subject.

#	Rule	Correct example
1	Find the head noun; ignore phrases after of, in, with etc.	The quality of the apples is poor.
2	A and B → plural	Ravi and his sister are here.
3	A and B = one person/idea (one article) → singular	The secretary and treasurer has resigned. / Bread and butter is my breakfast.
4	each / every before A and B → singular	Every boy and every girl was given a prize.
5	A as well as / along with / together with / with / besides / in addition to / rather than / accompanied by / including / like / no less than B → verb agrees with A	The minister, along with his aides, was present.
6	either...or / neither...nor / not only...but also / or / nor → verb agrees with the nearer subject	Neither the teacher nor the students were late.
7	each, every, either, neither, everyone, someone, anyone, no one, nobody, everything → singular	Each of the players has a kit.
8	one of + plural noun → singular verb	One of my friends is a pilot.
9	one of those + plural noun + who/that → plural verb (the relative clause describes the group)	He is one of those people who never give up.
10	the only one of ... who → singular	She is the only one of the girls who has passed.
11	A number of → plural; the number of → singular	A number of cars were towed. The number of cars is rising.
12	many a + singular noun → singular	Many a man has tried.
13	more than one + singular noun → singular	More than one student was absent.
14	Amount of money/time/distance/weight as one unit → singular	Fifty rupees is too much for this. Ten km is a long way.
15	half / part / some / all / most / plenty / a lot / rest / % / fractions of X → verb agrees with X	Half of the cake is eaten. Half of the guests are here.
16	Titles, names of countries/organisations, even if plural in form → singular	The United Nations is based in New York.
17	the + adjective (class of people) → plural	The rich are not always happy.
18	There / Here + verb: verb agrees with the noun that follows	There are many reasons. Here comes the bus.
19	Gerund, infinitive or noun clause as subject → singular	Walking is good exercise. What he said was false.
20	Relative pronoun takes the number of its antecedent	I, who am your friend, will help.
21	a pair of / a series of / a set of + plural noun → singular (head is pair/series/set)	A pair of shoes was stolen.
22	Uncountable nouns → singular; always-plural nouns → plural	The furniture is new. My trousers are torn.

Collective nouns

team, committee, jury, family, staff, audience, crowd, board, government take a singular verb when acting as one body and a plural verb when the members act separately: The team is strong / The team are arguing among themselves. A matching pronoun follows the same choice (its vs their).

Tricky subjects summary

Singular: news, mathematics, economics (subject), measles, furniture, information, luggage, scenery, each, every, either, neither, amounts as a unit, titles.
Plural: cattle, police, people, poultry, clergy, scissors, trousers, spectacles, the rich / the poor, a number of, both, few, many, several.
Depends on the noun after of: all, some, most, half, none (with uncountable → singular), a lot, plenty, the rest, 40 per cent, two-thirds.

📖 Notes 🧩 4 question types 🎯 12 practice Q

Detailed notes

The one rule behind every item

A verb agrees with its real subject in number: singular subject → singular verb (has, is, was, does), plural subject → plural verb (have, are, were, do). The whole subtopic is about finding the real subject when something stands between it and the verb.

Rule 1: ignore the phrase before the verb

Words glued to the subject with of, with, along with, as well as, together with, besides, in addition to, accompanied by do not change its number:

The quality of the mangoes was good. (subject = quality)
The principal, as well as the teachers, was present. (subject = principal)
The list of candidates has been published. Cover the prepositional phrase with your finger and match the verb to what remains.

Rule 2: each, every, everyone, either — always singular

Each of the girls was given a certificate.
Every one of the players was praised.
Neither answer is correct. Even when a plural noun follows of, the words each, every, everyone, everybody, anyone, either, neither keep the verb singular.

Rule 3: neither...nor / either...or — the verb follows the NEARER subject

Neither the manager nor the workers were present. (workers = plural, nearer)
Either Ram or his brothers are to blame. Think of it as proximity: the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

Rule 4: collective nouns and special singulars

Collective nouns (committee, team, jury, family, audience) take a singular verb when the group acts as one: The committee announced its decision.
Subjects ending in -ics (mathematics, physics, economics, politics as a field) are singular: Mathematics is my favourite subject.
More than one + singular noun → singular verb: More than one student was selected.
Amounts of money, distance, time as one unit → singular: Ten kilometres is a long walk.

Finding the error fast

In divided-part items, the error is nearly always in the verb part. Read the first part, strike the of/as well as phrase, ask singular or plural, and test the verb. In fill-blank items, the options are usually has/have, is/are or was/were — the same test decides.

Quick revision

Cover of/with/as well as phrases; the head noun rules.
each/every/everyone/either/neither (alone) → singular.
neither...nor, either...or → verb follows the nearer subject.
Committee, mathematics, more than one, ten kilometres → singular.
The error part usually carries the verb.

Types of questions asked

Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.

Type 1: Head noun before an 'of' phrasevery common3 practice Q

How to spot it:

A phrase like the quality of, the list of, the bouquet of, one of the sits before the verb.

Find the true head noun (quality, list, bouquet, one).
Ignore the of-phrase entirely.
Match the verb to the head noun's number.

Why it works: of introduces a description, not a second subject.

Example: The bouquet of roses ___ on the table. (is/are/were/have)

Head noun = bouquet (singular) → is.

Type 2: Each, every and one of: fixed singularvery common3 practice Q

How to spot it:

The subject begins with each, every, everyone, everybody, either, neither, or 'one of the ...'.

Confirm the subject word is on the singular list.
Choose the singular verb even if a plural noun follows of.
Reject the plural option that 'sounds' natural.

Why it works: these words point to members one at a time, so English keeps the verb singular.

Example: Each of the girls ___ given a certificate. (was/were/are/have)

Each → singular → was.

Type 3: Proximity rule for neither...nor / either...orcommon2 practice Q

How to spot it:

Two subjects are joined by neither...nor, either...or, or not only...but also, and they differ in number.

Find the subject NEARER the verb.
Match the verb to that subject alone.
Ignore the farther subject completely.

Why it works: the proximity rule overrides both subjects' individual numbers.

Example: Neither the manager nor the workers ___ present. (were/was/is/has)

Nearer subject = workers (plural) → were.

Type 4: Collective nouns and special singular subjectscommon2 practice Q

How to spot it:

The subject is a collective noun (committee, team), an -ics subject, 'more than one ...', or an amount (ten kilometres).

Check the special-singular list.
Group acting as one unit → singular verb.
Choose the singular form and ignore the plural look of the nearest noun.

Why it works: these subjects name one unit or one idea, whatever their shape.

Example: More than one student ___ selected. (was/were/have/are)

More than one → singular → was — a planted surprise.

Shortcut tricks

⚡ Strike-through method

Draw a line through every prepositional phrase (of the boys, in the box, with his friends) and every add-on phrase (as well as..., along with..., together with...). What remains before the verb is the true subject.

Example: The captain, together with his players, ___ (was/were) felicitated.

Strike together with his players → The captain ___ felicitated → was.

⚡ Nearest-noun rule for or/nor pairs

For either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also, or, nor: look only at the subject closest to the verb. Tip: put the plural subject second so the plural verb sounds natural.

Example: Either the players or the coach ___ (is/are) responsible.

Nearest subject the coach (singular) → is.

⚡ Number vs A number

The number = one figure (singular). A number = many (plural). Memory hook: A = Abundant.

Where students lose marks

Matching the verb with the noun just before it (The list of items are...) instead of the head noun.
Treating as well as / along with like and and using a plural verb.
Using a plural verb after each / every / either / neither.
Using a singular verb after one of those who; the relative clause refers to the plural group.
Treating people / police / cattle as singular.
Using a plural verb for a sum of money or distance treated as one amount.

Practice sets — 12 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 12 questions

Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.