Subject-Verb Agreement Cheat Sheet

Subject-Verb Agreement Cheat Sheet

1. Basic Rule

The verb must agree with the subject in number and person.

Simple Present

Remember: In the simple present tense, he/she/it generally takes s/es.

2. Two Subjects Joined by "And"

Two subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb.

• Ram and Shyam are friends.
• The teacher and the student were present.
• Tea and coffee are available.

Exception: One Unit or One Idea

When two words joined by and represent one unit, idea, dish, quantity or concept, a singular verb can be used.

• Bread and butter is my breakfast.
• Rice and curry is his favourite meal.

3. Each, Every, Everyone, Everybody

These generally take a singular verb.

Examples

• Each student is responsible.
• Every candidate has a roll number.
• Everyone was present.
• Somebody has taken my pen.

❌ Each students are ready. ✅ Each student is ready.

4. Each of / Every One of

Each of + plural noun/pronoun → singular verb

• Each of the students is intelligent.
• Each of them has a ticket.

Every one of + plural noun/pronoun → singular verb

• Every one of the candidates has submitted the form.

5. One of + Plural Noun

The structure is:

One of + plural noun + singular verb

• One of my friends is a doctor.
• One of the students has won the prize.
• One of the books was missing.

❌ One of my friend is absent. ✅ One of my friends is absent.

6. A Number of vs The Number of

This is a very common exam question.

Examples

• A number of students are absent.
• A number of candidates have applied.
• The number of students is increasing.
• The number of vacancies has increased.

Quick Trick

A number → many → plural verb

The number → the total/count → singular verb

7. Along With / As Well As / Together With

These expressions do not change the number of the main subject.

The verb agrees with the subject before the expression.

Examples

• The teacher, along with the students, is present.
• The students, along with the teacher, are present.
• Ram, as well as his friends, is coming.
• The manager, together with his assistants, has arrived.

Exam Shortcut

Ignore:

• along with
• as well as
• together with
• with
• including
• accompanied by
• besides

Find the main subject first.

8. Either...Or / Neither...Nor

With either...or, neither...nor, and similar constructions, the verb generally agrees with the subject closer to it.

Examples

• Neither Ram nor his friends are ready.
• Neither his friends nor Ram is ready.
• Either the teacher or the students are responsible.
• Either the students or the teacher is responsible.

Quick Rule

Look at the subject nearest to the verb.

9. Not Only...But Also

The verb generally agrees with the subject nearer to it.

• Not only the teacher but also the students are present.
• Not only the students but also the teacher is present.

10. Collective Nouns

A collective noun refers to a group.

Examples:

• team
• committee
• family
• class
• army
• audience
• government
• jury
• staff

When the group is considered as one unit, use a singular verb.

• The team is ready.
• The committee has approved the proposal.
• The family is happy.

When the members are emphasized individually, plural agreement may occur, particularly in British English.

• The team are arguing among themselves.

Exam Tip

For standard competitive-exam questions, first determine whether the collective noun is being treated as one unit or individual members.

11. Indefinite Pronouns

The following generally take singular verbs:

• each
• either
• neither
• everyone
• everybody
• someone
• somebody
• anyone
• anybody
• no one
• nobody

Examples

• Neither is correct.
• Either is acceptable.
• Everybody has arrived.
• Nobody knows the answer.

12. Either of / Neither of

Either of + plural noun/pronoun → singular verb

• Either of the two answers is correct.

Neither of + plural noun/pronoun → singular verb

• Neither of the answers is correct.
• Neither of them has arrived.

13. Collective Quantity Words

Words such as:

• all
• some
• most
• half
• part
• plenty
• none

can take singular or plural verbs depending on the noun they refer to.

Examples

Plural/countable noun:

• Half of the students are absent.
• Some of the books are missing.
• Most of the candidates have arrived.

Singular/uncountable noun:

• Half of the water is gone.
• Some of the information is incorrect.
• Most of the work has been completed.

Quick Rule

Look at the noun after "of".

14. Uncountable Nouns

Many uncountable nouns take singular verbs.

Common examples:

• advice
• information
• furniture
• luggage
• equipment
• knowledge
• traffic
• news
• machinery

Examples

• The information is useful.
• The furniture is expensive.
• The news is shocking.
• The equipment was damaged.

❌ The news are good. ✅ The news is good.

15. Words Ending in -s but Taking Singular Verbs

Some subjects look plural but are singular when they refer to a field of study or a subject.

Examples:

• mathematics
• physics
• economics
• statistics, when referring to the subject/field

Examples

• Mathematics is difficult.
• Physics is an interesting subject.
• Economics is taught in this course.

16. Plural-Only Nouns

Some nouns normally take plural verbs.

Examples:

• police
• cattle
• people
• scissors
• trousers
• spectacles
• clothes

Examples

• The police are investigating the case.
• The cattle are grazing.
• The scissors are on the table.
• His trousers are dirty.

17. A Pair of

When a pair is treated as one unit, use a singular verb.

• A pair of shoes is expensive.
• A pair of scissors is on the table.
• A pair of trousers was purchased.

But without a pair of, these nouns normally take plural verbs:

• The shoes are expensive.
• The scissors are sharp.
• The trousers are dirty.

18. More Than One

More than one + singular noun → singular verb

• More than one student has complained.
• More than one candidate was selected.
• More than one answer is possible.

❌ More than one student have complained. ✅ More than one student has complained.

19. Many a

Many a + singular noun → singular verb

• Many a student has faced this problem.
• Many a candidate has made this mistake.
• Many a man has tried.

Although the meaning may be plural, the grammatical structure uses a singular noun and singular verb.

20. Titles of Books, Movies, Newspapers, etc.

A title referring to one work generally takes a singular verb.

• The Arabian Nights is a famous collection.
• Gulliver's Travels is a famous work.

The grammatical number of the title is not necessarily determined by the individual words inside it.

21. Time, Money and Distance as One Unit

When an amount of time, money or distance is considered as one unit, use a singular verb.

• Ten kilometres is a long distance.
• Five years is a long time.
• One hundred rupees is enough.
• Ten minutes is sufficient.

But when the units are considered individually, context can affect agreement.

22. There Is / There Are

The verb agrees with the subject that follows it.

Singular

• There is a book on the table.
• There is an important notice.

Plural

• There are five books on the table.
• There are several candidates waiting.

Quick Trick

Look at the noun after there is/there are.

23. Here Is / Here Are

The same principle applies to here is/here are.

• Here is your book.
• Here are your books.
• Here is the information you requested.
• Here are the documents.

24. Gerund as Subject

A gerund phrase used as the subject generally takes a singular verb.

• Swimming is good exercise.
• Reading books is useful.
• Walking every day is healthy.

25. Infinitive as Subject

An infinitive phrase used as the subject generally takes a singular verb.

• To err is human.
• To exercise regularly is important.
• To learn English requires practice.

26. Relative Pronouns: Who / Which / That

The verb generally agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

Example

• He is one of the students who work hard.

Here, who refers to students, so the plural verb is used.

Compare:

• He is the only one of the students who works hard.

Here, who refers to the only one, so the singular verb is used.

Exam Tip

Identify what who/which/that refers to before choosing the verb.

27. Subjects Separated by Phrases

Do not let words between the subject and verb confuse you.

Example

• The quality of these products is good.

The subject is quality, not products.

• The list of candidates is ready.
• The box of books was heavy.
• The group of students is waiting.

Shortcut

Find the main noun before the "of" phrase.

28. The Rich / The Poor

Expressions such as the rich, the poor, the elderly, the unemployed refer to groups of people and generally take plural verbs.

• The rich are not always happy.
• The poor need support.
• The unemployed are looking for jobs.

29. Some Common Agreement Traps

30. Quick Revision Table

31. Fast Exam Method

When solving a Subject-Verb Agreement question:

Step 1: Find the main subject

Ignore distracting phrases.

The quality of these products is good.

Main subject = quality

Step 2: Decide singular or plural

• quality → singular
• products → plural

Step 3: Check special structures

Look for:

• each
• every
• one of
• a number of
• the number of
• either/or
• neither/nor
• along with
• as well as
• more than one
• fractions/percentages
• collective nouns

Step 4: Select the correct verb

The quality of these products is good.

32. One-Minute Revision

Remember these rules:

1. Singular subject → singular verb.
2. Plural subject → plural verb.
3. And → usually plural.
4. Each/Every/Everyone → singular.
5. One of + plural noun → singular.
6. A number of → plural.
7. The number of → singular.
8. Along with/As well as → ignore the added noun.
9. Either...or / Neither...nor → usually follow the nearer subject.
10. More than one → singular.
11. Many a → singular.
12. Half/Some/Most/All of → check the noun after "of".
13. News → singular.
14. Police → plural.
15. A pair of → singular.
16. There is/are → agree with the following subject.
17. Gerund as subject → singular.
18. Find the real subject before choosing the verb.

33. Quick Exam Checklist

Before selecting the answer, ask:

• [ ] What is the actual subject?
• [ ] Is it singular or plural?
• [ ] Is there an and?
• [ ] Is there each/every/everyone?
• [ ] Is there one of?
• [ ] Is it a number of or the number of?
• [ ] Is there along with/as well as/together with?
• [ ] Is there either/or or neither/nor?
• [ ] Is there more than one?
• [ ] Is the noun uncountable?
• [ ] Is it a collective noun?
• [ ] Is there a fraction or percentage?
• [ ] Is the subject a plural-only noun such as police?
• [ ] Is the phrase after of misleading you?
• [ ] Does the verb actually agree with the main subject?

Golden Rule: Don't choose the verb by looking at the nearest noun. First find the real subject, then check whether it is singular or plural.