The right selection of verb according to the subject is called subject-verb agreement.
Rules to be followed:
Rule 1.
Example:
- The boys is playing in the field. (incorrect)
- The boys are playing in the field. (correct)
Rule 2.
- If the two singular subject are connected “with” and they point on the same thing or object or the first subject is connected with article then verb used will be singular:
Example:
- The principal and teacher have gone.(incorrect)
- The principle and teacher has gone.(correct)
- A black and a white cow is grazing in the field.(incorrect)
- A black and a white cow are grazing in the field.(correct)
Rule 3.
- If the two subject are connected with “and” and both the subject are preceded with article the verb used will be singular:
Example
- The principle and the teacher has gone. (incorrect)
- The principle and the teacher have gone.( correct)
Rule 4.
- Following pairs of nouns are supposed to be singular and followed by singular verb: Bread and butter, bread and milk, slow and steady, rice and curry etc..
Example:
- Rice and curry are tasty dish.(incorrect)
- Rice and curry is tasty dish.(correct)
Rule 5.
- If “each and every” is used before two or more subject the verb used will be singular:
Example:
- Each boy and each girl have finished breakfast. ( incorrect )
- Each boy and girl has finished breakfast. (correct)
Rule 6.
- If the word each, either , or neither are placed in place of subject the verb used wil be singular:
Example:
- Each have come. (incorrect)
- Each has come. (correct)
Rule 7.
- “A number of” is followed by plural subject and plural verb while “the number of” is followed by plural subject and singular verb:
Example
- A number of boys has come. (incorrect)
- A number boy has come. (incorrect)
- A number boys have come.( correct)
- The number of students are increasing. (incorrect)
- The number of students is increasing. (correct)
Rule 8.
- Phrase “more than one” is followed by singular subject and singular verb:
Example:
- More than one students were present. (incorrect)
- More than one student was present. (correct)
Rule 9.
- In the following words verb used will be according first subject:
- As well as, with, together with, along with, in addition to, rather than, and not, besides,
- Like, except, accompanied by, headed by, let by, governed by etc..
Example:
- She as well as her parents have come.(incorrect)
- She as well as her parents has come.(correct)
- The teacher with all his students were present.(incorrect)
- The teacher with all his students was present.(correct)
Rule 10.
- Interrogative form of a sentence is used when a sentence starts with the following adverbs:
- Hardly, scarcely, rarely, seldom, never before, outside etc…
Example:
- Seldom he visits his hometown. (incorrect)
- Seldom does he visit his hometown.(correct)
- Hardly she goes to school. (incorrect)
- Hardly does she go to school.( correct)
