English -Grammar- Subject- Verb Concord- Exercise

  1. Definition: Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the subject and the verb in a sentence must agree in number. This means that singular subjects require singular verbs, and plural subjects require plural verbs.
  2. Singular Subjects and Verbs: When the subject of a sentence is singular (referring to one person, thing, or idea), the verb must also be singular. For example:
    • “The cat sits on the mat.” (singular subject “cat” with singular verb “sits”)
  3. Plural Subjects and Verbs: When the subject of a sentence is plural (referring to more than one person, thing, or idea), the verb must also be plural. For example:
    • “The cats sit on the mat.” (plural subject “cats” with plural verb “sit”)
  4. Compound Subjects: When two or more singular subjects are joined by “and,” the verb is usually plural. However, when two singular subjects are joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb. For example:
    • “John and Mary are coming.” (plural subject “John and Mary” with plural verb “are”)
    • “Neither John nor Mary is coming.” (singular subject “Mary” closest to the verb “is”)
  5. Indefinite Pronouns: Some indefinite pronouns, such as “each,” “every,” “either,” “neither,” and “one,” are always singular and require singular verbs. Others, such as “both,” “few,” “many,” “several,” and “some,” are always plural and require plural verbs. For example:
    • “Each of the students has a book.” (singular subject “Each” with singular verb “has”)
    • “Many of the students have books.” (plural subject “Many” with plural verb “have”)
  6. Collective Nouns: Collective nouns, referring to a group of people or things as a single unit, can take singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group is considered as a whole or as individuals. For example:
    • “The team is winning.” (singular verb “is” when the team is considered as a single unit)
    • “The team are arguing among themselves.” (plural verb “are” when the team is considered as individuals)
  7. Intervening Words or Phrases: Sometimes, words or phrases may come between the subject and the verb, but they do not affect the agreement. The verb still agrees with the subject. For example:
    • “The box of chocolates was given to me.” (singular subject “box” with singular verb “was”)
  8. Inverted Word Order: In questions and certain sentence structures where the word order is inverted, the subject may come after the verb. However, the verb still agrees with the subject. For example:
    • “Are you going to the party?” (singular subject “you” with plural verb “are”)

Exercise

  1. Question: Neither the manager nor his assistant (was/were) able to solve the problem.
  2. Question: Each of the players on the team (have/has) their own strategy.
  3. Question: The jury (was/were) divided in their opinions.
  4. Question: The committee members (was/were) debating for hours before reaching a decision.
  5. Question: Five dollars (is/are) too much to pay for a cup of coffee.
  6. Question: The collection of rare stamps (belong/belongs) to my grandfather.
  7. Question: Politics (is/are) a topic that always sparks heated debates.
  8. Question: The majority of the students (prefer/prefers) to study in the library.
  9. Question: Each of the flowers in the garden (has/have) a unique fragrance.
  10. Question: Neither the cookies nor the cake (was/were) enough to satisfy the hungry guests.
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Q1. Answer: Neither the manager nor his assistant was able to solve the problem.
Q2.Answer: Each of the players on the team has their own strategy. (Or: Each of the players on the team has his or her own strategy.)
Q3. Answer: The jury was divided in their opinions. (Or: The jury were divided in their opinions.)
Q4.Answer: The committee members were debating for hours before reaching a decision.
Q5.Answer: Five dollars is too much to pay for a cup of coffee.
Q6.Answer: The collection of rare stamps belongs to my grandfather.
Q7.Answer: Politics is a topic that always sparks heated debates.
Q8.Answer: The majority of the students prefer to study in the library.
Q9.Answer: Each of the flowers in the garden has a unique fragrance.
Q10.Answer: Neither the cookies nor the cake was enough to satisfy the hungry guests

Exercise – 2

  1. Question: The cat and the dog (is/are) playing in the garden.
  2. Question: Neither of the boys (was/were) present at the meeting.
  3. Question: Each of the students (has/have) completed their homework.
  4. Question: The flock of birds (was/were) flying south for the winter.
  5. Question: Some of the cake (is/are) missing from the plate.
  6. Question: One of the girls (has/have) forgotten her book.
  7. Question: Either the teacher or the students (is/are) responsible for the mess.
  8. Question: The box of chocolates (was/were) given to me by my grandmother.
  9. Question: All of the furniture (was/were) moved to the new house.
  10. Question: My brother or his friends (is/are) coming to the party tonight.

Solution

Q1.Answer: The cat and the dog are playing in the garden.

Q2. Answer: Neither of the boys was present at the meeting.

Q3. Answer: Each of the students has completed their homework.

Q4. Answer: The flock of birds was flying south for the winter.

Q5. Answer: Some of the cake is missing from the plate.

Q6. Answer: One of the girls has forgotten her book.

Q7. Answer: Either the teacher or the students are responsible for the mess.

Q8. Answer: The box of chocolates was given to me by my grandmother.

Q9. Answer: All of the furniture was moved to the new house.

Q10. Answer: My brother or his friends are coming to the party tonight.