Reminder:

Person Pronoun Verb Example

Kindly memorize at least 10 rules. Recitation will

be on Monday, March 3, 2025 First person singular I am I am confident.

First person plural We are We are confident.

Subject – Verb Agreement
Second person You are You are confident.
Rule 1 singular/plural
If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular.
For example:
Third person singular He is He is confident.
✓ Rachel spends her free time listening to music.
(Singular subject with singular verb)
✓ She is a dedicated athlete with a passion for She is She is confident.
running.
It is It is amazing.
Rule 2
If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.
For example: Third person plural They are They are confident.
✓ The competitors are eager to test their endurance
and determination.
Furthermore, when used with other nouns and noun
Rule 3 phrases, the rule applies. The same works even with
Compound subjects combined using the conjunction ‘and’ simple past, present continuous and past continuous
take a plural verb. tenses when the ‘be’ form of verbs are used as the
For example: principal verb/helping verb.
✓ Krish and Radha are on their way to the airport.
✓ Caren, Sheela and Akash have completed their Check out the following examples to understand.
assessments. ✓ Santana is a singer.
✓ The girls are waiting for you.
Rule 4 ✓ We were happy with the review of our first movie.
When there is one subject and more than one verb, the ✓ Michael Jackson’s songs are still enjoyed by
verbs throughout the sentence must agree with the millions.
subject. ✓ I was reading the latest book by Rudyard Kipling.
For example:
✓ Interviews are one way to collect data and Rule 8
allow researchers to gain understanding When more than one noun is joined by the conjunction ‘or’,
of the participants. the subject is considered to be singular, and a singular
✓ Yoga is a good form of meditation to relax, verb is used.
improve, and enjoy life. For example:
✓ Celery or spring onion works fine.
Rule 5 ✓ Your mom or dad must be here in an hour.
Intervening words like together with, in addition to, along
with, as well as, including, and similar constructions Rule 9
following the subject do not affect the numbers of the Sentences with pronouns such as anybody, anyone, no
subject. one, somebody, someone, everybody, everyone, nothing
For example: and nobody are treated as singular subjects and will
✓ Finally, after hours of relentless effort, Sarah along therefore use a singular verb.
with Alex, crosses the finish line together, which is For example:
a total of if miles long. ✓ Nobody has understood anything.
✓ Everyone was happy with the outcome.
Rule 6 ✓ Nothing fits me well.
The use of ‘have’ and ‘has’ in the present perfect tense, ✓ No one finds the movie interesting.
the present perfect continuous tense and as a main verb is
also dependent on the subject. All singular subjects use Rule 10
‘has’ and all plural subjects use ‘have’. For sentences using ‘either..or’ and ‘neither..nor’, the verb
For example: should agree with the noun or pronoun that comes just
✓ I have a younger brother. before it.
✓ You have taken the wrong cut. For example:
✓ Swetha has a pet dog. ✓ Neither Ricky nor Gina is here yet.
✓ William Shakespeare has written around 37 plays. ✓ Either the teacher or the students have to take an
✓ Finn has been waiting to talk to you about the test initiative to keep the classroom clean.
results. ✓ Neither the children nor their parents are aware of
the consequences.
Rule 7
When using the ‘be’ form of verbs, there is an exception. In Rule 11
this case, the verb is used according to the number and When sentences have subjects like police, news, scissors,
person of the subject. mathematics, etc. (nouns that are plural by default), the
Check out the following table to see how it works with verb used should be plural.
different pronouns. For example:
 ✓ The news of demonetization shocks the entire For example:
nation. ✓ All of my dresses have become tight.
✓ The police have been looking for the culprits. ✓ A lot of food is left out.
✓ Some of the books are torn and damaged.
Rule 12
When a negative sentence is written, the ‘do’ verb is used, Rule 19
and it has to match the subject. When a sentence begins with ‘each’ or ‘every’ as the
For example: subject, it is considered singular and so the verb has to be
✓ The children do not like working out trigonometry singular too.
problems. For example:
✓ My father does not work at the bank anymore. ✓ Each student has been asked to provide a consent
letter.
Rule 13 ✓ Every teacher, parent and student is expected to
Interrogative sentences also take the help of the ‘do’ verb. work together.
As far as the subject-verb agreement of interrogative
sentences is concerned, the first verb (‘be’ verb or ‘do’ Rule 20
verb) has to be aligned with the subject of the sentence. When you are using a sentence to express a wish or a
For example: sentence expressing a request, verbs are used a little
✓ Do you read thriller novels? differently from other sentences.
✓ Doesn’t she know you already? For example:
✓ Is Tina happy with the new house? ✓ I wish I were a bird.
✓ Were you looking for me? ✓ If you were here, I would not be sad.
✓ Has Sharon submitted her final project yet? ✓ We request that everyone make their choices now.

Rule 14
When you have sentences that begin with ‘here’, ‘there’,
‘this’, ‘that’, ‘those’, ‘these’, etc., always remember that the
subject follows the verb and therefore the verb has to be QUIZ:
conjugated with reference to the subject.
For example:
✓ Here is your book. Analyze if the underlined verb agrees with its subject
✓ There lies your shirt. and make changes if necessary.
✓ That was a great movie.
✓ There have been many changes in the timetable.
1. One of the plates are broken.
Rule 15
Abstract nouns and uncountable nouns are considered as 2. The seven children from Chennai has been selected
singular subjects, so make sure you use a singular verb for the final round of the quiz.
along with it.
For example:
✓ Honesty is the best policy. 3. Neither the children nor the teacher has reached
✓ Love makes people do crazy things. yet.
✓ Good friendship keeps your mind and body
healthy.
4. Sheena and her sister is here to see you.
Rule 16
When the subject refers to a period of time, distance or a 5. A lot of food choices was given.
sum of money, use a singular verb.
For example:
✓ 1267 kilometers is too long for us to travel in half a 6. My parents lives in New Zealand.
day.
✓ 10 years is not considered optimum to go on the 7. Don’t you think 4 days are a little too long?
water slide.
✓ Don’t you think 1000 rupees is a little too much for
a portrait? 8. Do anyone know where the lift is?

Rule 17 9. The little girl do not like mangoes for some reason.
The next rule is based on the use of collective nouns as
subjects. Remember that when you have a collective noun
as the subject of the sentence, the verb can be singular, or 10. You has brought all that I had asked for.
plural based on the sentence and the context.
For example:
✓ My family is settled in Australia.
✓ All groups of participants have arrived.

Rule 18
In sentences that have adjectives such as ‘all’, ‘a lot of’,
‘lots of’ or ‘some’ are used along with nouns to form a
phrase that acts as the subject of the sentence, the verb is
used according to the noun just before it.