2. Subject–Verb Agreement — 25 Rules — English (Precis & Composition)

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Examiners list subject–verb agreement alongside tense as a top recurring fault. The trick is always the same: find the true subject, ignore the words between it and the verb.

The 25 Rules

#	Rule	✅ Example
1	Two subjects joined by and → plural	Ali and Sara are cousins.
2	and joining one person/idea → singular	The poet and philosopher is dead. · Rice and curry is my lunch.
3	each / every before and-joined nouns → singular	Every boy and girl was given a prize.
4	as well as, with, along with, together with, besides, in addition to, like, including → first subject	The teacher, as well as the students, was absent.
5	either…or, neither…nor, or, nor, not only…but also → nearer subject	Either the manager or the clerks are responsible.
6	each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, someone, anybody, nobody, no one → singular	Neither of the answers is correct.
7	none: singular in formal writing (plural accepted in usage)	None of the files is missing.
8	many a with a singular noun takes a singular verb	Many a soldier has died for the country.
9	a number of → plural; the number of → singular	A number of MNAs were absent. The number of MNAs is 336.
10	one of the + plural noun → singular verb	One of my friends is a pilot.
11	one of those who/that → plural verb	She is one of those students who work hard.
12	the only one of those who → singular	She is the only one of the students who works hard.
13	more than one with a singular noun → singular	More than one candidate was disqualified.
14	Collective noun as a unit → singular	The cabinet has approved the budget.
15	Collective noun as individuals → plural	The cabinet are divided on the issue.
16	Always plural: people, police, cattle, poultry, clergy, gentry, vermin	The police have arrested the suspect.
17	Pair-nouns: scissors, trousers, spectacles, tongs	The scissors are sharp. — but: A pair of scissors is on the table.
18	Singular despite -s: news, mathematics, physics, economics, politics (as subject), measles, innings, series, species	The news is alarming. Politics is a dirty game.
19	Uncountables never plural: information, advice, furniture, luggage, baggage, equipment, machinery, scenery, poetry, mischief, alphabet, issue (offspring)	All the information is on file.
20	Amounts of money, time, distance, weight as one quantity → singular	Five kilometres is a long walk.
21	Titles of books, films, countries → singular	The Arabian Nights is a classic. The United States is a federation.
22	Fractions/percentages → follow the noun after of	Half of the cake is eaten. Half of the students are absent.
23	there is / there are → agree with the noun that follows	There are many reasons for this.
24	Relative pronoun takes the number of its antecedent	It is I who am to blame.
25	The + adjective (a class) → plural	The rich are getting richer.

Exercise (choose the correct verb)

The quality of these apples (is/are) poor.
Neither the minister nor his secretaries (was/were) available.
The jury (has/have) given its verdict.
Every man and woman (has/have) a right to vote.
Politics (is/are) not my cup of tea.
Twenty years (is/are) a long time.
Many a student (has/have) failed this paper.
He, along with his friends, (was/were) arrested.
The majority of voters (was/were) women.
It is you who (is/are) wrong.
There (is/are) a lot of mistakes in your essay.
The cattle (is/are) grazing in the field.
Measles (is/are) a contagious disease.
Two-thirds of the land (is/are) barren.
One of the most famous poets who (has/have) written about Kashmir is Faiz.

Key

1 is · 2 were · 3 has · 4 has · 5 is · 6 is · 7 has · 8 was · 9 were · 10 are · 11 are · 12 are · 13 is · 14 is · 15 have