Subject-Verb Concord

Rule 1

The verb and subject must agree in number (singular or plural)

This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular and if the subject is plural, the verb should also be
plural.

Examples:

1. He plays football. (SINGULAR)

2. They play football. (PLURAL)

Rule 2

The number of the subject (singular or plural) will not change due to words/phrases in between the subject and
the verb.

Examples:

1. One of the glasses is empty. (Here, since the subject is ‘one’, the verb should be ‘is’).

The bouquet of red roses smells so sweet. (Here, since ‘bouquet’ is the subject and not ‘roses’, the verb should
be ‘smells’ and not ‘smell’)

Rule 3
Subjects that are joined by ‘and’ in a sentence, use a plural verb. Subjects that are joined by ‘either/or’,
neither/nor’ use a singular verb.

Examples:

1. Radha and Meera are coming home.

2. Neither Akshay nor Rohit is coming home.

3. My dad or my mom is arriving today.

Rule 4

The verb in a sentence containing ‘or’, ‘either/or’, ‘neither/nor’ agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.

Examples:

1. Neither the shoes nor the bag matches the dress. (Here, ‘bag’ is closest to the verb, hence ‘matches’)

2. Neither the bag nor the shoes match the dress. (Here, ‘shoes’ is closest to the verb, hence ‘match’)

Rule 5

When the subject is followed by words such as ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, ‘besides’, ‘not’ etc. ignore them and use a
singular verb if the subject is singular.

Examples:

1. Matt, as well as his dog, is expected shortly.

2. Pratik, along with his brother, is going to school.

Rule 6

In sentences that begin with ‘here’, ‘there’, the true subject usually follows the verb.

Examples:

1. Here are the chocolates.

2. There is a big puddle on the road.

Rule 7

In sentences that include sums of money, periods of time or distances etc. (as a unit), use singular verbs.
Examples:

1. 500 rupees is a high price to pay.

2. 62 years is the minimum age of retirement.

3. 10 kilometers is too far to walk.

Rule 8

In the case of words such as ‘a lot of’, all’, ‘some’ etc. in a sentence, pay attention to the noun after ‘of’. If the
noun after ‘of’ is singular then use a singular verb, if plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:

1. All of the cake is gone.

2. All of the cakes are gone.

3. A lot of the cake is gone.

4. A lot of the cakes are gone.

5. Some of the cake is gone.

6. Some of the cakes are gone.

Rule 9

In the case of collective nouns such as ‘group, ‘population’, ‘family’, in a sentence, the verb can be singular or
plural depending on their use in the sentence.

Examples:

1. Most of my family is here OR are here.

2. Half of the population was against the bill OR were against the bill.

Rule 10

Nouns such as ‘mathematics’, ‘civics’, ‘news’ etc. while plural in form, are singular in meaning and use singular
verbs.

Examples:

1. Mathematics is very difficult for some people.

2. The news is very saddening.

Rule 11

In sentences that express a wish, request or contrary to fact, the word ‘were’ is used instead of ‘was.

Examples:

1. I wish my sister were here.

2. Aditya requested that she raise her glass.

Solved Examples for You on Subject Verb Concord

Question: Choose the correct subject verb combinations in the sentences below.

a. The lady in the car (look/looks) like your mother.

b. Most of the milk (is/are) gone.

c. One of the flowers (has/have) wilted.

d. Either Ram or Shyam (is/are) coming today.

e. Here (is/are) the newspaper.

f. The group of dancers (is/are) here.

g. Civics (is/are) my favorite subject.

Solution:

a. The lady in the car looks like your mother.

b. Most of the milk is gone.

c. One of the flowers has wilted.

d. Either Ram or Shyam is coming today.

e. Here is the newspaper.

f. The group of dancers is OR are here.

g. Civics is my favorite subject.

Auxiliary and Modal Verbs

You might have an idea of what the auxiliary and modal verbs are used for. If not, you will by the end of this. Auxiliary
verbs are the helping verbs used in sentences along with the verbs to set the mood, tense, tone etc. of the sentence.
Thus, if you use the auxiliary ‘might’, it indicates a slight probability. But if you use the auxiliary ‘will’, it indicates
a strong affirmation. We further divide the auxiliaries into two types- primary auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries.

Primary Auxiliaries

The words “be”, “have” and “do” are called primary auxiliaries. These are known as primary because they are the most
frequently occurring auxiliaries and are used in their different forms in the English language.

Evidently, the forms of “be” are “is”, “am”, “are”, “was” and “were”. The forms of “have” are “have”, “has” and “had”.
Lastly, the forms of “do” are “do”, “does” and “did”.

Using Primary Auxiliaries

1] Be

The forms of “be” are:

 Present tense: is, am, are

 Past tense: was, were

 Past participle: been

i) To form continuous tense:

 He is reading a book.

 We were reading a book.

 He has been reading a book.

ii) For passive voice:

 The work is done.

 The work is being done.

iii) To express a previous plan or agreement:

 You were to visit the doctor.

 I am going to Meerut.
iv) To express a command:

 You are to get the work done by tonight.

  The plumber is to repair the pipeline tomorrow.
v) To express feelings, age, size, weight, price, time etc.:

 Today is a warm day.

 I am not happy.

 I weigh 50 kgs.

2] Have

The forms of “have” are:

 Present tense: has, have

 Past tense: had

 Past participle: had

i) To form perfect tense:

 He has read the book.

 We had done our household chores.

ii) To form passive voice:

 The work has been done.

 The room had been cleaned.

iii) To express a compulsion:

 He had to go.

 You have to obey the law.

iv) To express a job got to be done:

 I have my room cleaned every week.

 She has bread and butter for breakfast.

v) To express the consumption of food, drinks, events etc.

 I have tea in the morning.

 He had the party at his house.

 You have a test tomorrow.

3] Do

The forms of “do” are:

 Present tense: do

 Past tense: did

 Past participle: done

i) In additions to avoid repetition of verbs:

 He likes to read and so do I.

 You liked to dance and so did she.

ii) In question tags and short answers:

 You liked the film, didn’t you?

 Yes, I did.
iii) To form interrogative and negative forms of present and past indefinite tenses and imperatives:

 Do not lean over the fence.

 He does not work. Does he?

iv) To stress some action in the present and past indefinite tenses and in imperatives:

 I do go to class every day.

 I did the work daily.

 Do finish the work for me.

Modal Auxiliaries/ Modal Verbs
The commonly used modal auxiliaries, also known as modal verbs, are as follows:

Can and Could

 ‘Can’ states ability: I can walk to the hotel.

 It also indicates permission: You can go to the party tonight.

 ‘Could’ is used for a request: Could I go to the party tonight?

 It is used as the past tense of can in indirect speech: You said you could help me.

 Could is used to indicate ability in the past; He could dance well when I last met him.

May and Might

 May is used to ask for permission: May I come in?

 It is used to express a wish: May you have a good life ahead.

 We can also use ‘may’ to express possibility: There may be some hope.

 ‘May’ indicates a weak possibility whereas ‘might’ indicates a weaker possibility: I may come today. OR She
might come tomorrow.

Shall, Should, Will, Would

i) Shall is used in the first person and will in the second and third person:

 I shall not come today.

 You will work for me.

 He will not listen to you.

ii) We can also use shall in second or third person to express a threat, command or a promise:

 You shall be awarded suitably.

 He shall never show up here again.

iii) Shall can also be used in the first person to indicate an offer or suggestion:

 Shall I accompany you?

iv) Will is used to express a decision:

 I will not come today.

v) It can also be used to indicate a habit:
  He will drink a cup of coffee as usual.
vi) We can also use will for an invitation:

 Will you attend my cousin’s wedding?

vii) In clauses that start with if, ‘should’ is used to express a probable event:

 If it should rain, the match will be called off.

Must and Ought

 ‘Must’ is a modal verb that can be used to express necessity: You must come tonight.

 We can also use ‘must’ to express fixed determination: I must have an opportunity to do what I wish.

 Ought can express certainty: We ought to win this.

Used

 It can indicate a discontinued habit: I used to go to the gym every evening.

Need

 ‘Need’ can be used to denote certainty: We need to win this.

 We can also use need to denote requirement: I need you to stay.

Dare

 Dare is a modal verb that indicates strong ability or being bold enough: How dare you argue with me?

 We can also use dare to strike a challenge: I dare you to cross the bridge in 30 seconds.

Solved Example For You

Q: Fill in the blanks:

1. You ___ not lie. (should/could)

2. We ___ to help those in distress. (need/ought)

Ans:

1. should

2. ought