Subject-Verb Agreement
🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)
Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your NMAT exam.
Subject-Verb Agreement — Key Facts
Basic Rule
A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb.
Special Cases
| Situation | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Neither…nor / Either…or | Verb agrees with noun nearest to it | Neither the students nor the teacher is going |
| Collective noun (American) | Singular verb | The team is winning |
| Indefinite pronouns | Usually singular | Everyone is here |
| And | Plural verb | Juan and Maria are students |
| Each / Every / Many a | Singular verb | Each student has a book |
| Plural form, singular meaning | Singular verb | Mathematics is difficult |
⚡ NMAT High-Yield: Neither/nor and either/or — verb agrees with the nearer subject.
🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)
Chapter: Subject-Verb Agreement
1.1 Basic Principle
Rule: The verb must agree with its subject in number (singular or plural).
- ✓ “She works hard.”
- ✓ “They work hard.”
1.2 Special Cases
Compound Subjects with AND
When two subjects are joined by AND, the verb is usually plural.
- “Juan and Maria are married.”
Exception: When the compound subject refers to a single person or thing, the verb is singular.
- “The CEO and founder has arrived.” (same person)
- “The bread and butter is on the table.” (single combination)
With OR or NOR
When subjects are joined by OR or NOR, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
Singular + Plural → Plural verb comes after plural:
- “Neither the students nor the teacher is going.”
- “Neither the teacher nor the students are going.”
Singular + Singular → Singular verb:
- “Either Juan or Maria is responsible.”
Collective Nouns
American English: Collective nouns usually take singular verbs
- “The team is winning.”
- “The family is going on vacation.”
British English: Collective nouns can take plural verbs
- “The team are playing well.”
NMAT uses American English conventions.
Indefinite Pronouns
Always Singular:
-
each, everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody, something, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, one
-
“Everyone is here.”
-
“Something has been done.”
Always Plural:
-
both, few, many, several, others
-
“Few are present.”
-
“Both were absent.”
Can Be Singular or Plural:
-
all, any, most, none, some
-
“Most of the cake is eaten.” (uncountable cake)
-
“Most of the students are present.” (countable students)
Every, Each, Many a
These always take singular verbs even when joined by AND:
- “Every student has an ID.”
- “Each of them is responsible.”
- “Many a student has failed this exam.”
1.3 Agreement with Intervening Phrases
The verb agrees with the subject, NOT with words in prepositional phrases or other modifiers.
-
✗ “The box of chocolates are on the table.”
-
✓ “The box of chocolates is on the table.”
-
✗ “One of my friends are from Manila.”
-
✓ “One of my friends is from Manila.”
1.4 Relative Pronouns
The verb agrees with the ANTECEDENT of the relative pronoun.
- “I, who am a student, study hard.” (I = singular)
- “You, who are a teacher, explain well.” (You = singular)
- “The students, who are preparing for the NMAT, study late.” (students = plural)
1.5 Plural Forms with Singular Meanings
Some nouns end in -s but are grammatically singular:
| Noun | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics, Physics, News | Singular verb | Mathematics is interesting |
| Countries, series, species | Can be singular or plural | This species is / These species are |
| Trousers, scissors, glasses | Plural verb | My trousers are new |
1.6 Number Words
A number of + plural noun → plural verb
- “A number of students are taking the exam.”
The number of + plural noun → singular verb
- “The number of applicants is increasing.”
1.7 There/Here + Be
The verb agrees with the subject that FOLLOWS it.
- “There is one book on the table.”
- “There are many books on the table.”
- “Here comes the teacher.” (teacher = singular)
1.8 NMAT High-Yield Points
⚡ Commonly Asked:
- Neither…nor / Either…or: Verb agrees with nearer subject
- Collective nouns: American English = singular verb (The team IS)
- Indefinite pronouns: Everyone, someone, no one = singular
- And: Usually plural (Juan and Maria ARE)
- Each/Every: Always singular
- Prepositional phrases: Verb agrees with subject, not object of preposition
- A number of: Plural verb (A number of students ARE)
- The number of: Singular verb (The number of students IS)
- There/Here: Verb agrees with subject following it
- Relative pronouns: Verb agrees with antecedent