Subject-Verb Agreement

6 min

Master core grammar rules for SSC, Railway, and State exams.

The Golden Rule

A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. Words like Each, Every, Either, and Neither always require a singular verb even if followed by plural nouns.

Why Study This?

High weightage in SSC CGL, CHSL, and MTS exams.
Essential for Sentence Improvement and Fillers.
Directly helps in scoring 4-6 marks in most Tier-1 exams.

Memory Shortcuts

Each/Every = Single Person (Always Singular Verb).
Or/Nor = Look at the Neighbor (Nearer Subject decides).
The Number = Specific (Singular); A Number = Many (Plural).

Quick Revision Chart

Structure	Subject Used	Verb Type
One of the...	Plural Noun	Singular Verb
Neither...nor	Two Subjects	Nearer Subject
A number of	Plural Noun	Plural Verb
Mathematics/News	Looks Plural	Singular Verb

Visual Rule Guide

Each/Every

(Always Singular)

Always Singular

Each girl has a book.

Physics/News

(Single Entity)

Single Entity

The news is true.

Either...or

(Nearest Rule)

Nearest Rule

Either he or I am right.

The Number

(Fixed Amount)

Fixed Amount

The number of boys is 40.

Common Exam Traps

One of my friend are coming.One of my friends is coming.

After 'One of', noun is plural but verb is singular.

Mathematics are a tough subject.Mathematics is a tough subject.

Subjects ending in -ics take a singular verb.

Neither Ram nor his brothers is here.Neither Ram nor his brothers are here.

Verb agrees with the nearer subject 'brothers'.

Exam Practice

Q1.Neither the teacher nor the students ____ present in the class yesterday.

Q2.A number of students ____ applied for the scholarship this year.

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