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Subject verb agreement or syntax CBSE,ICSE


 



In a Sentence the verb agrees with the subject in number and person is known as the subject Verb agreement.


  • Bread  and  butter, rice and curry, rice and fish , hammer and sickle ,slow and steady, truth and honesty , horse and carriage, crown and glory, rise and fall , coming and going , screaming and shouting, age and experience, eggs and bacon, long and short, bag and baggage- pair words expresses one thing or idea. It always takes a singular verb.                                                              Bread and butter ---------------- my favourite food .
          a. is b. are c. have d. has
  • A number of , a large number of, a great number of and large numbers of are used in the sense of many . They take plural nouns and plural verbs after them . 
         A number of students ------------------- present.
              a. is  b. are c. have d. has
    • If few, a few or very few is used as a subject of the sentence , It functions as a plural subject . So , it takes a plural verb . Few = almost negligible ; a few= something positive; the few= what ever is there .
             Many were punished but -------------- were guilty.
                a. few b. a few c. the few      d. little
      • If one third of , two thirds of , three fourths of , a quarter of, part of , ten percent of , most, most of, some, some of, a lot of, enough of , lots of + plural countable noun takes a plural verb
              Three fourths of the books -------------- ready.
                a. is b. are c. have   d. has
        • If little , a little, the little , much is used as the subject takes a singular verb.
                Little ------------- known about this man.
                a. is  b. are c. have   d. has
        • If certain units (certain amount, distances, period, height)denoting plural nouns after the introductory subject “There”- it takes singular verb.                                                         
                There ------------- only another fifty kilometers to go .
                 a. is  b. are c. have d. has

        • Two subjects joined by either—or, neither—nor, not only—but also ---- used as a subject of the sentence – the verb takes the number and person of the subject after ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘but also’. 
                Neither he nor I ---------------- guilty.
                a. were  b. are c. was d. has
        • If a subject is used before with, together with, along with, in addition to, and not, like, unlike, including, excluding, besides, except, rather than, accompanied by,guided by,controlled by, led by, dominated by– the verb is used according to the number and person of the subject before these.
                The criminal along with his followers ---------- arrested.
                a. was  b. were c. have d. has

        • If Cardinal adjectives + plural noun is used as the subject and the plural noun denotes certain units { certain distance , amount, weight, period, height} it takes a singular verb 
                Five Kilometers -------------- a long distance.
                a. were  b. are c. is d. has

        • If Cardinal adjectives + plural noun is used as the subject and the plural noun denotes separate units { certain distance , amount, weight, period, height} it takes a plural verb .
                Six months ---------------- passed since he came here.
                a. was  b. were    c. have     d. has

        • Nouns like furniture ,advice, news, information, luggage,baggage, percentage, poetry, knowledge, traffic, dust, music, breakage, behaviour- used as singular countable noun
                All his luggage ---------------- been stolen.
                a. were  b. have c. is d. has

        • Scissors, trousers, pants, spectacles, glasses, etc are used with plural verbs.
                His pair of trousers ---------------------- new.
                a. is  b. were c. have d. are

        • When the subject ‘it’ is hidden after ‘than’ – a singular verb is used .
                There were more deaths than ------------------- reported.
                a. is  b. were c. was d. has
        • If ‘the variety of’ + plural countable noun  is used as the subject –it takes a singular verb  
                The variety of items at the dinner -------------- relished by all.
                a. is  b. were      c. was         d. has
        • It is referring to a title of a book. So singular verb is used.
                Three men in a boat ------------------- a very interesting book.
                a. is  b. were c. was d. has










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