SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT PART II THEORY

Collective noun always takes singular verb.

• Example

• .(1) The herd of cows is grazing in the field.

• (2) The committee has unanimously taken its decision.

• If there is a division among the members of the collective noun or we talk about the members of the collective noun, plural verb and plural pronoun are used.

• Example

• (1) The jury are divided in their opinion.

• (2) The audience have taken their seats.

Plural number will always take plural verb.
Example

• Hundred boys are in my class.

Note:

If plural noun is used after cardinal adjectives (one, two, three, four, etc.) and if plural noun      denotes certain amount, weight, height or period, singular verb will be used.
In other words we can say that plural number used as a singular unit will take singular verb.
Example

• (1) Hundred rupees is in my pocket.
• (2) Ten miles is a long distance to cover on foot.

Note the difference:

• Five thousand rupees is a handsome amount.
• Five thousand rupees have been spent on different useful commodities.

Each, every, everyone, someone, somebody, nobody, none, one, any, many a, more than one are singular. Hence they will take singular verb, singular noun and singular pronoun.
Example

• .(1) Each student has come.
• (2) Each boy each girl has come.
• (3) One must tolerate one’s friend as well as his enemy.
• (4) Many a student have not done their home work.
• (5) More than one man was present there.

Note:  Many is used in the following ways:

• (1)Many a man has come.
• (2)Many men have come.
• (3)A great/ A good many men have come.

A number of / a large number of / a great number of is used with plural countable noun. Hence they will take plural verb.
Example 

•  A number of students were present. (?)

Note: ‘The number of denotes the number plural countable noun. It will take singular verb.
Example 

•  The number of boys are fifty. (?)
• The number of boys is fifty. (?)

Deer, sheep, series, species, fish, crew, team, jury, air craft, counsel are certain nouns that are used in both singular and plural form. If they are used in singular sense, they take singular verb and if they are used in plural sense, they take plural verb.
Example

• (a) Our team is the best.
• (b) Our team are trying their new uniform.
• (c) There are two fish in the pond.
• (d) There are many fishes in the aquarium. (Here the word ‘fishes’ refers to different species of fish).

RULE

•  Sub. ‘and’    Plural verb

• a) Ram and Shyam are coming.

                                             
RULE

• Nouns  adjectives  ‘and’
• Idea    singular verb
• My friend, philosopher and guide have come.(change ‘have’ to ‘has’)
• Slow and steady win the race. (change ‘win’ to ‘wins’)
• Fish and chips is my favorite dish.
• a) Uncountable nouns ‘and  sentence subject
•    Sub.      Plural verb
• b) Poverty and misery  come together.

RULE
Sub  ‘as well as’, ‘with’, alongwith’, ‘together with’, ‘and not’, ‘in addition to’, ‘but’, ‘besides’,’except’, ‘rather than’, ‘accompanied by’, ‘like’, ‘unlike’, ‘no less than’, ‘nothing but’.

• a)    Ram as well as his parents is coming.
• b)    The captain along with the sailors was drowned.
• c)    My father unlike my uncles is very strict.

RULE

• ARTICLE   1ST sub
• Singular verb
• a)   A white and black gown was bought by her.
• b)  Churchil  was a great orator and a great politician of his time.(wrong)
• c)   Churchil was a great orator and politician of his time.(right)
•      Article                  sub.
•   Plural verb
•      The director and the producer have come.(right)

RULE
Subject  ‘neither…….nor’, ‘either…….or’, ‘not only’….’but also’, ‘nor’.
‘or’    ‘none-but’                verb                sub

• a)Neither Ram nor Shyam has come.
• b)Either Rohan or his friends have come.
• c)Has Rahul or Sumit come?

RULE
‘Neither  ‘none of

• a)Neither of his four sons looked after him. (wrong)
• b)None of his four sons looked after him.(right)

Either of …..’

• a) Either of the five members is at fault.(wrong)
• b) One of the five members is at fault. (right)

‘Both’           ‘not’

• a)Both of them did not take the exam.( wrong)
• b)Neither of them took the exam.(right)

RULE

• ‘Noun’ form   Plural       Singular.    Singular verb
• a) Measles, mumps, Rickets, Shingles etc.
• b) Billiards, Darts, Draughts, etc.
• c) The United States, The West Indies, etc.
• d) The Arabian Nights, Three Muskeeters, etc
• e) Physics, Economics, Civics, Statistics, Politics, Linguistics.
• 1) Mathematics is an interesting subject.
• 2) Politics is not my cup of tea.
•    ‘statistics’         ‘data’   ,   ‘Mathematics’     ‘calculation’ ‘Politics’
• Statstics have revealed multiple scams in the organization of commonwealth Games.