Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement (also known as concord) is a fundamental rule of grammar stating that a verb must agree in number and person with its subject. A singular subject requires a singular verb, while a plural subject requires a plural verb. While this sounds straightforward, English has many complex rules regarding subjects that can confuse learners.

Complications arise when words are placed between the subject and the verb, such as prepositional phrases ('one of the boxes IS...'). Other tricky areas include compound subjects joined by 'and' or 'or', collective nouns that can represent a single unit or multiple individuals, indefinite pronouns, and sentences starting with 'there' or 'here' where the subject follows the verb.

Both the CBSE syllabus and Cambridge standards check subject-verb agreement extensively. Concord errors are among the most common mistakes in student writing and form the core of editing, error correction, and gap-filling questions. Developing a strong eye for identifying the true subject of a sentence is the key to mastering this topic.