Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement English Grammar का एक बहुत important topic है। इसका अर्थ है कि sentence में Subject और Verb के बीच number (वचन) और person (पुरुष) के अनुसार सही agreement होना चाहिए।

Singular Subject → Singular Verb
Plural Subject → Plural Verb

1. Subject और Verb क्या हैं?

Subject वह व्यक्ति, वस्तु या चीज है जो sentence में action करती है या जिसके बारे में कुछ बताया जाता है।

Verb वह word है जो action या state को बताता है।

Example:

• Ram plays cricket.
• The boys play cricket.

पहले sentence में Ram singular है, इसलिए plays आया। दूसरे sentence में boys plural है, इसलिए play आया।

2. सबसे Important Basic Rule

He/She/It + V1 + s/es
I/We/You/They + V1

Subject	Correct Verb	Example
He	plays	He plays cricket.
She	reads	She reads a book.
It	works	It works well.
I	play	I play cricket.
We	play	We play cricket.
You	play	You play cricket.
They	play	They play cricket.

3. Be Verbs के साथ Agreement

Subject	Be Verb	Example
I	am	I am ready.
He	is	He is happy.
She	is	She is a teacher.
It	is	It is useful.
We	are	We are ready.
You	are	You are right.
They	are	They are students.

4. Has और Have का प्रयोग

He/She/It + has
I/We/You/They + have

• He has a car.
• She has a book.
• Ram has a bicycle.
• I have a pen.
• We have a house.
• They have many books.

5. Does और Do का प्रयोग

He/She/It + does
I/We/You/They + do

• He does his work.
• She does her homework.
• They do their work.
• We do our homework.

6. Two Subjects Joined by “And”

जब दो अलग-अलग Singular Subjects को and से जोड़ा जाता है, तो सामान्यतः Plural Verb आती है।

• Ram and Shyam are friends.
• Ram and Sita play together.
• The teacher and the student are in the room.
• Honesty and hard work are important.

Subject + and + Subject → Plural Verb

7. लेकिन एक ही व्यक्ति/वस्तु हो तो Singular Verb

यदि दो nouns को and से जोड़ा गया है लेकिन वे एक ही person या एक ही idea को refer करते हैं, तो Singular Verb आ सकती है।

• The owner and manager is here.
• Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast.
• Slow and steady wins the race.

8. “Each” और “Every” के साथ Singular Verb

Each और Every के बाद आने वाला noun singular होता है और verb भी singular होती है।

• Each student has a book.
• Each boy plays cricket.
• Every student is present.
• Every child needs love.
• Each of the boys is ready.
• Every one of them has a ticket.

9. “Either...or” और “Neither...nor”

Either...or और Neither...nor में verb सामान्यतः उस Subject के अनुसार होती है जो verb के सबसे पास होता है।

• Either Ram or his friends are coming.
• Either his friends or Ram is coming.
• Neither Ram nor his brothers are ready.
• Neither the boys nor the teacher is absent.

10. “Not only...but also”

Not only...but also में भी verb सामान्यतः nearest Subject के अनुसार होती है।

• Not only Ram but also his friends are ready.
• Not only his friends but also Ram is ready.
• Not only the teacher but also the students were present.

11. Collective Nouns

Collective noun ऐसे noun हैं जो एक group को बताते हैं, जैसे: team, family, committee, class, jury, audience, army आदि।

जब group को एक unit के रूप में माना जाता है, तो Singular Verb का प्रयोग सामान्यतः किया जाता है।

• The team is ready.
• The family is happy.
• The committee has taken a decision.
• The class is silent.
• The audience was large.

लेकिन जब group के individual members पर अलग-अलग focus हो, तो context के अनुसार plural verb भी मिल सकती है।

12. “A Number of” और “The Number of”

यह Bihar Board exam में बहुत useful rule है।

A number of + Plural Noun + Plural Verb
The number of + Plural Noun + Singular Verb

• A number of students are absent.
• A number of people have joined the meeting.
• The number of students is increasing.
• The number of books is limited.

13. “One of” के साथ Singular Verb

One of + Plural Noun के बाद main verb Singular होती है क्योंकि actual Subject “one” है।

• One of my friends is a doctor.
• One of the boys has won the prize.
• One of the students was absent.
• One of the books is missing.

14. “Each of / Either of / Neither of”

इन expressions के बाद noun plural हो सकता है, लेकिन verb सामान्यतः Singular रहती है।

• Each of the students is present.
• Either of the answers is correct.
• Neither of the boys is ready.
• Each of them has a book.

15. Uncountable Nouns के साथ Singular Verb

कुछ nouns दिखने में बहुत मात्रा बताते हैं लेकिन grammar में Uncountable होते हैं। इनके साथ सामान्यतः Singular Verb आती है।

Examples: advice, information, furniture, luggage, news, knowledge, bread, water, milk

• The news is true.
• The information is useful.
• The furniture is expensive.
• His advice is helpful.
• The luggage is heavy.

16. Words Ending in “-s” लेकिन Singular

कुछ nouns “s” पर खत्म होते हैं लेकिन Singular माने जाते हैं।

• Mathematics is difficult.
• Physics is interesting.
• Economics is an important subject.
• Politics is complicated.
• The news is shocking.

17. Plural-looking Nouns

कुछ nouns सामान्यतः plural verb लेते हैं।

• My trousers are new.
• These scissors are sharp.
• His spectacles are broken.
• These clothes are dirty.

18. “There is / There are”

“There” के बाद आने वाला वास्तविक Subject यह तय करता है कि is या are आएगा।

• There is a book on the table.
• There is a student in the room.
• There are two books on the table.
• There are many students in the class.

Singular Subject → There is
Plural Subject → There are

19. “As well as”, “Along with”, “Together with”

इन expressions से जुड़े additional nouns Subject की number को सामान्यतः नहीं बदलते। Verb पहले Subject के अनुसार होगी।

• Ram, along with his friends, is coming.
• The teacher, as well as the students, is present.
• The students, along with their teacher, are going.
• My father, together with his friends, has arrived.

20. “With”, “Together with”, “Including”

• Ram with his friends is going to school.
• The teacher with the students is in the classroom.
• The box, including the books, is heavy.
• The boys, including Ram, are ready.

21. Fractions और Percentages

Fraction या percentage के बाद Verb उस noun के अनुसार होती है जिसे fraction/percentage represent करता है।

• Half of the water is wasted.
• Half of the students are absent.
• Two-thirds of the work is complete.
• Two-thirds of the students are present.
• Ten percent of the money is missing.
• Ten percent of the students are absent.

22. Amount of Money, Time and Distance

जब money, time या distance को एक single amount/unit के रूप में माना जाता है, तो Singular Verb आती है।

• Ten rupees is enough.
• Five years is a long time.
• Ten kilometres is a long distance.
• Two hours is enough for this work.

23. Gerund as Subject

जब verb + ing यानी Gerund sentence का Subject हो, तो उसे एक singular activity माना जाता है और Singular Verb आती है।

• Swimming is good exercise.
• Reading books is a good habit.
• Walking every morning is healthy.
• Playing cricket is his hobby.

24. Infinitive as Subject

Infinitive phrase को भी एक single idea माना जाता है।

• To read books is useful.
• To help others is a good habit.
• To speak the truth is important.

25. “Who, Which, That” के साथ Verb

Relative pronoun who, which, that जिस noun को refer करता है, उसी के अनुसार verb आएगी।

• He is one of the boys who work hard.
• She is the only student who works hard.
• This is the book that contains useful information.
• These are the books that contain useful information.

26. Subject और बीच के Words से Confuse न हों

कई बार Subject और Verb के बीच extra words होते हैं। Verb actual Subject के अनुसार होगी।

• The quality of these apples is good.
• The students in this class are intelligent.
• The box of books is heavy.
• The books in the box are new.

27. Do, Does और Did के साथ Rule

जब do/does/did helping verb के रूप में आए, तो main verb हमेशा V1 में रहती है।

• He does not play cricket.
• She does not like tea.
• They do not play cricket.
• Did he go there?
• Did they finish the work?

28. Modal Verbs के साथ Agreement

Can, could, may, might, must, should, will, would आदि modal verbs के बाद main verb की V1 आती है। Subject singular हो या plural, modal के बाद verb में s/es नहीं लगता।

• He can play cricket.
• They can play cricket.
• She will come tomorrow.
• They will come tomorrow.
• He must obey the rules.
• They must obey the rules.

29. Subject-Verb Agreement पहचानने की Method

1. सबसे पहले sentence का main Subject खोजिए।
2. देखिए Subject Singular है या Plural।
3. Subject और Verb के बीच के extra words को temporarily ignore कीजिए।
4. फिर सही Verb चुनिए।
5. यदि and, either-or, neither-nor आदि हैं, तो उनके special rules लगाइए।
6. यदि sentence question/negative है, तो helping verb को भी check कीजिए।

30. Common Errors

Wrong	Correct
He play cricket.	He plays cricket.
She go to school.	She goes to school.
They plays cricket.	They play cricket.
Ram and Shyam is friends.	Ram and Shyam are friends.
Each student have a book.	Each student has a book.
The news are true.	The news is true.
A number of students is absent.	A number of students are absent.
The number of students are increasing.	The number of students is increasing.
He does not plays cricket.	He does not play cricket.
Did she went there?	Did she go there?
Ram along with his friends are coming.	Ram along with his friends is coming.
One of the boys are absent.	One of the boys is absent.

31. Board Important Rules – Quick Table

Expression	Verb	Example
Each + noun	Singular	Each boy is ready.
Every + noun	Singular	Every student has a book.
One of + plural noun	Singular	One of the boys is absent.
Each of + plural noun	Singular	Each of them is ready.
A number of + plural noun	Plural	A number of students are absent.
The number of + plural noun	Singular	The number of students is high.
Either...or	Nearest Subject	Either Ram or his friends are coming.
Neither...nor	Nearest Subject	Neither the boys nor Ram is ready.
Not only...but also	Nearest Subject	Not only Ram but also his friends are ready.
Along with	First Subject	Ram along with friends is coming.
As well as	First Subject	She as well as her sisters is present.
Uncountable noun	Singular	The information is useful.
There is	Singular	There is a book.
There are	Plural	There are books.

32. Practice Set – A: Fill in the Blanks

1. Ram ___ to school every day. (go/goes)
2. They ___ cricket every evening. (play/plays)
3. She ___ English very well. (speak/speaks)
4. The boys ___ in the field. (run/runs)
5. My father ___ a car. (have/has)
6. We ___ two books. (has/have)
7. Each student ___ a notebook. (has/have)
8. Every child ___ love. (need/needs)
9. Ram and Shyam ___ friends. (is/are)
10. The teacher and the student ___ present. (is/are)
11. The news ___ true. (is/are)
12. Mathematics ___ my favourite subject. (is/are)
13. A number of students ___ absent. (is/are)
14. The number of students ___ increasing. (is/are)
15. One of the boys ___ absent. (is/are)
16. Either Ram or his friends ___ coming. (is/are)
17. Either his friends or Ram ___ coming. (is/are)
18. Neither the boys nor the teacher ___ ready. (is/are)
19. The quality of these products ___ good. (is/are)
20. The books in the box ___ new. (is/are)

33. Practice Set – B: Choose the Correct Verb

1. She (read/reads) a book every day.
2. They (go/goes) to school together.
3. He (do/does) his homework regularly.
4. We (has/have) enough time.
5. Each of the students (is/are) ready.
6. Every boy (has/have) a pen.
7. The family (is/are) happy.
8. The information (is/are) useful.
9. Five years (is/are) a long time.
10. Half of the students (is/are) absent.
11. Half of the water (is/are) wasted.
12. Ram along with his friends (is/are) coming.
13. Not only Ram but also his brothers (is/are) ready.
14. Not only his brothers but also Ram (is/are) ready.
15. There (is/are) many students in the classroom.
16. There (is/are) a book on the table.
17. Swimming (is/are) good exercise.
18. My trousers (is/are) new.
19. Either the teacher or the students (is/are) responsible.
20. Neither the students nor the teacher (is/are) responsible.

34. Practice Set – C: Find and Correct the Error

1. He go to school every day.
2. She do not like tea.
3. They plays football.
4. Each boy have a book.
5. Every student are present.
6. Ram and Shyam is brothers.
7. The news are shocking.
8. A number of students is absent.
9. The number of students are increasing.
10. One of the boys are my friend.
11. He does not plays cricket.
12. Did she went to Patna?
13. Ram along with his friends are coming.
14. The quality of these apples are good.
15. There is many books on the table.

35. Practice Set – D: Board-Level Mixed Questions

1. The teacher ___ English every day. (teach/teaches)
2. The students ___ their homework regularly. (do/does)
3. Each of the players ___ a uniform. (has/have)
4. Neither Ram nor his friends ___ ready. (is/are)
5. Neither his friends nor Ram ___ ready. (is/are)
6. The furniture ___ very expensive. (is/are)
7. A pair of shoes ___ on the table. (is/are)
8. The shoes ___ new. (is/are)
9. Ten kilometres ___ a long distance. (is/are)
10. Ten students ___ absent. (is/are)
11. Reading books ___ a good habit. (is/are)
12. My brother as well as his friends ___ coming. (is/are)
13. My brothers as well as their friend ___ coming. (is/are)
14. The committee ___ taken a decision. (has/have)
15. The police ___ investigating the case. (is/are)
16. There ___ a problem in this question. (is/are)
17. There ___ many problems in this chapter. (is/are)
18. One of my friends ___ a teacher. (is/are)
19. Every one of the students ___ a notebook. (has/have)
20. The percentage of successful students ___ high. (is/are)

36. Practice Set – E: Advanced Thinking Questions

1. The quality of the books ___ excellent. (is/are)
2. The books in the library ___ useful. (is/are)
3. A group of students ___ waiting outside. (is/are)
4. A number of people ___ attended the meeting. (has/have)
5. The number of applicants ___ very high. (is/are)
6. Each of these answers ___ correct. (is/are)
7. Neither of the answers ___ correct. (is/are)
8. Either of the two books ___ useful. (is/are)
9. Two-thirds of the land ___ dry. (is/are)
10. Two-thirds of the students ___ present. (is/are)
11. Five hundred rupees ___ enough for this book. (is/are)
12. Five hundred students ___ present. (is/are)
13. Slow and steady ___ the race. (win/wins)
14. Bread and butter ___ my breakfast. (is/are)
15. The owner and manager ___ here. (is/are)

37. Answer Key – Practice Set A

1. goes
2. play
3. speaks
4. run
5. has
6. have
7. has
8. needs
9. are
10. are
11. is
12. is
13. are
14. is
15. is
16. are
17. is
18. is
19. is
20. are

38. Answer Key – Practice Set B

1. reads
2. go
3. does
4. have
5. is
6. has
7. is
8. is
9. is
10. are
11. is
12. is
13. are
14. is
15. are
16. is
17. is
18. are
19. are
20. is

39. Answer Key – Practice Set C

1. He goes to school every day.
2. She does not like tea.
3. They play football.
4. Each boy has a book.
5. Every student is present.
6. Ram and Shyam are brothers.
7. The news is shocking.
8. A number of students are absent.
9. The number of students is increasing.
10. One of the boys is my friend.
11. He does not play cricket.
12. Did she go to Patna?
13. Ram along with his friends is coming.
14. The quality of these apples is good.
15. There are many books on the table.

40. Answer Key – Practice Set D

1. teaches
2. do
3. has
4. are
5. is
6. is
7. is
8. are
9. is
10. are
11. is
12. is
13. are
14. has
15. are
16. is
17. are
18. is
19. has
20. is

41. Answer Key – Practice Set E

1. is
2. are
3. is
4. have
5. is
6. is
7. is
8. is
9. is
10. are
11. is
12. is
13. are
14. has
15. is

42. Board Exam Strategy

43. Quick Revision

Rule	Remember
He/She/It	V1 + s/es
I/We/You/They	V1
Each/Every	Singular Verb
One of	Singular Verb
A number of	Plural Verb
The number of	Singular Verb
Either...or	Nearest Subject
Neither...nor	Nearest Subject
Along with	First Subject
As well as	First Subject
News/Information/Furniture	Singular Verb
Does/Did	V1
Modal + Verb	V1