IBPS Clerk Subject-Verb Agreement — Study Material & 9 Practice MCQs | ZestExam

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IBPS Clerk Subject-Verb Agreement

Study Material · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

This page covers IBPS Clerk Subject-Verb Agreement with complete concept notes, 9 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Subject-Verb Agreement— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

Subject-Verb Agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject and verb in a sentence must match in number and person. Simply put, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Key RulesCore rules you must know cold

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Singular subjects take singular verbs (He runs)

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Plural subjects take plural verbs (They run)

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Collective nouns are usually singular (The team is playing)

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'And' makes subjects plural (Ram and Shyam are friends)

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'Or/Nor' follows the nearest subject (Either Ram or his friends are coming)

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

SSC CGL consistently asks 2-3 questions on Subject-Verb Agreement. Common question types include: - Error detection in sentences - Fill in the blanks with correct verb form - Sentence improvement questions - Para jumbles where agreement affects meaning Shortcut Formula for Collective Nouns: Team/Committee/Family/Government + acting as ONE unit = Singular verb Team/Committee/Family/Government + acting as INDIVIDUALS = Plural verb

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on

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Step 1

Identify the structure - 'Neither...nor' construction

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Step 2

Apply proximity rule - verb agrees with nearest subject

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Step 3

Nearest subject is 'students' (plural)

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Step 4

Therefore, use 'were' (plural verb) Answer: Neither the teacher nor the students WERE present. Worked Example 2: Question: The committee (has/have) decided to postpone the meeting.

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Step 1

Identify subject - 'committee' (collective noun)

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Step 2

Determine if acting as unit or individuals

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Step 3

'Decided' suggests unanimous action = acting as one unit

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Step 4

One unit = singular verb Answer: The committee HAS decided to postpone the meeting. Powerful Exam Shortcuts: Trick 1 - FANBOYS Rule for Subjects: When subjects joined by 'For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So' - only 'And' makes it plural, others follow proximity rule. Trick 2 - Percentage/Fraction Formula: Percent/Fraction + OF + Singular noun = Singular verb Percent/Fraction + OF + Plural noun = Plural verb Example: 50% of the water IS pure / 50% of the students ARE present Trick 3 - Distance/Time/Money Rule: When talking about total amount as ONE unit = Singular verb Example: Five kilometers IS a long distance (not 'are') Most Common Trap (#1 Student Mistake): Students get confused by words between subject and verb. Always identify the MAIN subject, ignore the words in between. Wrong thinking: 'The bag of books are heavy' (thinking 'books' is subject) Correct: 'The bag of books IS heavy' (subject is 'bag', not 'books') Quick Identification Method: Cross out prepositional phrases (of, in, on, at, with, by, for) to find the real subject. 'The leader of all political parties' → Cross out 'of all political parties' → Subject is 'leader' (singular) Special Cases to Remember: - None can be singular or plural depending on context - Each, every, either, neither are always singular - Data can be singular (modern usage) or plural (traditional) - Scissors, trousers, spectacles are always plural Exam Success Strategy: In error detection questions, immediately scan for subject-verb mismatches. This appears in 60% of grammar-based error detection questions in SSC CGL. Practice identifying the main subject by eliminating prepositional phrases and modifying clauses.

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Practice MCQs

Subject-Verb Agreement — Practice Questions

9graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

Practice 1medium

The committee of experts (A) have decided / (B) has decided / (C) are deciding / (D) were deciding to implement the new policy next month.

Practice 2medium

The number of applicants who (A) has applied / (B) have applied / (C) is applying / (D) are applying for the scholarship programme (A) is / (B) are / (C) were / (D) was surprisingly low this year.

Practice 3medium

Either the supervisor or the assistants (A) is / (B) are / (C) has been / (D) have been responsible for ensuring that all equipment (A) are / (B) is / (C) were / (D) was properly maintained.

Practice 4medium

Neither the manager nor the employees (A) was / (B) were / (C) has been / (D) have been willing to compromise on the salary dispute.

Practice 5hard

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) A series of unfortunate events that was reported / (B) by the media have caused / (C) significant damage to the reputation / (D) of the organisation. / No error

Practice 6hard

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) Each of the candidates who have applied / (B) for the position are required / (C) to submit their documents / (D) before the deadline. / No error

Practice 7hard

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) Neither the manager nor the supervisors / (B) was able to resolve / (C) the conflict that have arisen / (D) between the two teams. / No error

Practice 8hard

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) The number of applicants who has submitted / (B) their applications on time / (C) are increasing / (D) every year. / No error

Practice 9hard

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) The majority of the employees who works in this department / (B) has expressed their concerns / (C) about the new policy / (D) at the recent meeting. / No error