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SSC CGL Subject-Verb Agreement

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This page covers SSC CGL Subject-Verb Agreement with complete concept notes, 44 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
Simply put

Singular subject takes singular verb. Plural subject takes plural verb

Example

She writes. (Singular) | They write. (Plural) This sounds easy, but SSC CGL tests tricky situations where students get confused. Let us break everything down clearly. --- KEY RULES WITH EXAMPLES RULE 1 — SINGULAR SUBJECTS USE SINGULAR VERBS Formula: One person/thing → verb ends in -s/-es The dog barks. | Ram plays cricket. RULE 2 — PLURAL SUBJECTS USE PLURAL VERBS Formula: More than one → verb has NO -s/-es The dogs bark. | Ram and Shyam play cricket. RULE 3 — JOINED BY 'AND' = PLURAL When two subjects are joined by AND, use a plural verb. Ram and Shyam ARE good friends.

EXCEPTION

When two things refer to one idea or one person, use singular verb. Bread and butter IS my breakfast. (one food item concept) The principal and teacher IS the same person. (same person) RULE 4 — EITHER/NEITHER/NOR/OR RULE Formula: Verb agrees with the NEAREST subject. Either Ram or his brothers ARE coming. (brothers is nearest — plural verb) Either his brothers or Ram IS coming. (Ram is nearest — singular verb)

Memory HookRemember this — never confuse the two again

as: NEAREST NEIGHBOUR RULE. RULE 5 — COLLECTIVE NOUNS Words like team, committee, jury, family, crowd take SINGULAR verb when they act as one unit. The team HAS won the match. ✓ But if members act separately: The team HAVE different opinions. ✓ RULE 6 — INDEFINITE PRONOUNS Always Singular: each, every, everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, either, neither, anyone, no one. Everyone IS ready. ✓ | Each student HAS a book. ✓ Formula: SEEN = Singular → Each, Every, Either, Neither RULE 7 — TITLES, DISTANCES, AMOUNTS AS ONE UNIT When a title, distance, or amount is treated as one whole thing, use singular verb. Five kilometres IS a long walk. Ten thousand rupees IS his salary. Formula: Amount/Distance/Period as ONE unit → Singular verb RULE 8 — THERE IS / THERE ARE The verb agrees with the real subject that comes AFTER 'there'. There IS a book on the table. (book = singular) There ARE books on the table. (books = plural) RULE 9 — RELATIVE PRONOUN RULE (WHO/WHICH/THAT) The verb after who/which/that agrees with the noun it refers to (its antecedent). She is one of those students who WORK hard. (students = plural → work) She is the only one of those students who WORKS hard. (only one = singular → works) Formula: ONE OF THOSE + plural noun → plural verb | THE ONLY ONE → singular verb RULE 10 — WORDS THAT LOOK PLURAL BUT ARE SINGULAR News, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Politics, Measles, Mumps → always singular verb. The news IS shocking. | Mathematics IS my favourite subject. ---

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

SSC CGL asks Subject-Verb Agreement in: 1. Spot the Error (most common) 2. Sentence Improvement 3. Fill in the Blanks The exam hides the real subject using long phrases between subject and verb. --- SHORTCUTS AND TRICKS TRICK 1 — CROSS OUT THE MIDDLE PHRASE Ignore phrases between subject and verb to find the real subject. The quality of the mangoes (is/are) good. Cross out 'of the mangoes' → The quality ___ good → IS ✓ TRICK 2 — NEAREST NEIGHBOUR RULE (for OR/NOR/EITHER-OR/NEITHER-NOR) Verb always agrees with the subject closest to it. Neither the manager nor the employees WERE informed. (employees is nearest) TRICK 3 — SEEN FORMULA S-E-E-N → Singular verb always: Someone, Each/Every, Either, Neither ---

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Find the subject. → 'The list'

2
Step 2

Cross out the middle phrase 'of items'.

3
Step 3

The list ___ checked. → List = singular

4
Step 4

Singular subject → singular verb Answer: WAS ✓ WORKED EXAMPLE 2 Question: Either the principal or the teachers (is/are) responsible.

1
Step 1

This is an Either-Or sentence.

2
Step 2

Apply Nearest Neighbour Rule.

3
Step 3

Which subject is nearest to the verb? → 'teachers'

4
Step 4

Teachers = plural → plural verb Answer: ARE ✓ ---

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

— THE NUMBER 1 TRAP Students get confused by the phrase between subject and verb and match the verb to the WRONG noun. Example: The price of onions (has/have) increased. Students see 'onions' and write HAVE — WRONG! Real subject = 'price' (singular) → Correct answer = HAS ALWAYS cross out the 'of + noun' phrase first. The noun after 'of' is NEVER the subject.

Key Points to Remember

  • Singular subject takes singular verb; plural subject takes plural verb — this is the golden rule.
  • Two subjects joined by AND always take a plural verb, except when they refer to one idea or the same person.
  • NEAREST NEIGHBOUR RULE: With Either-Or and Neither-Nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
  • SEEN Formula: Someone, Each/Every, Either, Neither — always take a SINGULAR verb.
  • Collective nouns (team, jury, family) take singular verb when acting as one unit, plural when members act separately.
  • CROSS OUT TRICK: Eliminate the phrase between subject and verb (especially 'of + noun') to find the real subject.
  • News, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Politics, Measles — these look plural but always take a singular verb.
  • ONE OF THOSE + plural noun + who/which → plural verb; THE ONLY ONE + who/which → singular verb.
  • Amount, distance, or time period treated as a single unit takes a singular verb (e.g., Five kilometres IS long).
  • In 'There is/There are' sentences, the verb agrees with the real subject that comes AFTER 'there'.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Collective nouns like 'committee', 'jury', 'team', 'family', 'crowd' take a singular verb when they act as one body.
  • The words 'News', 'Mathematics', 'Physics', 'Economics', 'Politics', 'Civics', 'Measles', and 'Mumps' are always singular — they never take a plural verb.
  • In Either-Or / Neither-Nor constructions, the verb always agrees with the subject nearest to it — this is the Nearest Neighbour Rule.
  • Each, Every, Either, Neither, Everyone, Everybody, Someone, Nobody, Anyone — all take a singular verb without exception.
  • The phrase 'a number of' takes a PLURAL verb, but 'the number of' takes a SINGULAR verb (e.g., A number of students WERE present; The number of students WAS large).
  • In 'One of those + plural noun + who/which' constructions, the verb after who/which is PLURAL; in 'The only one of those' constructions, the verb is SINGULAR.
  • Nouns like 'trousers', 'scissors', 'spectacles', 'tongs', 'cattle', 'people', 'police' are always plural and take a plural verb.
Practice MCQs

Subject-Verb Agreement — Practice Questions

44graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 44

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Practice 1easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. The team of players (A) / are preparing (B) / for the national championship (C) / next month. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 2easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. Either the manager or the employees (A) / has to (B) / attend the meeting (C) / on Friday evening. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 3easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. The number of applicants (A) / have increased (B) / significantly this year (C) / compared to last year. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 4easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. Neither the principal nor the teachers (A) / was aware (B) / of the new policy (C) / announced yesterday. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 5easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. The committee (A) / have decided (B) / to implement new rules (C) / for the organisation. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 6easy

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. Neither the manager nor the employees (A) was (B) present at the conference (C) yesterday. (D) No error (E)

Practice 7easy

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. Each of the students (A) have submitted (B) their assignment (C) on time. (D) No error (E)

Practice 8easy

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. The number of applicants (A) have increased (B) significantly this year (C) compared to last year. (D) No error (E)

Practice 9easy

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. The committee (A) have decided (B) to postpone the meeting (C) until next week. (D) No error (E)

Practice 10easy

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. Either the principal or the teachers (A) is (B) responsible for organizing (C) the annual function. (D) No error (E)

Practice 11easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) The number of applicants / (B) have increased / (C) significantly / (D) this year. / No error

Practice 12easy

The committee (A) / have decided (B) / to postpone the meeting (C) / until next month. (D) No error (E)

Practice 13easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) The committee / (B) have decided / (C) to implement / (D) new policies. / No error

Practice 14easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) Either the principal or the teachers / (B) is / (C) responsible for / (D) organising the annual event. / No error

Practice 15easy

Neither the manager nor the employees (A) / was (B) / satisfied with the new policy (C) / announced yesterday. (D) No error (E)

Practice 16easy

Either the principal or the teachers (A) / is responsible (B) / for ensuring that (C) / the students attend classes regularly. (D) No error (E)

Practice 17easy

The quality of the mangoes (A) / sold in this market (B) / are not (C) / up to the mark. (D)

Practice 18easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) Each of the students / (B) have completed / (C) their assignments / (D) on time. / No error

Practice 19easy

In the following sentence, one part is underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. (A) Neither the manager nor the employees / (B) was / (C) satisfied with / (D) the salary revision. / No error

Practice 20medium

The number of applicants (A) have increased / (B) has increased / (C) are increasing / (D) is increasing significantly this year. No error

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60-Second Revision — Subject-Verb Agreement

  • Remember: Cross out the phrase between subject and verb — the noun after 'OF' is NEVER the real subject.
  • Formula: SEEN = Singular verb always — Someone, Each/Every, Either, Neither.
  • Formula: Nearest Neighbour Rule — in Either-Or / Neither-Nor, verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
  • Trap: 'A number of' = plural verb; 'The number of' = singular verb — this is a very common SSC trick question.
  • Remember: News, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Politics, Measles are singular — never use 'are' with them.
  • Formula: Amount / Distance / Time as one unit → always singular verb (e.g., Five hours IS enough).
  • Trap: Collective nouns (team, jury) → singular verb if acting as one unit; plural verb only if members act individually.
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