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REET L1+L2 · English (Language I/II)

Subject–Verb Agreement: Every Rule for Matching Subject and Verb — REET Notes

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This page gathers every rule you need for choosing a verb (verb) to match its subject (subject) in number and person, with examples — from and, as well as and either…or through each/every, a number of, collective and uncountable nouns. REET 2024 carried 9 questions from this topic, all of them as passage-based fill-in-the-blanks.

  • 9 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6–10 grammar level
  • 10 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: Purdue OWL — Subject-Verb Agreement

How REET asks this topic

REET 2024 carried 9 questions on Subject–Verb Agreement, and every one of them was set as filling a blank within a passage — choosing is/are/has/have or the correct form of a verb. The rules tested directly were: a singular verb with an uncountable/abstract noun (Mutual understanding is, Water harvesting is); with 'as well as', the verb follows the first subject (A correct policy as well as schemes is required); with 'and' joining several subjects, a plural verb (Smoke, foul water, dirty air and litter pollute); in 'X and not Y', the verb follows X (Heroism and not sacrifice is); with the relative pronoun 'that', the verb follows the antecedent (the decision … that is); and with a plural subject, the base form of the verb (The parents fulfil, People have). Some options also need you to check the meaning (A number of factors contribute), so look beyond number alone to the meaning of the sentence.

The base rule: the subject's number decides the verb

Subject–Verb Agreement means that a sentence's verb matches its subject in number (singular/plural) and person (first/second/third). In the simple present tense, a third-person singular subject (he, she, it, Ram, the boy) takes a verb with -s/-es: She writes. The boy plays. A plural subject takes the base form of the verb: They write. The parents fulfil the needs of their children.

For auxiliary verbs: singular subjects take is/was/has/does, plural subjects take are/were/have/do. 'I' takes am/was/have, and 'you' always takes are/were/have — 'You is' is never correct. Modals (can, may, must, will, should) don't change with the subject's number: He can, They can.

The most common mistake comes from the words sitting in between. The verb agrees with the subject's head noun, not with an of-phrase or a prepositional phrase that follows it: The box of pencils is on the table. One of my friends lives in Ajmer. The quality of the mangoes was poor.

Rules for compound subjects

SituationRuleExample
A and BTwo or more subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verbSmoke, foul water, dirty air and litter pollute our environment.
Two names for the same person/thingSingular, if the article comes only before the first word (one person), or if both words together name a single unit (a single dish, say)The poet and singer is here. Bread and butter is my breakfast.
Each/Every … and …Singular, when the subject begins with 'each' or 'every'Every boy and girl is present.
A as well as / along with / together with / with / besides / in addition to BThe verb follows the first subject (A)A correct policy as well as schemes is required. The teacher, with her students, is going on a trip.
A and not B / not B but AThe verb follows the subject that isn't the one negated by 'not'Heroism, and not sacrifice, is rare. Not the pupils but the teacher is to blame.
A or B / either A or B / neither A nor B / not only A but also BThe verb follows the nearer (second) subject — the principle of proximityEither Ravi or his friends are coming. Neither the students nor the teacher was late. Not only the girls but also the boy has won.

Remember: 'and' joins (plural); 'as well as' only adds along — the subject stays the first one; with 'or/nor', the nearer subject wins.[Source 1]

Rules by type of noun and pronoun

TypeVerbExample
Uncountable/abstract nouns (water, information, furniture, advice, understanding)SingularMutual understanding is an important step. The furniture is new.
A gerund (-ing) or infinitive as subjectSingularWater harvesting is an important technique. Walking daily keeps you fit.
Each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, anythingSingularEach of the students has a book. Neither of them is ready.
One of + plural nounSingular (the verb follows 'one')One of the boys was absent.
A number of + plural nounPlural (meaning: several)A number of factors contribute to a better relationship.
The number of + plural nounSingular (meaning: a count)The number of students is increasing.
Many a + singular nounSingularMany a student has passed this exam.
Plural in form, singular in meaning (news, mathematics, physics, measles)SingularThe news is good. Mathematics is my favourite subject.
Always plural (people, police, cattle, scissors, trousers, spectacles)PluralPeople have the habit of judging others. The police are here.
Collective noun (team, class, family, committee, jury) — acting as one unitSingularThe committee has taken its decision.
Collective noun — when the members act separately (mostly British usage)PluralThe jury were divided in their opinions.
An amount, distance or time treated as a single unitSingularTen kilometres is a long walk. Five hundred rupees is enough.
The + adjective (the rich, the poor, the blind) — a class of peoplePluralThe rich are not always happy.
Titles of books/filmsSingular'Gulliver's Travels' is a famous book.

There, relative pronouns, and percentage sentences

In 'There is/There are', the real subject comes after the verb, so the verb follows that: There is a pen on the desk. There are two pens on the desk.

The verb after a relative pronoun (who, which, that) agrees with its antecedent — the noun it stands in for: It is the imposed decision of the parents that is responsible… (that = decision, singular). He is one of those boys who are always punctual. (who = boys, plural). It is I who am responsible.

With percentage, fraction, part, half, all, some, most, the verb is decided by the noun that follows 'of': Half of the water is dirty. Half of the students are absent. Most of the work is done. Most of the books are old.

How to teach this to children

Inductive activity (Classes 4–6)

Write two columns on the board — 'The dog runs. The dogs run. She sings. They sing.' Ask children when -s was added and when it wasn't. Let them work out the rule themselves before the teacher confirms it; that sticks better than reciting the rule first.

Is/Are card game

Give every child an 'is' or 'are' card. The teacher calls out subjects — 'My mother', 'The mangoes', 'Water', 'Every boy and girl' — and children with the right card stand up. Add trickier subjects (as well as, either…or) gradually.

Passage editing (Classes 6–8)

Give a 6–8-sentence paragraph on a local topic (say, a stepwell or water conservation) with 5 deliberate agreement mistakes. Children find and correct the mistakes and name the rule — this is exactly REET's question format too.

Common misconceptions

Children assume that adding -s always makes a word plural, when -s on a verb actually signals a singular subject (She plays). They also match the verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject (The box of pencils are — wrong). Treating 'people' as singular and 'news' as plural are also common mistakes.

Assessment idea

Build a 10-sentence diagnostic test, one rule per sentence. Whichever rule half the class gets wrong, run remedial practice on it the next day and re-check a week later.

Exam tip

Before choosing a blank, circle the 'real subject': pencil out any of-phrase, any as well as/with clause, and any 'not' clause — whatever's left is the subject. Then, if it's or/nor, check the nearer subject. This 30-second habit solves almost every agreement question in REET.

REET 2024 questions (solved)

Question 74

Mutual understanding __________ an important step in building healthy relationship.

  1. Ahave
  2. Bhas
  3. Care
  4. Dis

Explanation

कर्ता ‘Mutual understanding’ एकवचन (singular, uncountable) noun है और वाक्य में ‘an important step’ से पहले linking verb चाहिए, इसलिए ‘is’ सही है। ‘has’ अर्थ नहीं देता और ‘have/are’ बहुवचन के साथ आते हैं।

Question 75

The parents __________ the needs of their children.

  1. Aare fulfilling
  2. Bfulfil
  3. Chas fulfilled
  4. Dis fulfilled

Explanation

कर्ता ‘The parents’ बहुवचन है, इसलिए simple present में क्रिया का मूल रूप ‘fulfil’ आएगा, जो सामान्य सत्य या नियमित कार्य बताता है। ‘has fulfilled’ और ‘is fulfilled’ एकवचन सहायक क्रिया के कारण गलत हैं, और ‘is fulfilled’ passive भी है। ‘are fulfilling’ व्याकरणिक रूप से असंभव नहीं, पर सामान्य कथन के लिए simple present उपयुक्त है, इसलिए BSER कुंजी ने (B) को माना है।

Question 76

A number of factors __________ for better relationship.

  1. Amake
  2. Bneed
  3. Ccontribute
  4. Dmakes

Explanation

‘A number of + बहुवचन संज्ञा’ बहुवचन अर्थ देता है, इसलिए क्रिया बहुवचन रूप में आएगी; ‘makes’ गलत है। अनुच्छेद का भाव यह है कि अनेक कारक बेहतर संबंध बनाने में योगदान देते हैं, इसलिए ‘contribute’ अर्थ की दृष्टि से सबसे उपयुक्त है (मानक प्रयोग ‘contribute to’ है)। BSER की अंतिम कुंजी ने (C) को सही माना है।

Question 78

It is the imposed decision of the parents that __________ responsible to spoil the child’s free thinking.

  1. Acan
  2. Bis
  3. Cheld
  4. Dwould

Explanation

Relative pronoun ‘that’ का antecedent ‘the imposed decision’ (एकवचन) है, इसलिए verb ‘is’ आएगा: ‘...that is responsible...’। ‘can/would’ के बाद ‘be’ चाहिए और ‘held’ अकेले व्याकरणिक रूप से ठीक नहीं बैठता।

Question 67

Water harvesting _____ an important technique of water conservation.

  1. Ahas
  2. Bare
  3. Chave
  4. Dis

Explanation

'Water harvesting' एक एकवचन (singular) संज्ञा-वाक्यांश है, इसलिए इसके साथ singular verb 'is' आएगा: 'Water harvesting is an important technique of water conservation.' 'are' और 'have' बहुवचन के लिए हैं तथा 'has' से वाक्य का अर्थ नहीं बनता।

Question 71

A correct policy as well as schemes _____ required to avoid water crisis.

  1. Ais
  2. Bare
  3. Chave
  4. Dwere

Explanation

जब दो कर्ता 'as well as' से जुड़े हों तो क्रिया पहले कर्ता के अनुसार होती है। यहाँ पहला कर्ता 'A correct policy' एकवचन है, इसलिए singular verb 'is' आएगा। 'are' या 'were' बहुवचन के लिए होते हैं।

Question 55

Smoke, foul water, dirty air and litter _______ our environment just as much as noise.

  1. APollute
  2. BPollutes
  3. CPolluted
  4. DPolluting

Explanation

वाक्य का subject 'Smoke, foul water, dirty air and litter' — 'and' से जुड़े कई संज्ञा शब्द बहुवचन subject बनाते हैं, इसलिए Simple Present में बहुवचन क्रिया 'Pollute' (बिना s) आएगी। 'Pollutes' एकवचन subject के लिए है।

Question 67

Heroism and not sacrificed _________ rare.

  1. Aare
  2. Bis
  3. Chas
  4. Dhave

Explanation

जब दो subject 'and not' से जुड़े हों तो क्रिया पहले subject के अनुसार आती है। यहाँ पहला subject 'Heroism' एकवचन है, इसलिए 'is' आएगा: 'Heroism and not sacrifice is rare.' (प्रश्न में 'sacrificed' छपा है।)

Question 71

People __________ the habit of passing the judgement in small things.

  1. Ahave
  2. Bis
  3. Chad
  4. Dare

Explanation

Subject 'People' बहुवचन है और गद्यांश सामान्य सत्य बताता है, इसलिए Simple Present की बहुवचन क्रिया 'have' आएगी: 'People have the habit of passing the judgement in small things.' 'is/are' के साथ वाक्य अर्थहीन होगा और 'had' Past tense है।

Practice questions

Question 1

The news of her success ______ spread quickly.

  1. Awere
  2. Bhas
  3. Care
  4. Dhave

Explanation

'News' looks plural in form but is singular in meaning, so 'has' is correct. 'Of her success' is just a phrase in between — the real subject is still 'news'.

Question 2

The teacher, along with her pupils, ______ planting trees.

  1. Aare
  2. Bis
  3. Cwere
  4. Dhave

Explanation

The part joined by 'along with' doesn't change the subject's number; the verb follows the first subject 'The teacher', which is singular, so 'is' is correct.

Question 3

Neither the principal nor the teachers ______ present at the meeting.

  1. Awere
  2. Bis
  3. Cwas
  4. Dhas been

Explanation

With 'neither…nor', the verb follows the nearer subject, 'the teachers' (plural), and the sentence is in the past tense, so 'were' is correct.

Question 4

A number of students ______ absent today.

  1. Ais
  2. Bare
  3. Cwas
  4. Dhas

Explanation

'A number of' means 'several' and takes a plural verb, so 'are' is correct.

Question 5

Every boy and every girl ______ to wear the school uniform.

  1. Aare
  2. Bwere
  3. Chave
  4. Dhas

Explanation

A compound subject starting with 'every' takes a singular verb, so 'has' is correct.

Question 6

Choose the correct sentence.

  1. AOne of my friend lives in Jaipur.
  2. BOne of my friends lives in Jaipur.
  3. COne of my friends live in Jaipur.
  4. DOne of my friend live in Jaipur.

Explanation

'One of' is followed by a plural noun (friends), and the verb follows 'one', so it's singular (lives).

Question 7

He is one of those students who ______ always helpful.

  1. Aare
  2. Bhas
  3. Cis
  4. Dwas

Explanation

'Who' has 'those students' (plural) as its antecedent, so the verb is plural, 'are'. The verb doesn't follow 'one' here.

Question 8

Twenty kilometres ______ too long a distance to walk.

  1. Aare
  2. Bwere
  3. Cis
  4. Dhave

Explanation

A distance is treated as a single unit, so it takes a singular verb, 'is', even though it looks plural in form.

Question 9

Pupils of Class 5 often write ‘My brother play cricket.’ The best first step for the teacher is to

  1. Aask them to memorise a list of 20 rules
  2. Bgive many sentence pairs like ‘He plays / They play’ and help them notice the pattern
  3. Cignore the mistake as it is unimportant
  4. Dpunish them for the mistake

Explanation

At the primary level, giving many sentence pairs like 'He plays / They play' and letting children notice the pattern themselves (the inductive approach) is the most effective first step. Punishing or making them memorise a long list of rules doesn't help learning.

Question 10

In a passage-editing task, which sentence has an ERROR of agreement?

  1. AThe police are searching for the thief.
  2. BMathematics is an interesting subject.
  3. CThe box of pencils are on the table.
  4. DThere are ten books on the shelf.

Explanation

The subject of 'The box of pencils' is 'box' (singular), so it should be 'is'; 'are' is wrong. 'Police' is always plural, 'mathematics' is singular, and 'There are ten books' is correct.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions does REET ask from Subject–Verb Agreement?+

There's no fixed number. REET 2024's shifts carried 9 questions from this rule in the English sections, all as passage-based fill-in-the-blanks.

In a sentence with 'as well as', which subject does the verb follow?+

The first subject. For example: A correct policy as well as schemes is required. The boys as well as the teacher are here.

Does 'Either…or' and 'Neither…nor' take a singular or plural verb?+

The verb follows the nearer, i.e. the second, subject: Neither the teacher nor the students were late. Either the students or the teacher is responsible.

What's the difference between 'A number of' and 'The number of'?+

'A number of' means 'several', so it takes a plural verb (A number of students are absent). 'The number of' means 'a count', so it takes a singular verb (The number of students is 40).

With 'Every boy and girl', is it 'is' or 'are'?+

'Is'. A compound subject starting with 'each' or 'every' is treated one at a time, so it takes a singular verb.

Keep reading

Sentence Types & Transformation

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Principles of Language Teaching

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REET Syllabus

The complete official syllabus for Level 1 and Level 2

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Questions, answer keys and explanations for every shift

Official Sources

  1. Purdue OWL — Subject-Verb Agreement
  2. NCERT Position Paper: National Focus Group on Teaching of English

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked