Important Subject/ Verb Agreement Rules

Rule  1:  structure:  none + of the + non-count noun + singular verbExamples:

·                     None of the counterfeit money have been found  ✘

·                     None of the counterfeit money has been found  ✔

Structure: none + of the + plural count noun + plural verb Examples:

·                     None of the students has finished the exam yet  ✘

·                     None of the students have finished the exam yet  ✔

No can take either a singular or plural verb depending on the noun which follows it. 
Structure:  No + singular noun + singular verb

·                     No example is relevant to this case  ✔

·                     Structure: no + plural noun + plural verb

·                     No examples are relevant to this case  ✔

  

Rule 2:  Many words indicating a number of people or animals are singular. The following nouns are usually singular. In some cases they are plural if the sentence indicates that the individual members are acting separately.
congress, family, group, committee, class, organisation, team, army, club, crowd, government, jury, minority, public 
Examples of collective nouns: 

·                     The committee have met and accepted the proposal  ✘

·                     The committee has met and accepted the proposal ✔

·                     The family were happy at the news  ✘

·                     The family was happy at the news  ✔

·                     The crowd was wild with excitement  ✔

·                     Congress has initiated a new plan to combat inflation  ✔

·                     Our team is certain to win the match ✔

·                     The family living next door often quarrel among themselves ✔

Rule 3:  Majority can be singular or plural. If it is alone it is usually singular, if it is followed by a plural noun, it is usually plural. 

·                     The majority believe that the country can progress  ✘

·                     The majority believes that the country can progress  ✔

·                     The majority of the lecturers believes that the student has not copied in the examination  ✘

·                     The majority of the lecturers believe that the student has not copied in the examination  ✔

               

Rule 4:  A number of / the number
Observe the two structures:
(i)  a number of + plural noun + plural verb.
(ii)  the number of + plural noun + singular verb.
Examples:

·                      A number of students is going to the class picnic  ✘

·                     A number of students are going to the class picnic ✔

·                     The number of days in a week are seven  ✘

·                     The number of days in a week is seven  ✔

·                     The number of residents who have been residing in this colony is quite small  ✔

·                     A number of the applicants have already been interviewed  ✔

Rule 5:  Collective nouns indicating time, money, and measurements used as a whole are singular and take a singular verb.
Examples:

·                     Twenty-five rupees are not such big amount for him ✘

·                     Twenty-five rupees is not such big amount for him ✔

·                     Two miles are too much for this man to run ✘

·                     Two miles is too much for this man to run ✔

  

Rule 6:  When a lot of, a great deal of, plenty of, most of, and some of refer to number, a plural verb is used.
Examples:

·                     A lot of people was present in the gallery some of the students were absent  ✘

·                     A lot of people were present in the gallery some of the students were absent  ✔

·                     Note : If these expressions refer to an amount, the verb is in the singular number.

·                     A lot of work has to be completed before we go  ✔

·                     A great deal of work has been finished  ✔

  

Rule 7:  When the percentage or a part of something is mentioned with plural meaning the plural verb is used. Examples:

·                     30% of Indian women is literate  ✘

·                     30% of Indian women are literate  ✔

Rule 8:  ‘Barracks’, headquarters, ‘whereabouts’ ‘alms’ etc. take a singular verb, as well as the plural verb. Examples:

·                     The headquarters of the UNO is / are New York ✔

Rule 9:In sports, while referring to the players, the name of the country is followed by plural verb. Examples:

·                     England has won the World Cup  ✘

·                     England have won the World Cup.  ✔

 Rule 10:  When the ‘enemy’ is used in the sense “armed forces” of a nation with which one’s country is at war, we have to use the plural verb.
Examples:

·                      The enemy were forced to retreat.  ✔