CBSE Class 9 English Subject Verb Concord Worksheet

SUBJECT-VERB CONCORD

A verb agrees with the subject in number and person. A singular takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

I. She is a good speaker.
II. They are good speakers.
In sentence (I) the subject she‘ is in the singular number; the verb is also in the singular. But in sentence (II) the subject they‘ is in the plural number; the verb are‘ is also in the plural.

For example:
(a) Girls are taking a test.
(b) Boys were weeping bitterly.
(c) They have not finished the task.
(d) Geeta is reciting a poem.
(e) My sister does not tell lies.

In the above sentences, the verbs have changed according to the person of the subject. Thus, we know that the verb agrees with the subject in number and person. This is known in grammar as subject-verb concord.

1. Two or more singular subject joined by ‗and‘ takes a plural verb.
For example:
You and I are friends.

2. When two subjects are joined by as well as the verb agrees with the first subject.
For example:
Her friends as well as she are talkative

3. Either, neither, each, every an everyone are followed by a singular verb.
For example:
Each of them is lovable.

4. When two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular.
For example:
My sister and friend has come.

5. When two subjects together express one idea, the verb may be in the singular.
For example:
Two and two makes four.

6. When a plural noun expresses some specific quantity or amount considered as a whole, the verb is in singular.
For example:
Twenty kilos of rice is not much for the month.

7. When two or more singular subjects are connected by with‘, together with‘ and not‘, besides‘ no less than‘ the verb is in singular.
For example:
He and not you is to blame.

8. The verb agrees with the number of the nouns that follow the verb.
For example:
There are five girls in the office.

9. Some nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take a singular verb.
For example:
English is my favorite subject.

10. A plural noun which is the name of a country or province or the title of a book, is followed by a singular verb.
For example:
West Indies is a black country.
‘Human values‟ is written by M.K. Diwan.

11. A collective noun generally takes a singular verb when the subject stands for the collection as a whole and a plural verb when the subject stands for the individuals of which is composed.
For example:
The whole class is present.
The teams are celebrating their victory.

12. A relative pronoun must agree with its antecedent gender, number an person.
For example:
It is I who am to blame.

Solved Example

1. Fill in the blanks appropriately.
(a) Neither you nor your friends…………passed the examination nor is it really shameful.
(b) None of the conspiracy ............. succeeded and this is really great.
(c) All of the food...............been consumed.
Answer.
(a) have
(b) has
(c) has

Questions for Practice

1. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate answer.
(a) Her friends as well as Rama… ........studying for last one Hour.
(b) Each of you… ............... responsible for the tragedy.
(c) Your cousin and friend........... come.

2. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate answer.
(a) None of the plans…........ succeeded.
(b) Some of these books… ...... really in bad position.
(c) Some of the water…........ Finished.

3. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate answer.
(a) Most of the money… ......... spent.
(b) There any food left?
(c) All of it................ been eaten.

4. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate answer.
(a) Bread and butter.............. her favorite breakfast.
(b) Bread and butter .............very costly nowadays.
(c) Twenty kilos of flour.............. insufficient for such a large family.

Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the option with the correct form of verb that agrees with the subject.

Question. The regulations of the administration .......... from the curriculum.
(a) stem
(b) stems
(c) stemming
(d) are stemmed
Answer. (a)

Question. The children of the man who works with me .......... broken the window this morning.
(a) were
(b) have
(c) had
(d) has
Answer. (b)

Question. One man among the crew .......... into the water every week.
(a) dive
(b) had dived
(c) is diving
(d) dives
Answer. (d)

Question. The men of the community .......... not support the leader.
(a) does
(b) have
(c) has
(d) do
Answer. (d)

Question. Few students who .......... playing football missed the class.
(a) would be
(b) could be
(c) had
(d) were
Answer. (d)

Question. The police .......... to be careful since the criminal was dangerous.
(a) were told
(b) were telling
(c) was telling
(d) was saying
Answer. (a)

Question. Students’minds .......... about the order of structures.
(a) has been confused
(b) have been confused
(c) had confused
(d) have confused
Answer. (b)

Question. The man whom I was talking with .......... the Dean of our faculty.
(a) were
(b) are
(c) is
(d) was
Answer. (d)

Question. Neither the man nor his son .......... convinced of the idea.
(a) had
(b) has
(c) was
(d) have
Answer. (c)

Question. Do you know the woman .......... next to the window?
(a) stands
(b) is standing
(c) stand
(d) standing
Answer. (d)

Question. He and I .......... good friends but now we won’t talk anymore.
(a) have been
(b) am
(c) were
(d) was
Answer. (c)

Question. Although every student in my class .......... the schedule, one of my students always comes late to the class.
(a) knew
(b) knowing
(c) know
(d) knows
Answer. (d)

Question. After the meeting, he said a great deal of advice .......... .
(a) were given
(b) has been given
(c) had been given
(d) have been given
Answer. (c)

Question. Only when each of the committee members ..........reading the instructions can you take them to the hall.
(a) would finish
(b) is finishing
(c) finish
(d) finishes
Answer. (d)

Question. Istanbul .......... in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror.
(a) had been conquered
(b) conquered
(c) was conquered
(d) would be conquered
Answer. (c)

Question. Mohan ..................... not get up before sunrise.
(a) is
(b) do
(c) does
(d) have
Answer. C

Question. Mathematics ..................... my favourite subject.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) were
(d) has
Answer. A

Question. He as well as his classmates ..................... working.
(a) have
(b) was
(c) is
(d) are
Answer. C

Question. He ..................... not go there.
(a) needs
(b) need
(c) has
(d) have
Answer. B

Question. He ..................... not speak like this.
(a) dares
(b) has
(c) have
(d) dare
Answer. D

Question. Ashok ..................... his house before I called on him.
(a) is left
(b) had left
(c) has left
(d) is leaving
Answer. B

Question. The sun ..................... by day and the moon by night.
(a) shone
(b) shining
(c) shines
(d) shine.
Answer. C

Question. She ..................... college since last June.
(a) have been attending
(b) has been attending
(c) was attending
(d) is attending
Answer. B

Question. You ..................... your award tomorrow.
(a) receiving
(b) received
(c) will receive
(d) would receive
Answer. C

Question. He ..................... the newspaper when Santosh came in.
(a) read
(b) was reading
(c) reading
(d) will read
Answer. B

Fill in the blanks with correct form of verb that agrees with the subject.

Question. Anita and her brothers .......... at school.
Answer. are

Question. Either my father or my mother .......... coming to the meeting.
Answer. is

Question. Ravi and Rahul .......... want to see the play.
Answer. don’t

Question. He .......... know the answer.
Answer. doesn’t

Question. One of my friends ........... going to London on a trip.
Answer. is

Question. The man with all the cats .......... on my street.
Answer. lives

Question. The movie, including all the previews, .......... about two hours to watch.
Answer. takes

Question. The players, as well as the captain, .......... to win.
Answer. want

Question. Either answer .......... acceptable.
Answer. is

Question. Everyone of those books .......... fiction.
Answer. is

B.
Question. Nobody .......... the problems I have faced.
Answer. knows

Question. This is one of the best movies that .......... been released this year.
Answer. have

Question. Fifty rupees .......... the fare from Patel Nagar to Shivaji Nagar.
Answer. is

Question. There .......... fifteen candles in that bag. Now there.......... (is/are) only one left.
Answer. were, is

Question. The committee .......... these questions carefully.
Answer. debates

Question. The committee members .......... very different lives in private.
Answer. lead

Question. All of the vases, even the cracked one, ........ in this box.
Answer. are

Question. Two-thirds of the city .......... in ruins.
Answer. is

Question. The formation of paragraphs ............ very important.
Answer. is

Question. No news .......... good news.
Answer. is

II. Complete the following lines with appropriate verb that agrees with the subject.

Question. When does next boat .......... ?
Answer. leave

Question. Why does the article .......... famous singers?
Answer. mention

Question. My mother loves to .......... ancient temples.
Answer. see

Question. Where .......... they like to go on vacation?
Answer. do

Question. Most of the milk .......... gone bad.
Answer. has

Question. A number ofmy friends .......... (love/loves) riding bicycles, but neither my brother nor my sister own a bicycle.
Answer. love

Question. The pair of shoes on the floor .......... mine.
Answer. is

Question. Finding a job where you can learn new skills .......... a lot of effort.
Answer. takes

Question. A photograph of two children ............ on the desk.
Answer. sits

Question. This website .......... useful for studying English.
Answer. is

Complete the following sentences with verb that agree with the subject.

Question. Bread and butter ..................... my favourite breakfast.
Answer. is

Question. Neither Ramesh nor his friends ..................... hurt.
Answer. was

Question. Slow and steady ..................... (win) the race.
Answer. wins

Question. There ..................... sixty students in our class.
Answer. are

Question. No news ..................... good news.
Answer. is

Question. Mohan ..................... not get up before sunrise.
Answer. does

Question. Mathematics ..................... my favourite subject.
Answer. is

Question. He as well as his classmates ..................... working.
Answer. is

Question. He ..................... not go there.
Answer. need

Question. He ..................... not speak like this.
Answer. dare

Question. Ashok ..................... (leave) his house before I called on him.
Answer. had left

Question. The sun ..................... (shine) by day and the moon by night.
Answer. shines

Question. She ..................... (attend) college since last June.
Answer. has been attending

Question. You ..................... (receive) your award tomorrow.
Answer. will receive

Question. He ..................... (read) the newspaper when Santosh came in.
Answer. was reading

A. In each the following sentences supply a verb in agreement with its subject :

- The cost of all these articles _________risen.
- That night every one of the boat’s crew _________ down with fever.
- One or the other of those fellows ____________ stolen the watch.
- No news _____________good news.
- The accountant and the cashier r __________ absconded.
- A good man and useful citizen ______passed away.
- Each of the suspected men ________ arrested.
- The add and flow of the tides________ explained by Newton.
- Neither his father nor his mother _________alive.
- Two –thirds of the city __________in ruins.
- Man’s happiness or misery________ in a great measure in his own
- The cow as well as the horse __________ _grass.
- The three Musketeers __________written by Dumas.
- Ninety rupees___________ too much for this bag.
- To take pay and then not to do work_______ dishonesty.

B. There is an error in each of the lines of the passage given below. Write the incorrect word and the corrections against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

The sage of the educational institutions are turning bitter. (a)___________________ IITians has reacted with shock after the union HRD minister (b)__________________ have raised questions about the quality of the IITs comparing the (c) ___________________ II Ts to the University of Roorkee were like comparing.1000c.c (d) ___________________ bikes to 100 c.c bikes “says students of I.I.T. Kanpur .”No other (e) ________________ institution can drem of doing what IITs has done,” claims (f)__________ a senior professor. Other faculty members point out the ( g)_____________ contribution of the institutes to the country’s defence and space programmes in the end it boil down to a question of quality versus quantity. (h)________

C. Fill in the blanks with the corrector of the verb given in the brackets.

Vivek has gone to the bank. He (a) ………… (want) to take out some money. First he (b) ………(have) to fill in a form for a new cheque book, as all the cheque in the old book (c) ………… (has) already been used. He (d) ………… (make) out a cheque for the amount he (e) ………… (inform) him about the ATM and E-Banking which (g) ………….. (be) introduced shortly. The manager as well as counter clerks (h) …………… (try) to persuade him to go infor an ATM card.

D. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each of the lines. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied’.

- The floods in Orissa are a lifetime.

- Experience for the peoples of the state. It will

- Take them year to come out of it. Some

- People have been rendered homeless. They has

- Lost everything they had. There are no hope For the future. The government’s procedure regarding

- Rehabilitations are very slow and also

- This have led to lot of frustration

- Among the masses. Inspite of fund pouring in, It is sad to note that timely succour is not being provided to the people.

ANSWERS

A. I has ii. Was iii. Has iv. Is v. have vi. Has vii. is/was viii. Was ix. Is x. is xi. Is xii. Eats 
B. (a) are is (b). has have (c) have has (d) were was (e) says say (f) has have (g) points point (h) boil boils
C (a) wants b. has c. have d. makes e. thinks inform g. is being h. tries.