Grammar
What is Grammar?
The noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb or is described by the verb.
Key points
- To correctly identify the subject of a sentence.
- To determine the number (singular/plural) of the subject.
- To select the appropriate verb form that agrees with the subject.
- To apply subject-verb agreement rules in various sentence constructions.
Common exam trap
Ignoring intervening phrases and agreeing the verb with the nearest noun instead of the actual subject.
Definitions
- Term
Subject
- Meaning
The noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb or is described by the verb.
- Term
Verb
- Meaning
A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being.
- Term
Singular Subject
- Meaning
A subject that refers to only one person, place, thing, or idea.
- Term
Plural Subject
- Meaning
A subject that refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
- Term
Collective Noun
- Meaning
A noun that refers to a group of people or things as a single unit (e.g., team, family, government).
- Term
Indefinite Pronoun
- Meaning
A pronoun that refers to a non-specific person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., everyone, somebody, anything).
Learning objectives
To correctly identify the subject of a sentence.
To determine the number (singular/plural) of the subject.
To select the appropriate verb form that agrees with the subject.
To apply subject-verb agreement rules in various sentence constructions.
Prerequisites
Understanding of nouns and pronouns.
Identification of singular and plural forms.
Basic sentence structure (subject and predicate).
Common mistakes
Ignoring intervening phrases and agreeing the verb with the nearest noun instead of the actual subject.
Treating collective nouns inconsistently (sometimes singular, sometimes plural).
Incorrectly applying plural verbs to singular indefinite pronouns.
Confusing agreement rules for compound subjects joined by 'or'/'nor'.
Keywords
Subject-Verb Agreement
Grammar Rules
Singular Verb
Plural Verb
Collective Nouns
Indefinite Pronouns
Sentence Structure
English Grammar
SSC CGL English
Practice preview
He is fond _____ music.…
easy
She is _____ honest woman.…
easy
Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: "The number of students (A) / attending the seminar (B) / have increased (C) / this year. (D)"…
medium