Subject–Verb Agreement – NDA English Notes

1. Introduction

Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA) is the rule that a finite verb must agree with its grammatical subject in person and number. In simple sentences (“She writes”, “They write”) this rule is self-evident. The NDA examiner never tests the obvious.

What makes this chapter remarkable is its examination record: twenty-six confirmed questions across seventeen years, appearing in every NDA year of the available corpus without a single gap. No other grammar chapter in the entire JOVIK English series has been confirmed in every examined year. A student who has thoroughly prepared this chapter can gain four or more marks from a single NDA paper.

The examiner’s mechanism is consistent and deliberate: create a structural gap between the grammatical subject and the verb, fill that gap with a prominent plural noun, and rely on the student’s instinct to agree the verb with the nearest, most visible noun rather than the true grammatical subject. The CIF calls this the proximity attraction effect, and it is the mechanism behind almost every question in this chapter.

The chapter’s master principle:

★  IMPORTANT The verb agrees with the grammatical subject, not with the nearest noun, not with the noun that makes logical sense, and not with any noun in an intervening phrase.   Find the grammatical subject first. Then choose the verb that matches it.

2. The Master Principle: Finding the Grammatical Subject

Before applying any specific SVA rule, the student must correctly identify the grammatical subject. This is a two-step procedure that solves every SVA question in the chapter:

Step 1: Identify the grammatical subject of the clause. (It is the noun or pronoun that the clause is fundamentally about, not the nearest noun to the verb.)

Step 2: Remove everything between the subject and the verb. Read subject and verb directly together. Does the verb agree?

Applied to a confirmed question: “The pile of books are missing.”  →  Remove “of books”  →  “The pile are missing?”  →  Wrong.  “The pile IS missing.”  The subject is “pile” (singular); “of books” is an intervening phrase.

This two-step procedure (identify the subject, remove the intervening material, check the verb) is the diagnostic tool for every question in this chapter. Once students apply it automatically, most SVA errors become immediately visible.

3. Intervening Phrases: The Chapter’s Dominant Concept

Nine confirmed NDA questions (more than any other single SVA sub-concept) test the intervening phrase pattern. The structure is always the same: a singular (or plural) grammatical subject is followed by a prepositional phrase or relative clause that contains a noun of opposite number. The student is attracted to the closer noun and agrees the verb with it.

Two types of intervening phrase are confirmed in the corpus:

Type 1: Head noun + “of” + plural modifier: the head noun is the subject, the “of” phrase is the modifier.

Type 2: Relative clause with plural antecedent: the verb in the relative clause must agree with the antecedent of “who/that/which”, not with the nearest noun.

Type 1: Head Noun + “of” + Plural Modifier

★  IMPORTANT The head noun (the main noun before “of”) is the grammatical subject. The noun in the “of” phrase is a modifier. The verb always agrees with the head noun: never with the noun after “of”.

Grammatical Subject	Intervening Phrase	Correct Verb	Error Tested	NDA Paper
The pile (singular)	“of books”	is missing	“are” missing	NDA 2014-I
The voice (singular)	“of sanity and patriotism”	is important	“are” important	NDA 2015-II
A time slot (singular)	“of fifteen minutes”	is allowed	“are” allowed	NDA 2019-II
The number (singular)	“of jobs”	is small	“are” small	NDA 2014-II
A company (singular, unit)	“of five thousand soldiers”	has moved	“have” moved	NDA 2022-I
The sum and substance (singular)	“of his speech”	was anti-establishment	“were”	NDA 2009-II
Layers (plural)	“of sediments”	build up	“builds” up	NDA 2023-I

NDA 2014-I: Spotting Errors:

“The pile of books/(a) are/(b) missing./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “are”  |  Subject: “The pile” (singular). Intervening phrase: “of books”: bracket it out.

Correct: “The pile of books is missing.”  [NDA 2014-I]

NDA 2015-II: Spotting Errors:

“The voice of sanity and patriotism/(a) are important to dispel/(b) the prevailing confusion.”

Error: Part (a): “are important”  |  Subject: “The voice” (singular). Phrase: “of sanity and patriotism”: bracket it out.

Correct: “The voice of sanity and patriotism is important.”  [NDA 2015-II]

NDA 2019-II: Spotting Errors:

“A time slot of fifteen minutes/(a) are allowed/(b) to each speaker./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “are allowed”  |  Subject: “A time slot” (singular). Phrase: “of fifteen minutes”: bracket it out.

Correct: “A time slot of fifteen minutes is allowed to each speaker.”  [NDA 2019-II]

NDA 2009-II: Spotting Errors:

“The sum and substance/(a) of his speech/(b) were essentially anti-establishment./(c)”

Error: Part (c): “were”  |  “Sum and substance” is a fixed expression meaning “the essence”: one unified concept, treated as singular.

Correct: “The sum and substance…was anti-establishment.”  [NDA 2009-II]

NDA 2023-I: Spotting Errors:

“Over long periods of time,/(a) layers of sediments builds up/(b) to a height of a few kilometers.”

Error: Part (b): “builds up”  |  Subject: “Layers” (plural). Phrase: “of sediments”: bracket it out. Only confirmed case where the error is singular verb with plural head noun.

Correct: “Layers of sediments build up.”  [NDA 2023-I]

“The Number of” vs “A Number of”: Critical Distinction

These two expressions look similar but trigger opposite agreement. The distinction is confirmed in the corpus and widely tested as an examiner preference.

“The number of” [plural noun] → Singular verb. The subject is “the number”: a specific, countable quantity treated as a single concept.

“A number of” [plural noun] → Plural verb. “A number of” = some / several: the focus is on the plural items themselves.

Correct:  “The number of jobs is small.”  [NDA 2014-II]

Correct:  “A number of students have arrived.”  (standard)

NDA 2014-II: Spotting Errors:

“The number of jobs/(a) that would be satisfactory in all respects/(b) are small./(c)”

Error: Part (c): “are small”  |  Subject: “The number” (singular). “Of jobs” is the intervening phrase.

Correct: “The number of jobs…is small.”  [NDA 2014-II]

Type 2: Relative Clause Agreement with Antecedent

When “who”, “that”, or “which” introduces a relative clause, the verb in that clause must agree with the antecedent, the noun that the relative pronoun refers back to. This is the most recently active sub-concept in the chapter, confirmed in four questions across four papers from 2017 to 2026.

The relative clause verb agrees with the antecedent of “who/that/which”, not with the noun immediately before the verb.

“One of the ablest persons who have written…”  → “who” refers to “persons” (plural) → plural verb.

“Fabrics that reflect…”  → “that” refers to “fabrics” (plural) → plural verb.

“The attention…that gives…”  → “that” refers to “attention” (singular) → singular verb.

NDA 2018-II: Spotting Errors:

“This view has been taken/(a) by one of the ablest persons/(b) who has written on this subject./(c)”

Error: Part (c): “who has written”  |  “Who” refers to “ablest persons” (plural): not to “one” (singular).

Correct: “one of the ablest persons who have written on this subject.”  [NDA 2018-II]

The rule for “one of the [plural noun] who”: the relative clause verb agrees with the plural noun, never with “one”.

NDA 2026-I: Spotting Errors:

“Many people in India are/(a) still not aware/(b) of India’s indigenous fabrics/(c) that reflects the rich heritage of craftmanship./(d)”

Error: Part (d): “reflects”  |  “That” refers to “fabrics” (plural) → plural verb.

Correct: “fabrics that reflect the rich heritage.”  [NDA 2026-I]

NDA 2017-II: Spotting Errors:

“…it is the attention given to the less overt aspects of using space/(a) that give it life, an identity, a quality/(b) that makes it exciting./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “that give”  |  “That” refers to “the attention” (singular) → singular verb.

Correct: “the attention…that gives it life.”  [NDA 2017-II]

Four consecutive confirmations of this sub-concept (2017-II, 2018-II, 2023-I, 2026-I) mark it as an emerging examiner priority. Students who do not specifically prepare relative clause agreement will be vulnerable to this growing category of question.

4. Non-Joining Phrases: “As Well As”, “Along With”, “With”

Three confirmed consecutive papers (NDA 2010-II, 2011-I, 2011-II) test the same rule from three different non-joining phrases. The examiner’s message is clear: this group must be learned as a unified class, not as isolated instances.

The critical insight: “as well as”, “along with”, “together with”, “with”, “in addition to”, and “accompanied by” are not conjunctions. They are prepositional or adverbial phrases. Unlike “and”, they do not join two subjects to form a compound subject. The main subject remains singular, and the verb agrees with it alone.

“And” → compound subject → plural verb.

“As well as / Along with / Together with / With / In addition to” → NOT a compound subject → verb agrees with the first subject only.

Correct:  “The Prime Minister and his secretary were expected.”  compound = plural

Correct:   “The Prime Minister as well as his secretary was expected.”  not compound = singular

NDA 2010-II: Spotting Errors:

“The Prime Minister as well as his secretary were expected to/(a) arrive in Chennai/(b)…”

Error: Part (a): “were expected”  |  Subject: “The Prime Minister” (singular). “As well as his secretary” is a supplementary phrase.

Correct: “The Prime Minister…was expected to arrive.”  [NDA 2010-II]

NDA 2011-I: Spotting Errors:

“The captain with the members of his team/(a) are returning/(b) after a fortnight.”

Error: Part (b): “are returning”  |  Subject: “The captain” (singular). “With the members of his team” is a non-joining phrase.

Correct: “The captain…is returning after a fortnight.”  [NDA 2011-I]

NDA 2011-II: Spotting Errors:

“The managing director along with his staff members were present/(a) for/(b) the annual meeting.”

Error: Part (a): “were present”  |  Subject: “The managing director” (singular). “Along with his staff members” is a non-joining phrase.

Correct: “The managing director…was present.”  [NDA 2011-II]

Expression	Creates Compound Subject?	Verb Agrees With	Status
and	YES: compound subject	Both subjects (plural verb)	Standard grammar
as well as	NO	First subject only	NDA 2010-II
along with	NO	First subject only	NDA 2011-II
with	NO	First subject only	NDA 2011-I
together with	NO	First subject only	Standard syllabus
in addition to	NO	First subject only	Standard syllabus
accompanied by	NO	First subject only	Standard syllabus
no less than	NO	First subject only	Standard syllabus

5. “Many a”: Singular Despite the Plural Sense

“Many a” is one of the most counterintuitive SVA rules in English, confirmed in two separate papers. The meaning is clearly plural (many individual items are implied), but the grammatical construction is always singular. This happens because “a” in “many a” signals the singular: it is the indefinite article, which only accompanies singular nouns.

★  IMPORTANT “Many a + singular noun” always takes a singular verb, without exception. “Many a student has struggled.”  “Many a soldier was brave.” Never “have” or “were” after “many a”.

NDA 2010-II: Spotting Errors:

“Many a star/(a) are/(b) twinkling in the sky./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “are”  |  Correct: “Many a star is twinkling in the sky.”  [NDA 2010-II]

NDA 2013-I: Spotting Errors:

“Many a boy were happy/(a) dancing at the victory/(b) of our cricket team./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (a): “were happy”  |  Correct: “Many a boy was happy dancing at the victory.”  [NDA 2013-I]

Construction	Verb Number	Example
“Many a + singular noun”	Singular (always)	“Many a star is visible.”  /  “Many a time has she wondered.”
“Many + plural noun”	Plural	“Many stars are visible.”  /  “Many times she has wondered.”

6. Indefinite Pronoun Subjects: Each, Every One, Not One, Someone

Four confirmed PYQs test the agreement of verbs with indefinite pronoun subjects. All the indefinite pronouns in this group are grammatically singular, even when followed by “of the + plural noun.” The “of” phrase is an intervening phrase: bracket it out. The verb agrees with the indefinite pronoun.

Subject Expression	Grammatical Number	Error Tested	Correct Form	NDA Paper
“Each of [plural noun]”	Singular	“each of them have”	“each of them has”	NDA 2012-I
“Every one of [plural noun]”	Singular	“every one…boys love”	“every one…boys loves”	NDA 2019-II
“Not one of [plural noun]”	Singular	“not one…workers were”	“not one…workers was”	NDA 2015-I
“Someone”	Singular	“someone have spilt”	“someone has spilt”	NDA 2024-II

NDA 2012-I: Spotting Errors:

“Each of them/(a) have a different version/(b) of the crime./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “have”  |  Subject: “Each” (singular). “Of them” is an intervening phrase: bracket it out.

Correct: “Each of them has a different version.”  [NDA 2012-I]

NDA 2019-II: Spotting Errors:

“Every one of the boys/(a) love/(b) to ride./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “love”  |  Subject: “Every one” (singular). “Of the boys” is an intervening phrase.

Correct: “Every one of the boys loves to ride.”  [NDA 2019-II]

NDA 2024-II: Sentence Completion:

“Someone _________.”

Options: (a) has spilt juice on the sofa  (b) should have spilt juice on the sofa  (c) have spilt juice on the sofa  (d) would spilt juice on the sofa

Answer: (a) has spilt juice on the sofa  [NDA 2024-II]

“Someone” is a singular indefinite pronoun → singular verb → “has”. (c) “have spilt”: plural verb with singular subject “someone”: wrong.

The diagnostic test for this entire group: apply the “intervening phrase bracket” test. Cross out everything after the indefinite pronoun up to and including the noun in the “of” phrase. Read what remains: “each… has a different version” / “every one… loves to ride” / “not one… was allowed.” The singular agreement becomes immediately apparent.

7. “None”, “Neither of”, “Either of”: The Formal Singular Rule

In formal written English (the standard that NDA tests), “none”, “neither”, and “either” take singular verbs, even when followed by “of the + plural noun.” Four confirmed PYQs establish this as a consistent examiner preference for the formal singular.

In formal English (NDA examination standard):

“None of [plural noun]”  → singular verb

“Neither of [plural noun]”  → singular verb

“Either of [plural noun]”  → singular verb

In informal English, plural verbs are common and widely heard, but NDA tests the formal standard.

NDA 2012-II: Spotting Errors:

“None of the applicants have turned up/(a) for the interview/(b) on time./(c) No error.”

Error: Part (a): “have turned up”  |  Correct: “None of the applicants has turned up for the interview.”  [NDA 2012-II]

NDA 2014-I: Spotting Errors:

“Neither of the candidates/(a) are/(b) good./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “are”  |  Correct: “Neither of the candidates is good.”  [NDA 2014-I]

NDA 2015-II: Spotting Errors:

“Neither of the two letters of credit/(a) were useful/(b) when he needed it./(c) No error.”

Error: Part (b): “were useful”  |  Correct: “Neither of the two letters of credit was useful.”  [NDA 2015-II]

NDA 2019-II: Spotting Errors:

“He asked/(a) whether either of the brothers/(b) were at home./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (c): “were at home”  |  Correct: “whether either of the brothers was at home.”  [NDA 2019-II]

8. Correlative Conjunctions: The Proximity Rule

When “either…or” or “neither…nor” link two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject that immediately precedes it, the nearer subject. This is the proximity rule, confirmed in two NDA questions testing opposite directions of the same rule.

“Either A or B” → verb agrees with B (nearer to the verb).

“Neither A nor B” → verb agrees with B (nearer to the verb).

If B is singular → singular verb. If B is plural → plural verb. If B is “I” (first person) → “am”. If B is “you” (second person) → “are”.

NDA 2014-I: Spotting Errors:

“Either he/(a) or I/(b) are wrong./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (c): “are wrong”  |  Nearer subject: “I” → first person singular → “am”.

Correct: “Either he or I am wrong.”  [NDA 2014-I]

NDA 2019-II: Spotting Errors:

“Neither praise nor blame/(a) seem/(b) to affect him./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “seem”  |  Nearer subject: “blame” (singular) → “seems”.

Correct: “Neither praise nor blame seems to affect him.”  [NDA 2019-II]

Structure	Nearer Subject	Correct Verb	Example
“Either he or I”	“I”: 1st person sing.	“am”	“Either he or I am wrong.”
“Neither praise nor blame”	“blame”: sing.	“seems”	“Neither praise nor blame seems…”
“Either the teacher or the boys”	“the boys”: plural	“are”	“Either the teacher or the boys are responsible.”
“Neither he nor we”	“we”: plural	“are”	“Neither he nor we are to blame.”
“Not only A but also B”	“B”: depends	Agrees with B	“Not only the teacher but also the students are present.”

9. Relative Clause Agreement: “One of the … Who/That”

This sub-concept deserves its own focused section because it is the most frequently misunderstood agreement rule in the chapter. It has produced four confirmed PYQs across four papers (2017-II, 2018-II, 2023-I, 2026-I), making it an emerging and active examiner priority.

The structure: “one of the [plural noun] who/that [verb].” Students agree the relative clause verb with “one” (singular) because “one” precedes “who.” The grammatical rule is the opposite: “who/that” refers to the plural noun, and the verb must agree with that plural noun.

“One of the [plural noun] who/that + verb” → “who/that” is a relative pronoun; its antecedent is the [plural noun], not “one”. → The verb in the relative clause must be plural.

Correct: “One of the ablest persons who have written…”  (not “has”)

Correct: “One of the students who were selected…”  (not “was”)

The antecedent of “who” is always the [plural noun]: never “one.”

The CIF notes that this sub-concept has increased in frequency in recent papers, appearing in 2017-II, 2018-II, 2023-I, and 2026-I. The 2023-I and 2026-I confirmations in consecutive recent years signal that this may now be a consolidating examiner preference rather than an occasional target.

10. Collective Nouns: Unit or Individual?

Collective nouns (team, committee, family, army, company, crew, jury) name a group. Their agreement follows a diagnostic question: is the group acting as a unified single unit, or are its individual members acting separately?

Collective noun acting as a unit → Singular verb.

Collective noun with individual members acting separately → Plural verb.

Correct: “A company of five thousand soldiers has moved into cantonment.”  unit action → singular

Correct: “The committee have disagreed among themselves.”  members acting individually → plural

NDA 2022-I: Spotting Errors:

“A company of five thousand soldiers,/(a) having marched tirelessly for over five days,/(b) have just moved into their cantonment./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (c): “have just moved”  |  “A company” is a collective noun. Moving into cantonment is a coordinated unit action → singular verb.

Correct: “A company of five thousand soldiers…has just moved into its cantonment.”  [NDA 2022-I]

NDA 2021-II: Spotting Errors:

“Nursery classes/(a) for the children/(b) starts on April every year./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (c): “starts”  |  Subject: “Nursery classes” (plural: “classes” is the head noun, not a collective noun). “For the children” is an intervening phrase. The plural head noun “classes” governs the verb.

Correct: “Nursery classes…start on April every year.”  [NDA 2021-II]

Nationality Nouns: Collective Plural

Nationality nouns formed with “the + adjective” (“the French”, “the British”, “the Dutch”, “the Japanese”) refer to the people of that nationality as a group and always take plural verbs: they function as collective plural nouns even without an explicit -s ending.

NDA 2014-II: Fill in the Blanks:

“The French —— reputed to have a very good sense of humour.”

Options: (a) is  (b) was  (c) are  (d) will be

Answer: (c) are  [NDA 2014-II]

“The French” = the French people (collective plural) → plural verb → “are”. Contrast: “France is…” (the country name, singular). Other examples: “The British are…” / “The Japanese are…” / “The Irish are…”

“The Cricket Team Comprises”: Collective Verb Selection

NDA 2015-II: Fill in the Blanks:

“The cricket team _____ mainly of State players.”

Options: (a) composed  (b) consist  (c) made with  (d) comprises

Answer: (d) comprises  [NDA 2015-II]

“The cricket team” is singular → singular verb required. “Comprises” = singular; takes no preposition (see Chapter 7).

(b) “consist” = plural form (no -s); wrong for singular “team”.  (a) “composed”: past tense, wrong for a general statement.  (d) “comprises”: correct singular verb.

11. Supplementary Agreement Patterns

“There Is / There Are”: Agreement with the Notional Subject

In sentences beginning with “there”, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it (the notional subject), not with “there.”

Correct: “There is a problem with the plan.”  one problem = singular

Correct: “There are two problems with the plan.”  two problems = plural

Correct: “There was a crowd of people outside.”  “a crowd” = singular

Correct: “There were many people in the crowd.”  “many people” = plural

Nouns Plural in Form but Singular in Meaning

Some nouns end in -s but name a single unified concept. They take singular verbs.

Noun Category	Examples	Verb Agreement
Academic subjects	mathematics, physics, economics, statistics	Singular: “Mathematics is my favourite subject.”
Diseases with -s	measles, mumps, diabetes, rabies	Singular: “Measles has a vaccine now.”
Games / activities	billiards, darts, dominoes, bowls	Singular: “Billiards is a popular game.”
“The news”	“the news”	Singular: “The news is alarming.”
“Scissors”, “glasses”, “trousers”	Nouns always in pairs	Plural: “My glasses are missing.”
“The police”, “the people”	Collective plural nouns	Plural: “The police are investigating.”

Percentage / Fraction + “Of” + Noun

When a percentage or fraction precedes “of + noun”, the verb agrees with the noun after “of”: this is one area where the “of” noun does control the verb.

Correct: “Fifty percent of the students are present.”  students = countable plural → “are”

Correct: “Fifty percent of the water is contaminated.”  water = uncountable → “is”

Correct: “One-third of the report has been reviewed.”  report = singular → “has”

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