Teacher: “Julie, give me a sentence starting with ‘I’.” Julie: “I is...” Teacher: “No, Julie..... You must never begin a sentence with ‘I is…’” Julie: “Okay. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.”

You must have heard or read this funny joke. It is a witty play on words, isn’t it? Julie followed the rule technically, but not in the way the teacher intended. The teacher meant to correct grammar (subject-verb agreement: “I am,” not “I is”), but Julie used “I” as the subject (the letter itself) rather than “I” as the pronoun.

What is subject-verb agreement (SVA)? The simple definition of sub-verb agreement is that the subject (who/what does the action) and verb (the action) in a sentence must match in number: singular subjects need singular verbs, and plural subjects need plural verbs.

Discover SVA errors

Now read this anecdote:

The morning of the talent shows are chaotic. Mr Ramesh, along with his three nervous assistants, have to manage fifty excited children. One of the main problems are the magician, who can’t find his rabbits. Everyone in the dressing rooms are screaming, and nobody know where the stage props is.

Just then, the principal, wearing a massive clown wig, walk in. “The show must go on!” he shouts, but a loud crash from behind the curtain interrupt him. The twins, Rhea and Mea, has caused a disaster with the smoke machine. Despite all the commotion, the crowd, sitting in the auditorium, are already cheering for the show to begin.

Did you notice any violation of an important grammar rule? How many errors did you notice in the passage? Let me give you the number of errors. It is ten. Read it again and try to identify the errors.

Learn the nuances

Here is a brief explanation on the errors focusing on subject-verb agreement:

In the first sentence, the subject “morning” is singular, and in the second sentence, “Mr Ramesh” is also singular. In the third sentence, “one of the problems” is treated as singular, while in the fourth sentence, both “everyone” and “nobody” are singular, though “props” in that same sentence is plural. In the next paragraph, the first sentence has the singular subject “principal.” In the second sentence, “crash” is singular, whereas “twins” is plural. Finally, in the third sentence, “crowd” is a collective noun and is treated as singular in this context.

Here is the corrected version:

The morning of the talent shows is chaotic. Mr Ramesh, along with his three nervous assistants, has to manage fifty excited children. One of the main problems is the magician, who couldn’t find his rabbits. Everyone in the dressing rooms is screaming, and nobody knows where the stage props are. Just then, the principal, wearing a massive clown wig, walks in. “The show must go on!” he shouts, but a loud crash from behind the curtain interrupts him. The twins, Rhea and Mea, have caused a disaster with the smoke machine. Despite all the commotion, the crowd, sitting in the auditorium, is already cheering for the show to begin.

Understand the rules

Many learners of English make different kinds of grammatical errors. One of the most common errors occurs in subject–verb agreement. Those who have the habit of reading regularly learn grammar informally and tend to use it correctly while speaking and writing, while others learn it by becoming familiar with specific rules. It is useful to remember the following tips:

Two or more subjects joined by “and” usually take a plural verb. The music director and the singer have come.

If two subjects are joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb agrees with the part closest to it.

Either the cat or the dogs are noisy.

Neither the older children nor the younger child is happy.

Phrases that come between the subject and the verb, such as “as well as” or “including,” do not change the number of the subject.

The man with the dogs is coming.

The parents, along with the child, are going to watch the movie.

Words like everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, each, and neither are singular.

Everyone seems to know the answer.

Each of the students is interested in music.

Collective nouns such as team, family, or staff take a singular verb when acting as a unit, and a plural verb when referring to individuals.

The Indian cricket team is sure of winning the World Cup.

The staff are not interested in taking special classes.

‘The majority’ vs ‘A majority’

What is the difference in meaning between the two sentences below?

The majority of the restaurant was closed.

A majority of the restaurants were closed.

The first sentence refers to a specific restaurant. It means that most parts of that particular restaurant were closed. For example, the dining hall may have been closed while the kitchen remained open.

The second sentence refers to multiple restaurants. It means that most of the restaurants in a particular area were closed, while some remained open.

Are there specific rules for subject–verb agreement with “majority”?

Yes. The verb depends on the noun that follows “of.” If the noun is plural and countable, the verb is usually plural. If the noun is singular or uncountable, the verb is usually singular.

When “majority” refers to a plural noun (people, students, voters), use a plural verb:

• The majority of the employees are against the policy.
• A majority of voters have voted for a party launched by an actor.

When “majority” refers to a singular or uncountable noun (water, time, land), use a singular verb:

• The majority of the milk is ruined.
• A majority of the budget was spent.

When “the majority” or “a majority” is used without an “of” phrase, it is generally treated as a singular collective noun:

• The majority rules.
• A majority was reached.

Learning grammar through reading or listening to stories, rather than through isolated exercises, is a valuable method of mastering grammar. Enjoy learning…

(Dr Albert P’Rayan is an ELT resource person and education columnist. Send your feedback to englishmatters2024@gmail.com)