Agreement & negation · CEFR A2 · Everyday
Subject–verb agreement in English
The verb follows the subject, even when words come between them.
The shape
singular subject → singular verb
Match the verb to the right word in the sentence.
In Hindi
क्रिया कर्ता के अनुसार चलती है, चाहे बीच में कितने भी शब्द हों।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
The list of items are ready. | The list of items is ready. The subject is "the list", not "items". |
Subject–verb agreement examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
My father is a teacher.
मेरे पिता शिक्षक हैं।
My mother is a doctor.
मेरी माँ डॉक्टर हैं।
My brother is a student.
मेरा भाई छात्र है।
My family is small.
मेरा परिवार छोटा है।
She studies English every day.
वह रोज़ अंग्रेज़ी पढ़ती है।
My brother is older than me.
मेरा भाई मुझसे बड़ा है।
My sister is younger than me.
मेरी बहन मुझसे छोटी है।
The shops open in the morning.
दुकानें सुबह खुलती हैं।
My mother gets up early in the morning.
मेरी माँ सुबह जल्दी उठती हैं।
There are five people in our house.
हमारे घर में पाँच लोग हैं।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- When the subject is far awayB2Find the real subject in a long sentence
- each, every, everyoneB1Use a singular verb where English insists on one
- There is / There areA1Say that something exists, or that a place has something in it
- PluralsA1Say more than one without hesitating
Questions people ask
- What is the subject–verb agreement used for?
- The verb follows the subject, even when words come between them. In practice: match the verb to the right word in the sentence.
- How do you form the subject–verb agreement?
- singular subject → singular verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the subject–verb agreement?
- Saying “The list of items are ready.” instead of “The list of items is ready.”. The subject is "the list", not "items".
Where subject–verb agreement fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Subject–verb agreement is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to agreement & negation. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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