Subject Verb Agreement

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

A verb must agree with its Subject in Number and Person. Subject-Verb Agreement refers to number and person.  

Subject এর Number ও Person অনুসারে Verb এর যে Agreement তাকে Subject-Verb Agreement বলে।

Rule-1: Subject যদি singular হয় তবে verb ও singular হবে। Subject যদি plural হয় তবে verb ও plural হবে। যেমন-

1.  I am a teacher.
2. We are playing cricket.
3.  She sings a song.
4. Tamim and Himel watch TV.
5. These grapes are sour.
6. The memoranda are not important.
7. A pair of pants is in the drawer.
8. This book belongs to my uncle.
9. I is the ninth letter of English alphabet.
10.  Mars is a planet in our solar system.

Exception: তবে you যদি singular ও হয় plural verb  বসে। I এর সাথেও plural verb (be verb এর ক্ষেত্রে am) বসে যেমন-

1. You are a good student.
2. I go to market.

Rule-2: দুই বা ততোধিক nouns বা pronouns যদি  and দ্বারা যুক্ত হয় তবে verb টি plural হবে। যেমন- 

1. Gold and silver are precious metals.
2. Fire and water do not agree. 
3.  He and I were playing.
4. The headmaster and the secretary were present in the meeting

Exception: তবে যদি and দ্বারা যুক্ত nouns বা pronouns একটি মাত্র idea, person বা thing বুঝায় তবে verb টি singular হবে। যেমন-

1. Slow and steady wins the race.
2. The horse and carriage is at the door.
3. The headmaster and secretary was present in the meeting.
4. The bed and breakfast was charming.
5. Bread and butter is my favourable food.
6. Yellow and blue makes green colour.
7. The rise and fall of the tide is due to lunar influence.

Rule-3: As well as, with, along with, together with, accompanied with/by, in addition to, and not, including, excluding, but, except ইত্যাদি দ্বারা যদি দুই বা ততোধিক nouns/pronouns যুক্ত থাকে তবে প্রথম nouns/pronouns অনুসারে verb দিতে হবে। যেমন-

1. My parents as well as I were present there.
2.  Her brother along with her parents insists that she remain in school.
3. The Mayor, with his councillors, is to be present.
4.  Rahim and not you has won the prize.
5. Khadiza as well as her sisters has come to me.
6. She together with her teachers was present in the meeting.
7. The decoration of the new office block, including the furniture and curtains, is most pleasing.
8. The ship, with its crew, was lost.

Rule-4: Or, nor, either...or, neither....nor, not only....but also যুক্ত একাধিক nouns/pronouns যুক্ত থাকলে দ্বিতীয় nouns/pronouns অনুসারে verb দিতে হবে। যেমন-

1. Neither the moon nor the stars were visible last night.
2.  Either you or I am wrong.
3. Our happiness or our sorrow is largely due to our own actions.
4. Neither the Chairman nor the directors are present.

Rule-5: Either, neither, each, evryone, everybody, everything, nobody, no one, anybody, anyone, anything, nothing, any of, many a/an ইত্যাদির পর singular verb বসে। যেমন-

1.  Neither of the two men was very strong.
2.  Everyone of the boys loves to ride.
3.  Nothing is impossible.
4. Everybody loves flower.
5.  Many a flower is born to blush unseen.

Rule-6: Time, Distance, Weight, Length, Money এককের সমষ্টি একটি unit বুঝালে verb টি singular হবে। যেমন-

1. Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money.
2.  Ten years is long time to wait.
3. Fifty miles is a long distance.
4.  Forty yards is a good distance.
5. Two hours seems a long time to wait for the next bus.

Exception: কিন্তু আলাদাভাবে বুঝালে verb টি plural হবে। যেমন-

1. Five years have passed since his father died.
2. Ten thousand taka were scattered on the floor.

Rule-7: Gerund, Infinitive, Clause যদি subject এ থাকে তবে verb টি singular হবে। যেমন-

1.  Eating fruits is his regular habit.
2. To tell a lie is a great sin.
3. Educating all people is a mammoth task.
4. To err is human.
5. What you say is true.
6. Studying lots of books makes a person knowledgeable and wise.

Rule-8: One of, Any of, Each of, Either of, Neither of ইত্যাদির পর singular verb হয় যদিও nouns plural হয়। যেমন-

1. Each of the Olympic athletes has been training for months, even years.
2. One of the crucial problems is traffic jam.
3.  Neither of he two boys was selected.
4. Each of the girls attends the class regularly.
5. At least one of the students gets full marks every time.

Exception: Each এর antecedent বা পূর্বপদ plural হলে verb টি plural হবে। যেমন-

1. They each were informed last night.
2. We each have our own car.

Rule-9: পাঠ্য বিষয়ের নাম (যেমন- Economics, Mathematics, Ethics, Politics, Statistics, Physics, Athletics, Acoustics, Hysterics, Forestry, History ইত্যাদি), বইয়ের নাম, দেশের নাম এর পরে singular verb হয়। যেমন-

1. Cultural studies gives a new meaning of culture.
2. The United States of America is a rich country
3. Gulliver’s Travels is wonderful to read.
4. The Arabian Nights is still a great favourite.
5. Physics is a difficult subject.

Exception: কিন্তু পাঠ্য বিষয়ের পূর্বে যদি determiner ( nouns/pronouns এর possessive form, no, the ইত্যাদি) থাকে তবে verb টি plural হবে। যেমন-

1. His mathematics are weak.
2. There are no ethics in politics.
3. The economics of the project are very encouraging.
4.  His politics are not practical.

Rule-10: The এর পর যদি Adjective থাকে সেই subject টি plural common noun হিসেবে গন্য হবে, তাই verb টি plural হবে। যেমমন-

1. The pious are respected everywhere.
2. The rich are not always happy.
3. The poor live from hand to mouth.
4. The wise do not talk much.
5. The cautious are not always cowards.

Rule-11: ভগ্নাংশের ক্ষেত্রে

(i) দুইয়ের নিচে হলে singular verb, plural noun হবে। যেমন-

1. One and a half apples has been eaten up.
2. One and  a quarter lemons is enough.
3. One and a half hours is a long time.

(ii) ভগ্নাংশ দ্বার পরিমাপ বুঝালে verb singular হবে। যেমন-

1. Three-fourths of the work has been finished.
2. Three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered by water.
3. Two-thirds of the road has been pitched.
4. Fifty percent of the land is cultivated.
5. Three-fourth of the novel has been was read.

(iii) ভগ্নাংশ দ্বার সংখ্যা বুঝালে verb plural হবে। যেমন-

1.  One-third of the students are present in the class.
2. Two-thirds of the children were present in the function.
3. Three-fourths of the books are sold.
4. Two-thirds of the jackfruits have been eaten.
5. About fifty percent of the houses need major repair.

Rule-12: Here/There/Adjective যদি subject হিসেবে থাকে তবে verb এর পরের অংশ অনুসারে verb বসে। যেমন-

1. There are six seasons in Bangladesh.
2. Here are the book and bag that I lost last week.
3. There have been some changes recently.
4. There is a high school in our village.
5. Sweet are is the uses of advercity.
6.  Loud were the cries of the victims.

Rule-13: A number of এর পর verb এবং noun দুইটিই plural হয়। কিন্তু The number of এর পর verb singular এবং noun plural হয়। যেমন-

1. The number of students seeking admission has increased.
2. The number of people who came to the concert is disappointing.
3.  A number of refuges have been turned back at the border.
4. A number of students have joined together to form a club for cricket fans.
5. The number of boys present in the function is satisfactory.

Exception: There is an equal number of boys and girls in the class.

Rule-14: গাণিতিক হিসাব যখন word এ প্রকাশ করা হয় তখন subject এর পর singular verb বসে। যেমন-

1. Two and two makes four.
2. Five and five equals ten.
3. Four and four is eight.
4.  Five times two equals ten.
5. What is two and two?

Rule-15: Few/Many এর পর verb এবং noun উভয়ই plural হয়। যেমন-

1. Many goats are gazing and few sheep are sleeping in the field.
2. Many are called but few are chosen.

Rule-16: দেশের নাম দ্বার খেলার দল বোঝালে plural verb হয়। যেমন-

1. Brazil have won the FIFA World Cup five times.
2. Bangladesh are the champion of ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020.

Rule-17: If/wish এর পর যে person ই থাকুক না কেন be verb যদি main verb হিসেবে থাকে তবে সকল person এর সাথেই were বসে। যেমন-

1. If I were a king!
2. I wish I were a child again.

Rule-18: It is (person) who (verb) থাকলে who এর আগের person অনুসারে verb হয়। যেমন-

1. It is I who am a teacher.
2. It is you who are to blame.
3. It is he who curses me.

Rule-19: Police, People, Cattle ইত্যাদি plural collective noun, কাজেই এগুলোর পরে  plural verb হবে। যেমন-

1. The police are helpful.
2.  Cattle are grazing in the field.
3. The police were informed of the matter.

Rule-20: None এর পর singular verb হয়, আবার ক্ষেত্রবিশেষে plural verb ও হয়। যেমন-

1. None of the students has a car.
2. None are helpless because they can always try.
3. None of the pens writes well.
4. None are so deaf as those will not hear.
5. We took a few photographs, but none of them were very good.
6. All tickets have been sold, there are none left.
7. None but the brave deserves the fair. (deserve ও সঠিক)     

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Written By

Sheikh Abdul Awyal

BA & MA in English

Assistant Teacher

Poyratila Govt. Primary School, Bahubal, Habiganj

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