Subject–Verb Agreement

The verb agrees with the subject, and with nothing else in the sentence. Nine out of ten errors happen because the eye grabs the nearest noun instead.

1. A phrase between subject and verb changes nothing. "The list of eligible candidates is on the notice board." Strike out every "of …", "along with …", "as well as …", "including …" phrase before deciding.
2. Either / neither / each / every / one of → singular. "Each of the officers has signed." But with either…or and neither…nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it: "Neither the clerk nor the peons were present."
3. Nouns that mislead. news, mathematics, politics, economics, measles are singular; scissors, trousers, goods, police, cattle are plural. "A number of students are…" but "The number of students is…"
4. Quantities and distances taken as one unit are singular. "Ten kilometres is a long walk", "Five thousand rupees is a big amount."

The single most common mistake is attraction to the nearest noun — "The quality of the mangoes are good", where "mangoes" sits right next to the verb but the subject is "quality". How to spot it in one second: cover everything between the first noun and the verb with your finger, then read the two words together. "The quality … is good" instantly sounds right.

Note also the collective noun rule: a body acting as one takes a singular verb ("The committee has decided"), but the same body acting as individuals takes a plural ("The committee are divided in their opinion").

Verb follows the subject, not the nearest noun — strike out "of …" phrases · each/every/either/neither/one of → singular · either–or, neither–nor → nearer subject · news/politics singular, police/cattle plural · a number of = plural, the number of = singular

Fill in the blank: "The list of selected candidates ____ been displayed on the board." Options: have / has / were / are. → has. Cover "of selected candidates" and the sentence reads "The list … has been displayed"; the subject is the singular "list". Sanity check: ask what was displayed — one list, not many candidates — so the singular is right, and "have" was only ever tempting because "candidates" was standing next to the blank.