CONCORD/RULES

In grammar, concord is the agreement between the subject and

the verb or the agreement between a verb/predicate and other
elements of a clause structure.

There are 24 rules of concord. Let me list and explain them:

Rule 1
Subject and verb concord
When the subject in a sentence is singular, the verb should also
be singular.
For example,

✔
She (singular subject) goes (singular verb) shopping weekly.

Not: She go (plural verb) shopping weekly. ❌

Also, when the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.

✔
The girls (plural subject) go (plural verb) to school on

❌
weekdays.
Not: The girls (plural subject) goes (Singular verb)...

Rule 2
Subject and Object concord
When everybody or everyone is used, the object must be
singular, not plural.
 ✔
For example

❌
Everybody knows his or her name.
not: Everybody know their name.

Rule 3
Mandative subjunctive concord
When prayer, suggestion, wish, demand, recommendation, or
resolution is used in a sentence, the verb that follows must
be plural, whether the subject is singular or plural.

✔
For example:

✔
It has been suggested that he go not goes away.

❌
The board has recommended that the manager resign.
not: ...resigns.

✔
I pray that God help me on my upcoming examination, not
God helps.

Rule 4
The Principle of proximity
This principle states that when there is a list of nouns or
pronouns at the level of the subject, it is the nearest noun or
pronoun to the position of the verb that will determine the
choice of the verb.
E.g
If James fails his examination, his teachers, his parents, his
friends, or John ( ) to blame.
The correct option to fill that blank space is, “is” not “are”
because, at the subject level, we have his teachers, his
friends, his parents and John (four different people).
In order to choose the correct verb, we will need to choose the
nearest subject to the gap as the subject, which is John.

Note: What makes us consider the only one noun or pronoun

used in this sentence is because of the use of “or.” However, if
the conjunction used is “and”, all the nouns or pronouns used
in the sentence will be considered as the subject. I’ll explain
better when I get to it.
In the meantime, let's get back to James.
If the question comes in this manner, the answer will be
different, for example:
If James fails his examination, his teachers, his parents, his
friends, or I ( ) to be blame.
The correct answer here is “am,” because the pronoun “I” is the
nearest subject to the gap; so, if “I” is the subject, the verb that
goes with it, is “am”.

Rule 5
“Many a...” concord
When “many a...” is used, the verb and the noun that follow
must be singular. Example:

✔
Many a candidate (not candidates) speaks (not speak) bad

✔
English.
Many a girl (not girls) is (not are) here.
Statements 1 and 2 are a different way of saying many
candidates and many girls.

Rule 6
“A pair of...” concord
When “a pair of” is used, the verb must be singular. For

✔
example:

✔
A pair of trousers (not trouser) lies (not lie) on the bed.
A pair of scissors is (not are) on the table.

Rule 7
Notional Concord
Notional concord is also called “collective noun concord”.
A collective noun is a noun that stands for many units that
constitute that single word. 
For example:
An audience which means people who watch programs.
The congregation, which means worshipers.
Clergy which means religion officers.
A club which means the association of members.
So, whenever you use a collective noun, the verb that follows
must be a plural verb. For example, since club is a collective
noun for members, we can also say, “members of this

✔
association”.
Our club meet (not meets) once in a week.
However, in some situations, a singular verb goes with a
collective noun. Here is the principle:
If the collective noun performs an action, a plural verb follows;
but if not, a singular verb follows.

✔
Our Club is (not are) celebrating its twentieth anniversary
today.
In the above statement, you can see that club performs no
action; hence, a singular verb is used.

✔
But we would say:
Our Club are (not is) going on a vacation tomorrow.
You can see that the above sentence is different from the first
sentence, here the club is performing an action “going,” hence,
we will use a plural verb (are) in compliance with the rule.
The audience are (not is) partial in their judgment of the
winner. The answer is “are” because the collective noun
(audience) performs an action “judgment”.

Rule 8
Parenthesis
The parenthesis statement is an additional statement to what
has already been said before.
Note: a parenthetical statement should not be considered in
choosing the verb that will follow.
E.g
The teacher, not her students, is in the class.
The correct answer is is because (“not her students”) is just
parenthesis, and parenthesis has nothing to do with choosing
the verb.
The manager, not many of his workers, is (not are) here now.
Remember: “not many of his workers” is just a parenthesis;
therefore, the parenthesis should be ignored.
The manager is a singular noun, hence a singular verb.

Rule 9
Accompaniment Concord
When any of these following words are used, the subject of the
clause would be the noun or pronoun that comes before the
marker of accompaniment.
Words like as much as, alongside, as well as, together with, no
less than, in association with, including, like, with, and in
collaboration with, etc. attract a singular verb.

✔
Example 1:
Mary, as well as her friends, is (not are) beautiful. 
The answer is, “is” because mary is the noun that comes
before as well as, hence mary is the subject and it is a singular
noun. Therefore, a singular verb is used.

✔
Example 2:
The little kids, alongside their parents, are  (not is) here. 
The answer is are not is because the little kids come
before alongside. The subject is plural. For that reason, a plural
verb is used.

Example 3:

✔
He, in association with his teammates, is (not are) attending
the party.
Rule 10
More than concord
When more than is used, the word or number that comes
after more than will determine the next verb. 

✔
For example:

✔
More than two apples are (not is) on the table.
More than one orange is (not are) on the table.
In the first statement, the answer is “are” not is because two
attracts are but in the second statement, the correct option
is, “is” not are because one attracts is.
Note: do not think because more than one means at least two,
that you will use a plural verb after. No, you will use a singular
verb.

Rule 11
Indefinite pronoun concord
When any of the following words are used, you should use
a singular verb.
When such words as everybody, everything, everyone,
everywhere, no one, nothing, nobody, nowhere, something,
someone, somebody, anyone, anything, anybody, anywhere

✔
and each are used, the verb must be singular. For example

✔
Nothing/Anything goes (not go).

✔
Everybody likes (not like) him.
Everybody thinks (not think) he stole the money.
Rule 12
Relative Concord
When who, whose, which or that refers to a previously
mentioned noun or pronoun, such noun is a relative noun
Example:
One of the farmers who plant (not plants) on the farm has (not
have) been asked to withdraw.

Rule 13
Uncountable nouns of concord
Countable nouns are nouns that can be quantified in units and
numbers, that is, are nouns that can be counted.
E.g chairs, tables, phones, and so forth.
Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be quantified in
units and numbers.
E.g water, information, equipment, etc.
Note: all uncountable nouns will avoid “s” at the back.
It is wrong to use any of the words below with uncountable
nouns.
E.g informations, clothes, equipments, furnitures, machineries,
datas, advices, evidences, wealths, and so forth.
Instead, you say a piece of information/evidence/data/cloth/
equipment/advice, etc
It is wrong to say machineries instead, you say a machine or
two machines.
Other examples of nouns that attract plural verbs are;
The police work hard (not works).
But you can say:
That policeman (not policemen) works (not work) hard.
Police and policemen are collective nouns, which is why they
attract a plural verb.
But policeman is not a collective noun, but a singular noun
Hence, it takes a singular verb
The headquarters look (or looks) palatial.
Cattle give (not gives) bad odour, and a cow gives bad odour.
Aircraft make (not makes) travelling easier but, that chopper,
airbus, or airplane makes travelling easier.
All the four examples attract plural verb because the subject in
each example is a collective noun.
Please note that in informal English, some plural nouns like
headquarters can be used with a singular verb.

Rule 14
Pluralia tantums
Pluralia tantum are nouns that come in plural forms.
Some of these words have final “s”, while some do not.
However, whenever any of the following forms appear, it must
be followed by a singular verb.
School Subject: mathematics, economics,
civics, physics, statistics, and so forth. You can see that all of
the words end with “s”. That, however, does not show plurality.
Games: darts, snakes and ladders, draughts, billiards, bowls
and skittles, and so forth all end with “s” but do not show
plurality.
Diseases: Measles, tuberculosis, shingles, mumps and so on
all end with “s” but are treated as singular.
Others: titles, news, series, means, and so forth.
Examples,
The series of incidents makes (not make) me shudder.
The means of transport hastens (not hasten) traveling.
Note: there are some nouns that do not appear as singular at
all but as plurals, and they often attract plural verbs.
Such words are:funds (money), annals, spirits, surroundings,
guts, earnings, arms (weapons), auspices, the middle ages,
entrails, bowels, quarters (headquarters), banns, means,
holidays, stars, suds, wages, thanks, riches, writs, savings,
remains, ashes, goods (product), arrears, outskirts, pains,
particulars, fireworks, and so forth.
All these nouns not verbs cannot appear without “s”; they also
attract plural verbs.

✔
Examples:
His manners are (not is) good.

✔
The remains (corpse) of the boy have (not has) been buried.

Rule 15
Double title subject concord
When two subjects are joined together by “and” but the two
subjects refer to only one person or thing, a singular
verb should be used.
Examples:

✔
Our principal and mathematics teacher knows (not know) me.

In the above sentence, our principal and mathematics

teacher is not two different people. Rather, our principal is also
our mathematics teacher; hence the subject is our principal,
and it is a singular noun. That is why a singular verb is used.
Consider this example:

✔
Our principal and the mathematics teacher have (not has)
travelled.
This is quite different from the first sentence because the
principal and the mathematics teacher are two different people
because of the use of “the” before mathematics teacher.
Hence, in this second sentence, we use a plural verb.

Rule 16
Co-ordinate concord
When two subjects are joined together by and, the verb to be
used should be plural.

✔
Examples:

✔
James and John are (not is) here.
Elizabeth and Johnson know (not knows) me.

Rule 17
Categorization concord
When a collective name, denoting category (not a collective
noun) is used, the verb to be used must be plural.
Categories like: the poor, the rich, the wealthy, the successful,
the gifted, the weak, the young in spirit, the handicapped, the
helpless and so forth, the verb to be used should be plural.
Examples:

✔
The poor need help (not a help or needs) from the government.

✔
✔
The young are (not is) disobedient.
The weak are (not is) left to their fates.

Rule 18
Plural number concord
When amount or unit is mentioned in a statement, units such
as five thousand, three hundred, percent, twenty meters, five
times, and so on. The next verb must be singular.

✔
Examples:

✔
Two pounds of flour is (not are) too few to bake a cake.
Ten percent of my earnings goes (not go) to my wife.

Rule 19
Mathematical facts
When mathematical facts such as subtraction, multiplication,
addition, division are used, the verb can be singular or plural.

✔
Examples:
Ten plus ten is/are (are and is are both correct) twenty.
Ten multiplied by two is/are twenty. ✔
•Both singular and plural are correct.

Rule 20
Every + plural number concord
When every precedes a plural, the next verb is plural.
Examples:

✔
Every ten litres of oil bought come (not comes) with a bonus of
an extra litre.
But when “every” appears without any plural number, the verb is
singular.

✔
Examples:

✔
Every boy (not boys) likes girls.
Every man (not men) likes football.
When and joins two or more subjects with every or each, the
verb should be singular.
Examples:

✔
Every man and woman speaks (not speak) good English here.

✔
Every student and teacher comes (not come) to school early.

Rule 21
Most or much concord
When most is used, the verb will either be singular or plural,
depending on whether the referent is a countable or
uncountable noun.

✔
Examples:
Most of the boys (countable noun) are tall.

✔
Most of the time (uncountable noun), John has (not have)
always been there for her.

When much is used in a statement, the verb to be used must be

singular.

✔
Examples:
Much of the water has (not have) been spilled.

Rule 22
All concord
When all appears, it means either everything or all the people.
When all means everything, the verb to be used should
be Singular but when all means all the people, the verb to be
used should be plural.

✔
Examples:

✔
All are already seated in the hall. (all the people)
All is set for the festival. (everything)

In the above sentence, “All” means all the people are already

seated in the hall hence a plural verb.

✔
But:
All is well with me.
In the above sentence, “all” means everything; hence, a singular
verb.

When all but is used, the following verb should be plural

✔
Example:
All but John are (not is) on the bus.
That means, only John is absent.

Rule 23
Either or neither concord
When either or neither joins two singular nouns together, the
following verb should be Singular.

✔
Examples:

✔
Either John or Jackson knows (not know) me.
Neither Mary nor her friend was (not were) here.

But, when either or neither joins two subjects (one singular and

the other plural), the verb should be chosen by considering the
nearer of the two subjects.

✔
Examples:
Either James or his friends know (not knows) me.

You can see that the word “friends” is nearer to the verb gap
than it is near ’James’.
These rules also apply when “but (also)” or “but even” joins two
subjects.
Examples:
Not only Sola but also/even teachers laugh (not laughs) in
 ✔
✔
school.
Not Lawrence but James speaks (not speak) good English.

You can see in the last sentence that the word “James” is
nearer to the verb gap than it is near “Lawrence”. So, we use a
singular verb — SPEAKS.

Rule 24
Each and one of concord
When each appears in concord, a singular noun + a singular
verb will be chosen.

✔
Example:
Each boy (not boys) has (not have) a car.

But, when “each of or “one of” appears, the next noun should

be plural but the next verb should be singular.
Example:

✔
Each of the candidates (not candidate) stands (not stand) a
good chance to win the scholarship.