Subject-Verb Concord: Core Rules

<p>A foundational Kerala PSC practice quiz on Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord). Concord is the single most tested topic in the English section of PSC exams. This quiz establishes mastery over foundational rules: compound subjects expressing a single idea (e.g. bread and butter, slow and steady), distributive pronouns taking singular verbs (each, every, either, neither), 'one of the + plural noun + singular verb', collective nouns functioning as a single unit vs divided, plural-form singular nouns (mathematics, news, measles), and quantities of money or distance.</p><h3>Study Scope</h3><ul><li>Basic Concord: Singular subject takes singular verb; plural subject takes plural verb</li><li>Compound Subjects with 'and': single unified concept (bread and butter is) vs two distinct items (time and tide wait)</li><li>Distributive Pronouns: Each of the boys has a pen; every student was present</li><li>The 'One of the' Rule: One of my friends is an engineer</li><li>Collective Nouns: The jury was unanimous (united) vs The jury were divided (split)</li><li>Nouns Plural in Form but Singular in Meaning: Mathematics, Physics, News, Measles, Politics</li><li>Single Quantities: Ten thousand rupees is a handsome amount; five kilometers is a short walk</li><li>Book and Movie Titles: 'Gulliver's Travels' was written by Swift</li></ul><h3>Tested Competencies</h3><ul><li>Select correct singular or plural verb forms according to the true grammatical subject</li><li>Avoid the error of proximity (getting confused by intervening plural nouns)</li><li>Distinguish between unified and divided collective noun contexts</li></ul><p><small>Cover: Sand Clock representing time, agreement, and concordance (CC BY-SA 3.0). Source: Wikimedia Commons. Changes: Cropped to 16:9 aspect ratio and resized to 1200x675.</small></p>