English Class 10 - Concord Notes

Concord (Subject-Verb Agreement)

Welcome to the chapter on Concord (Subject-Verb Agreement) for Class 10. In this chapter, you will learn how to make sure the subject and verb in a sentence agree with each other in number and person. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to write grammatically correct sentences with proper subject-verb agreement.

Introduction

Concord, also called subject-verb agreement, means that the verb in a sentence must match the subject in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third). This is an important rule in English grammar.

Basic Rules of Concord

• A singular subject takes a singular verb.
  Example: She reads every day.
• A plural subject takes a plural verb.
  Example: They read every day.
• When two subjects are joined by "and", use a plural verb.
  Example: Ram and Shyam are friends.
• When two subjects are joined by "or" or "nor", the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.
  Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
• Collective nouns usually take a singular verb.
  Example: The team is winning.
• Some nouns look plural but are singular in meaning.
  Example: Mathematics is my favorite subject.

Special Cases

• Words like "each", "every", "everyone", "someone", "nobody" take a singular verb.
  Example: Everyone is happy.
• When a sentence begins with "there" or "here", the verb agrees with the real subject.
  Example: There are many books on the table.
• Uncountable nouns take a singular verb.
  Example: Water is essential for life.

Common Mistakes

• Incorrect: The list of items are on the desk.
  Correct: The list of items is on the desk.
• Incorrect: Neither of the boys have done their homework.
  Correct: Neither of the boys has done his homework.

Fun Activity: Spot the Error!

Read the sentences below and find the subject-verb agreement errors. Correct them!

• The dogs barks loudly.
• My friends is coming over.
• There is many apples in the basket.

Summary

• The verb must agree with the subject in number and person.
• Use singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects.
• Be careful with collective nouns, uncountable nouns, and special cases.

Practice Questions

1. Fill in the blank: The boy ____ (run/runs) fast.
2. Fill in the blank: My parents ____ (is/are) at home.
3. Fill in the blank: Either Rina or her friends ____ (has/have) the key.
4. Fill in the blank: Mathematics ____ (is/are) difficult for some students.
5. Fill in the blank: Each of the girls ____ (was/were) present.

Challenge Yourself

• Write five sentences using correct subject-verb agreement.
• Find three sentences from your textbook and check if the subject and verb agree.

Did You Know?

• The word "concord" comes from Latin and means "agreement".
• Some English verbs do not change form for plural subjects (e.g., "put", "cut").

Glossary

• Concord: Agreement between subject and verb.
• Subject: The person or thing doing the action.
• Verb: The action word in a sentence.
• Collective noun: A noun that refers to a group (e.g., team, class).

Answers to Practice Questions

1. runs
2. are
3. have
4. is
5. was

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Always check that your subject and verb agree to write correct English!