Everytime we speak or write, especially using declarative sentences, we try to ensure that the subject aligns with the verb in the sentence in terms of tense, (present or past), and number (singular or plural), in order to be accurate in relaying information and grammatically correct. This brings us to the concept of Concord.
What is Concord?
Concord, in English, refers to the agreement between subjects and verbs in sentences. It has to do with the rules that guide the formation of sentences such that the verbs used in such sentences match the subject in terms of tense and number. This is important because it helps to ensure that the timing of events being reported are not jumbled up or misplaced in sentences, and that the number of the subject whether plural or singular is properly accounted for. For instance: "John went here every day." This sentence presents an inaccurate information because, "every day", is an adverb that indicates a routine or daily activities, hence it cannot be reported with a past tense verb since it would be ungrammatical.
Rules of Concord
Rule 1: Singular Subject Attracts Singular Verb
The first rule states that singular subjects in sentences attract singular verbs in most cases. This is usually the case when dealing with simple active sentences.
Observe the following:
a. Mitchel is a loving person.
b. Iroh knows the truth.
c. The teacher eats a lot during break time.
All the sentences above are singular subjects and such attract singular verbs. Just as singular subjects attract singular verbs in most cases, plural subjects attract plural verbs.
Observe the following:
a. The go out on Sundays.
b. The soldiers eat very fast.
c. We know about The Titanic.
Rule 2: Subject-Object Agreement
In sentences where the subject is an indefinite pronoun like: Everybody, Everyone, Each, etc., the object has to be singular.
Observe the following:
a. Everybody has his or her own problems. (Not their own problems)
b. Each of the staff members liked his or her present. (Not their present)
c. Everyone enjoyed his or her meal. (Not their meal)
However, using, "their", in place of, "his or her", is acceptable in informal situations. But the standard expression is, "his or her".
Rule 3: Mandative Subjective Concord.
The third rule of concord states that the verb remain plural irrespective of whether the subject is singular or plural. The mandative subjunctive rule stems from the mandative subjunctive mood which is a type of subjunctive mood that provides statements that are based on hypothesis. Such statements are merely propositions, probabilities and predictions, and such they take plural verbs since their claims have not been confirmed. They are indexed by such verbs as: pray, suggest, recommend, hope, wish etc.,.
Observe the following:
a. We pray you find happiness.
b. The doctor recommend you stay in bed.
c. She suggest you wait for a few more days.
Rule 4: Proximity Concord
This rule states that the subject closest to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural. In proximity concord, the subjects of sentences are introduced by correlative conjunctions: e.g.,. Either...or, and Neither...nor. The rule states that the subject accompanying, "or", in such sentences determine the form of the verb as either singular or plural.
Observe the following:
a. Either the students or the teacher is telling the truth.
b. Neither James nor his drunk friends are to blame.
c. Either Jennifer or Mateo has a nice school bag.
Rule 5: Many a Concord
The fifth rule of concord states that when, "Many a", introduces the subject of a sentence, the verb will be singular. This is because, "many a", is treated as a singular phrase that emphasizes each individual element of the group.
Observe the following:
a. Many a student visits this salon.
b. Many a teacher knows how to control their class.
c. Many a citizen pays their taxes.
Rule 6: Pair of Concord
The sixth rule of concord states that when, "a pair of", is used to introduce a subject in a sentence, the verb will be singular irrespective of the subject having a plural structure.
Observe the following:
a. A pair of jeans is all she needs to contest in the pageantry.
b. A pair of glasses fell under the table.
c. A pair of scissors sells quite fast in this
area.
Rule 7: Parenthetical Concord
Parenthetical concord rule states that the subject of a sentence determines whether the verb will be singular or plural. The phrase marked off from the subject by commas does not determine the number of the verb. The rule is identified as parenthetical concord because the phrases marked off from the sentences by commas, are likened to words in parenthesis "()" hence the name.
Observe the following:
a. The teacher, not the principal, comes to school early.
b. The bullies, not the quiet kid, are always bunking class.
c. Mr. Johnson, not the cheerleaders, cheers very loudly for his team.
The number of the verbs, (singular or plural), in the examples above, are determined by the subjects and not in any way influenced by the parenthetical phrases.
Rule 8: Accompaniment Concord
Accompaniment concord rule states that the subject of a sentence is what determines whether the verb is singular or plural, and the phrases accompanying the subject and appearing before the verb do not influence the number of the verb. Some phrases used to introduce nouns before verbs in sentences after the main subject include the following: as well as, together with, not excluding, along with, etc.,.
Observe the following:
a. Mathew together with his friends knows how to play the guitar.
b. The staff members as well as the chief executive officer were at the meeting.
c. The teacher not excluding her students was at the scene.
Only the main subject determines the number of the verb not the accompanying nouns or nominal elements.
Rule 9: Collective Concord
Collective concord as the name implies has to do with collective nouns and how they determine whether the verb in a sentence will be singular or plural. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group as a single unit acting as a whole and such typically take a singular verb.
Observe:
a. The team is ready for the match.
However, there are cases when they take plural verbs which is when members of such groups act independently and not together as a unit.
Observe the following:
a. The audience are being rowdy.
b. The staff are rioting for an increase in wages.
The collective concord rule states that collective nouns take a singular verb when they act as a unit , but take a plural verb when members of the group represented by collective nouns act independently.
Rule 10: Indefinite Concord
The indefinite concord rule states that when indefinite pronouns such as: anybody, everybody, someone, somebody, everything, anything, each, one, none, etc., serve as the subject of a sentence, the verb is always singular.
Observe the following:
a. Each one of you is invited to the party.
b. Everybody wants to be treated with respect.
c. Anything is possible if you put your heart to it.
Rule 11: More Than Concord
The, "more than", concord rule states that the number of the subject that follows, "more than", in a sentence determines the number of the verb. That is, if the subject following it is singular, the verb will be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb will also be plural.
Observe the following:
a. More than one student lives in this hostel.
b. More than two apples are on the table.
c. More than ten citizens were awarded for good conduct.
Rule 12: Relative Concord
The relative concord rule states that when the subject in a sentence is followed by a relative clause, only the subject determines the number of the verb as being singular or plural and not the clause.
Observe the following:
a. One of the fisherman, who visit the great river, has a bright talent.
b. The teacher who called for sn emergency meeting has an amazing voice.
c. The students who saw what happened yesterday have been afraid ever since.
Rule 13: Uncountable Nouns Concord
The uncountable nouns concord rule states that uncountable nouns take singular verbs when they serve as the subject of sentences. Uncountable Nouns are nouns that cannot be quantified such as water, sand, information, advice, etc.,. In many cases, we make use of quantifiers such as: some, any, a piece of, etc., to create a partial quantification for such nouns and introduce them. Another interesting feature of uncountable nouns is that they do not have plural forms and so they maintain a singular structure, and take singular verbs whenever they act as subjects.
Observe the following:
a. This piece of information is really helpful.
b. That piece of furniture is very enticing.
c. The tea was very rich in flavour.
Rule 14: Double Title Concord
The double title concord rule states that when two titles are joined by the conjunction, "and", and the second title is not preceded by a determiner, particularly a definite article e.g.,. "the", the verb will be singular. That is, when two titles are united by , "and", at subject position and only one of the two titles, which is the first, has an article preceding it, the verb to be used must be singular.
Observe the following:
a. The head teacher and principal is a really nice man.
b. The first born and first daughter has a very cheerful and alluring smile.
c. A master craftsman and swordsmith is visiting the small village today.
The reason why the examples above take singular verbs is because both titles refer to the same person or individual. For instance; "The head teacher" and "principal", are the same person which is why the verb is singular. However, if both titles were preceded by an article, say the definite article: "the", the verb to be used is plural. This is because it would no longer be a double title but a double subject situation. This is because they would be referring to two separate individuals and not a single person.
Observe the following:
a. The head teacher and the principal are really nice people.
b. The first born and the first daughter have really cheerful smiles.
c. A master craftsman and a swordsmith are visiting the small village today.
Rule 15: Coordinate Concord
The coordinate concord rule states that when two subjects are joined by the coordinating conjunction, "and", the verb to be used must be a plural verb. Unlike in the case of proximity concord where the subject closest to the coordinating conjunction, "or", determines the verb, the verb is always plural when, "and", joins two or more subjects.
Observe the following:
a. James and John are typical twins in many societies.
b. The teacher and her students quickly understood the assignment.
c. Mateo and the board of directors are having a closed-door meeting.
Rule 16: Pluralia Tantum Concord
The pluralia tantum concord rule states that when you have a noun with a plural structure or form at subject position, the verb to be used is singular verb. There are many nouns that are singular in function but plural in structure. They can be found in school subjects such as: Mathematics, Economics, Physics, etc., or in games such as: Billards, Darts, etc.,. They always take a singular verb.
Observe the following:
a. Mathematics is a subject with worldwide agreement of its difficulty.
b. Darts is one of my favourite games.
c. Economics is a subject that teaches about many aspects of finance and trading.
Rule 17: Categorisation Concord
The categorisation concord rule states that when a categorization noun, not a collective noun, is at the subject position of a sentence, the verb to be used must be plural. Such categorization words include the following: the poor, the rich, the sick, the strong, the wise, etc.,.
Observe the following:
a. The weak are to be treated with consideration.
b. The rich are not always as happy as they look.
c. The sick were taken to from the sick bay to the hospital for better treatment.
Rule 18: Plural number Concord
The plural number concord rule states that when plural numbers are placed at the subject position of sentences, the verb is usually singular. Such plural numbers include: ten, five percent, eighty kilograms, etc.,.
Observe the following:
a. Twenty percent of our earnings goes to charity.
b. Fifty kilograms of wood is what we need to construct the statue.
c. One of the students is coming here.
However, in the case of actual numbers from one to infinity, the verb changes to plural from number two upwards. Measurement numbers always take plural verbs.
Rule 19: Mathematical Facts Concord
The mathematical facts concord rule states that when mathematical expressions are at the subject position, or serve as the subjects of sentences, the verb that follows is either singular or plural. Both singular and plural verbs are acceptable in such situations.
Observe the following:
a. Ten times ten is or are equal to one hundred.
b. Fifty divided by two is or are equal to twenty five.
c. One thousand minus five hundred is or are equal to five hundred.
Rule 20: Every+ Plural Concord
The every+ plural concord rule states that when, "every", appears at the subject position of a sentence before a plural, the verb to be used should be plural.
Observe the following:
a. Every five pounds of flour purchased come with extra bonuses.
However, if, "every", precedes a singular noun, the verb will be singular.
Observe the following:
a. Every child deserves to be loved and cared for.
b. Every mother wants what is best for her children.
c. Every citizen wants to feel protected in his or her country.
Rule 21: All Concord
The all concord rule states that when, "all", refers to everything in general, the verb to be used must be singular. That is, when, "all", refers to everything in existence and not a specific group, we use a singular verb.
Observe the following:
a. All is well.
b. All was created by God.
However, when, "all", refers to a particular group, we use a plural verb.
Observe the following:
a. All are gathered at the assembly hall.
b. All have alighted from the plane.
c. All are being checked at the entrance points.
"All", in the above examples, refers to particular groups of individuals at different contexts.
Rule 22: Correlative Conjunctions Concord
The correlative conjunctions concord rule states that when the correlative conjunctions: "either or", ",neither nor", "not only...but also", "not..but", etc.,. serve as subjects of sentences, the verb to be used must be singular.
Observe the following:
a. Not only John but also his children are responsible people.
b. Either the doctors or the patient is running out of time.
c. Not the chickens but the poultry farmer makes a lot of money.
d. Neither the students nor their parents like the new policy.
Rule 23: Each and One of Concord
The each and one of Concord rule states that when, "each" and "one of", appear before nouns at the subject position of a sentence, the verb to be used is singular verb.
Observe the following:
a. Each citizen has a fundamental human right.
b. One of the miners is very lazy.
c. Each student has a way of assimilating things.
When, "each of", appears before a plural noun at subject position, the verb is also singular.
Observe the following:
a. Each of the bikers has a tattoo on his neck.
b. Each of the security guard has a communication device.
Rule 24: Most and Much Concord
The most and much concord rule states that when, "most" and "much", appear before nouns at subject positions in sentences, the nouns determine the verb. When, "most", appears, before an uncountable noun, the verb to be used is singular.
Observe the following:
a. Most of the water has been spilled.
b..Most of the tea was well-made.
When it appears before a countable noun, however, the verb that follows is plural.
Observe the following:
a. Most children love ice cream.
b. Most teachers pay attention to their students.
When, "much", appears before a noun, the verb is always singular.
Observe the following:
a. Much time has been wasted.
b. Much of the cement was mixed with sand.
c. Much thinking is needed over this issue.
Note that, "much", only appears before uncountable nouns.
So concord refers to the relationship between the subject and verb in a sentence. It is based on how the verbs in sentences agree with the subject in terms of number: singular and plural, to be grammatical and present accurate information. There are twenty four rules of concord which determine whether the verb will be singular, plural or both, and understanding concord will better equip you with the knowledge of using the right verbs for every situation like a native speaker.
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