Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is the single most tested grammar point on the Civil Service Exam. The rule itself is kindergarten-simple: a singular subject takes a singular verb, a plural subject takes a plural verb. The exam earns its difficulty by hiding the subject: burying it behind prepositional phrases, disguising it as an indefinite pronoun, splitting it into compounds, or flipping the sentence so the verb comes first. Every hard agreement item is really a "find the true subject" puzzle.

Why the CSE tests this

Official correspondence lives and dies on grammatical credibility. A memo reading "The list of qualified applicants are posted" undermines the office that issued it. The exam presents agreement through "choose the correct sentence," "select the grammatically correct option," and error-identification formats, so you must both apply the rules and spot violations in others' sentences.

First, a two-second reminder that trips many reviewers: in the present tense, the -s moves. Singular verb forms end in -s (the clerk files), plural verb forms do not (the clerks file). Nouns and verbs work in opposite directions.

Rule 1: Ignore the interrupters

The subject is never inside a prepositional phrase (of, in, on, with, along with, together with, as well as, including, in addition to). Cross these phrases out mentally; what remains is the subject.

• "The BOX of certificates WAS delivered." (box was, not certificates were)
• "The chairman, together with the board members, SIGNS the resolution." (chairman signs)
• "The requirements for the promotion WERE posted." (requirements were)

Worked example 1:

"The schedule of interviews for the vacant positions (was / were) revised twice."

Strike "of interviews" and "for the vacant positions." Left over: "The schedule ... was revised twice." Singular subject, singular verb. The nearest noun to the verb ("positions") is bait, not the subject.

Rule 2: Indefinite pronouns

Always singular: each, every, either, neither, everyone, everybody, everything, anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody, something, no one, nobody, nothing, one.

• "EACH of the applicants HAS a test permit."
• "NEITHER of the printers IS working."
• "EVERYBODY in the three divisions WAS required to attend."

Always plural: both, few, many, several.

• "SEVERAL of the entries WERE disqualified."

Either singular or plural, depending on the noun they refer to: some, all, most, none, any, half. Look at the "of" phrase for these words only.

• "SOME of the budget WAS realigned." (budget: singular)
• "SOME of the funds WERE realigned." (funds: plural)
• "ALL of the report IS ready." vs "ALL of the reports ARE ready."

Yes, this is the one family of words where the "of" phrase matters; for everything else, Rule 1 applies.

Rule 3: Compound subjects

Joined by AND: usually plural.

• "The mayor and the vice mayor WERE present."

Exceptions: when the two nouns name one unit or one person, treat as singular: "The chairman and CEO IS arriving" (one person holding both titles); "Adobo and rice IS my usual order" (one dish-combo). Also, subjects preceded by "each" or "every" stay singular: "Every desk and chair WAS inventoried."

Joined by OR / NOR / EITHER-OR / NEITHER-NOR: the verb agrees with the NEARER subject.

• "Neither the director nor the division chiefs WERE informed." (chiefs, plural, is nearer)
• "Neither the division chiefs nor the director WAS informed." (director, singular, is nearer)
• "Either the clerks or the cashier HAS the key."

This "proximity rule" is a CSE favorite because both verb forms look defensible until you check which subject sits closer.

Rule 4: Collective nouns

Committee, staff, team, family, jury, audience, faculty, class, public: singular when acting as one unit, plural when members act individually. Philippine exam items almost always use the unit sense.

• "The committee HAS approved the guidelines." (one action, one unit)
• "The committee ARE divided over the venue." (members acting separately; rarer, but correct)

Special cases:

• "The number of + plural noun" is SINGULAR: "The number of applicants HAS doubled."
• "A number of + plural noun" is PLURAL: "A number of applicants WERE late."
• Amounts of money, time, and distance as single quantities are singular: "Five thousand pesos IS the filing fee." "Two weeks WAS not enough for the inventory."
• Titles of laws, books, and offices are singular: "The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act REMAINS in force."
• Some -s nouns are singular: news, mathematics, measles, politics (as a field): "The news about the results WAS encouraging."

Rule 5: Inverted sentences

When a sentence begins with "there," "here," or a place expression, the subject comes AFTER the verb. Find it before choosing.

• "There IS a pending request on your desk." (request)
• "There WERE three pending requests on your desk." (requests)
• "Posted on the bulletin board WERE the exam room assignments." (assignments were)
• "HERE COMES the inspection team." (team comes)

Worked example 2:

"Attached to this memorandum (is / are) the list of requirements and the application form."

Invert it back: "The list ... and the application form ARE attached." Two subjects joined by "and": plural. Answer: are. Inversion hides compound subjects especially well.

Rule 6: Clauses and phrases as subjects

A gerund phrase, infinitive phrase, or noun clause acting as the subject is singular.

• "Filing the reports on time IS every clerk's duty."
• "What the office needs IS a faster scanner."
• "To pass the Professional exam REQUIRES consistent review."

Relative pronouns (who, which, that) take verbs agreeing with their antecedent:

• "She is one of the employees WHO WERE promoted." (who = employees)
• "She is the only one of the employees WHO WAS promoted." (who = the only one)

Worked example 3:

"Ana is one of the examinees who (was / were) given an extra answer sheet."

"Who" points to "examinees" (plural): several examinees were given extra sheets, and Ana is one of them. Answer: were. If the sentence said "the only one of the examinees," the answer flips to was.

Worked example 4 (full exam format):

Choose the grammatically correct sentence: (a) "The stack of folders on the shelves were reorganized." (b) "Neither of the two proposals were approved." (c) "The number of walk-in clients have increased since Monday." (d) "Each of the regional offices submits a monthly accomplishment report."

Check each: (a) subject is "stack" (singular), so "were" is wrong. (b) "Neither" alone is singular: "was approved." (c) "The number" is singular: "has increased." (d) "Each" is singular and "submits" is singular. Answer: (d).

Worked example 5 (proximity rule under pressure):

"Either the barangay captain or the kagawads (attends / attend) the quarterly DILG briefing."

Nearer subject: "kagawads," plural. Answer: attend. Reverse the order ("Either the kagawads or the barangay captain...") and the answer becomes "attends."

Common traps

• Nearest-noun bait. The exam parks a plural noun right before the verb ("of certificates," "for the positions") hoping you agree with it instead of the subject.
• "One of the..." confusion. "One of the clerks IS absent" (one is), but "one of the clerks who ARE assigned to records" (who = clerks). Slow down whenever you see this frame.
• "The number" vs "a number." Definite article: singular. Indefinite: plural. Pure memorization, frequently tested.
• Interrupting commas. "The director, along with three staff members, ARE attending" is wrong; "along with" phrases never pluralize the subject.
• Don't/doesn't. "He DON'T" is always wrong; doesn't for he/she/it, don't for I/you/we/they. Simple, and still appearing on exams because it survives in everyday speech.
• There is + plural. "There is many reasons" is conversational but wrong; match the verb to the delayed subject.

Exam strategy

• For every agreement item, do these three moves: (1) cross out prepositional and "along with" phrases, (2) find the true subject, (3) match the -s.
• In "choose the correct sentence" items, check agreement FIRST; it is the most common planted error and eliminates two or three options fast.
• Watch for the five trigger patterns: of-phrases before the verb, indefinite pronouns, or/nor pairs, "there is/are," and "one of the... who."
• When two options differ only in verb form, the item is pure agreement; solve it with rules, never by which version "sounds right." The exam specifically selects sentences where the wrong form sounds natural.
• Budget 30 to 40 seconds per item. Agreement questions are rule-driven; speed comes from pattern recognition, and every pattern is in this lesson.