Last Updated: October 5, 2026
Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement for SBI PO Prelims: 25 Tricky Rules with High-Level Examples
Master Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement with 25 Tricky Rules, Complex Sentence Patterns, Multiple Error Detection, and High-Level Practice Questions for SBI PO Prelims
📘 Table of Contents
- Introduction — Why SBI PO Demands Advanced S-V Agreement Knowledge
- Quick Revision — Basic Rules (Must Know)
- 25 Advanced Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement (SBI PO Level)
- Rules 1-5: Complex Subject Identification
- Rules 6-10: Tricky Collective Nouns & Quantifiers
- Rules 11-15: Advanced Correlative Conjunctions
- Rules 16-20: Relative Clauses & Inverted Structures
- Rules 21-25: High-Level Traps & Exceptions
- SBI PO Prelims Strategy — Speed & Accuracy Formula
- Advanced Speed Tricks — 10-Second Error Detection Shortcuts
- 10 High-Level Sample Questions (Solved with Explanations)
- Common Traps SBI PO Sets (बचके रहना)
- Download Practice Sets (PDF)
- Suggested Next Reads
Introduction — Why SBI PO Demands Advanced S-V Agreement Knowledge
SBI PO Prelims का English section IBPS PO से ज्यादा challenging होता है। यहाँ सिर्फ rules याद करने से काम नहीं चलेगा — application, traps, और complex sentence structures पर focus होता है।
🎯 SBI PO का Unique Pattern
IBPS PO Level: “The quality of the products are good.” — सीधी error (quality singular → is)
SBI PO Level: “The quality of the products, which has been deteriorating over the past few months, are not up to the expected standards.” — यहाँ multiple clauses हैं, और आपको true subject (quality) पहचानना है।
समझने की बात: SBI PO एक sentence में multiple clauses, intervening phrases, और tricky structures डालता है confuse करने के लिए।
इस article में हम Subject-Verb Agreement के 25 advanced rules को SBI PO के level पर समझेंगे, जहाँ:
- Sentences में multiple clauses होते हैं
- Intervening phrases के बीच true subject पहचानना होता है
- Collective nouns के tricky agreements होते हैं
- Inverted structures और relative clauses के complex patterns होते हैं
⚡ Quick Summary – SBI PO Level Subject-Verb Agreement
- SBI PO Difficulty: IBPS PO से 20-25% ज्यादा tricky
- Most Tested Advanced Rules: Inverted sentences, relative clauses with “one of the”, collective nouns with individual action, correlative conjunctions with long intervening phrases
- Common Trap: SBI PO एक sentence में 2-3 clauses डालता है, और intervening phrases के बीच true subject छुपाता है
- Time per Question: 25-30 seconds (IBPS PO से कम time)
- Accuracy Target: 85%+ (क्योंकि competition high है)
Quick Revision — Basic Rules (Must Know)
SBI PO level के questions solve करने से पहले, ये basic rules revision कर लें:
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Singular Subject → Singular Verb | He goes to school. |
| Plural Subject → Plural Verb | They go to school. |
| Each/Every → Singular Verb | Each student has a pen. |
| Neither/Nor → Verb agrees with nearest subject | Neither the manager nor his assistants are present. |
| Collective Nouns (as a unit) → Singular Verb | The committee has decided. |
| “The number of” → Singular, “A number of” → Plural | The number of students is high. | A number of students are absent. |
25 Advanced Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement (SBI PO Level)
Rule 1: Ignore Intervening Phrases — Find the TRUE Subject
Rule: Prepositional phrases (of the products, in the class, along with his friends), relative clauses (who/which/that), और appositives (a famous scientist) — इन सबको ignore करें। True subject वही है जो verb से पहले मुख्य noun है।
“The quality of the products, which has been deteriorating over the past few months, are not up to the mark.”
→ True subject “quality” singular → verb should be is, not are.
⚡ Trick: जहाँ भी comma के बीच में extra information हो, उसे हटा दें। बचे हुए sentence में subject और verb देखें।
Rule 2: Inverted Sentences — Identify Subject After Verb
Rule: Inverted sentences (starting with Here, There, Where, or questions) में verb से पहले subject नहीं होता। Subject verb के बाद आता है।
✅ Here comes the teacher. (teacher singular → comes)
✅ There are many reasons. (reasons plural → are)
✅ Where are the keys? (keys plural → are)
❌ Here come the teacher. (गलत)
⚡ Trick: Inverted sentence में verb के बाद आने वाले noun को true subject मानें।
Rule 3: “One of the + Plural Noun” + Singular Verb (BUT watch for “who”)
Rule: “One of the + plural noun” singular होता है और singular verb लेता है। लेकिन अगर relative clause (who/which/that) आता है, तो verb उस noun के according लगती है जिसे pronoun refer कर रहा है।
✅ One of the students is responsible. (one singular → is)
✅ He is one of the boys who have passed. (who boys को refer कर रहा है → have)
✅ She is the only one of the girls who has won. (only one → singular → has)
⚡ Trick: “the only one of the” = singular verb; “one of the” + who = plural verb.
Rule 4: “The number of” vs “A number of” — Advanced Application
Rule: “The number of” = singular verb, “A number of” = plural verb. SBI PO में यह rule indirect तरीके से पूछा जाता है।
✅ The number of applicants has increased significantly. (singular)
✅ A number of issues remain unresolved. (plural)
❌ The number of vacancies are increasing. (गलत)
Rule 5: Collective Nouns — Singular or Plural Based on Context
Rule: Collective nouns (team, committee, jury, audience, family, staff, government) singular verb लेते हैं जब वे एक unit के रूप में act कर रहे हों, और plural verb जब members individually act कर रहे हों।
✅ The committee has taken a unanimous decision. (एक unit → singular)
✅ The committee are divided in their opinion. (अलग-अलग राय → plural)
✅ The jury has announced its verdict. (unit → singular)
✅ The jury are arguing among themselves. (individuals → plural)
Rule 6: “More than one” + Singular Noun = Singular Verb
Rule: “More than one” के बाद singular noun और singular verb आती है, भले ही meaning plural हो।
✅ More than one person was injured.
❌ More than one student have failed. (गलत)
Rule 7: “Many a + Singular Noun” = Singular Verb
Rule: “Many a” के बाद singular noun और singular verb आती है (हालाँकि meaning plural होता है)।
✅ Many a man has tried to climb Everest.
❌ Many a student have failed. (गलत)
Rule 8: Percentages/Fractions — Verb Agrees with Noun After “Of”
Rule: Percentage या fraction के बाद, verb उस noun के according लगती है जो “of” के बाद आता है।
✅ Fifty percent of the students are present. (students plural → plural)
✅ Half of the apple is rotten.
✅ Half of the apples are rotten.
Rule 9: “Along with / As well as / Together with” — Verb Agrees with First Subject
Rule: along with, as well as, together with, accompanied by, in addition to — ये phrases verb को plural नहीं बनाते। Verb पहले subject के according लगती है।
“The CEO, along with his team of highly skilled professionals, is attending the conference.”
→ True subject “CEO” singular → is
Rule 10: “Neither…nor” and “Either…or” with Long Intervening Phrases
Rule: SBI PO में “neither…nor” के बीच में long phrases डाल दिए जाते हैं। Verb हमेशा nearest subject के according लगेगी।
“Neither the CEO, despite his extensive experience and qualifications, nor the board members was aware of the fraud.”
→ Nearest subject “board members” plural → were
Rule 11: “Not only…but also” — Parallel Structure + Verb Agreement
Rule: “Not only…but also” के बाद दोनों तरफ same grammatical structure होनी चाहिए, और verb second subject के according लगती है।
✅ Not only the assistants but also the manager is responsible.
Rule 12: Gerund/Infinitive as Subject = Singular Verb
Rule: Gerund (V1+ing) या Infinitive (to + V1) subject के रूप में आए तो singular verb लेता है।
✅ To err is human.
✅ Running every morning keeps you fit.
Rule 13: “There is/There are” with Compound Subjects
Rule: “There is” के बाद singular noun, “There are” के बाद plural noun। लेकिन compound subject होने पर पहले noun के according verb लगती है।
✅ There are two books and a pen on the table.
Rule 14: Subjects Ending in “ics” (Mathematics, Physics) = Singular Verb
Rule: Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Statistics, Politics, Athletics — ‘s’ में खत्म होते हैं लेकिन singular होते हैं।
✅ Physics has many branches.
❌ Mathematics are difficult. (गलत)
Rule 15: “Police”, “People”, “Cattle” = Plural Verb
Rule: Police, People, Cattle — singular form में होते हैं लेकिन plural verb लेते हैं।
✅ The people are happy.
✅ The cattle are grazing.
Rule 16: Titles of Books/Movies/Songs = Singular Verb
Rule: Titles plural होने पर भी singular verb लेते हैं।
✅ “The Three Musketeers” has many characters.
Rule 17: Indefinite Pronouns (Someone/Anyone/Nobody) = Singular Verb
Rule: Someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, nothing, everything — ये सब singular हैं।
✅ Nobody has arrived.
✅ Something is wrong.
Rule 18: “All/Some/Most/None” — Verb Depends on Following Noun
Rule: All, some, most, none — इनके बाद verb उस noun के according लगती है जो “of” के बाद आता है।
✅ All of the students are present. (students plural → plural)
✅ None of the money was found. (money singular → singular)
✅ None of the students have arrived. (students plural → plural)
Rule 19: Relative Clauses with “One of the” — Watch the Antecedent
Rule: “One of the + plural noun + who/that” में who/that plural noun को refer करता है, इसलिए plural verb। “The only one of the” में singular verb।
✅ She is the only one of the women who has reached the top.
Rule 20: “A pair of / A series of / A collection of” = Singular Verb
Rule: “A pair of”, “A series of”, “A collection of” के बाद plural noun आता है लेकिन singular verb लेती है।
✅ A series of lectures has been arranged.
✅ A collection of paintings is on display.
Rule 21: “The + Adjective” as Subject = Plural Verb
Rule: “The rich”, “The poor”, “The elderly”, “The young” — जब ये एक category को represent करते हैं, तो plural verb लेते हैं।
✅ The poor need our help.
✅ The elderly deserve respect.
Rule 22: “It” as a Dummy Subject = Singular Verb
Rule: “It” dummy subject के रूप में हमेशा singular verb लेता है, चाहे बाद में कुछ भी आए।
✅ It was the students who protested.
Rule 23: “Many a” vs “Many” — Singular vs Plural
Rule: “Many a” = singular verb, “Many” = plural verb.
✅ Many students have failed.
Rule 24: “The majority of” — Verb Depends on Context
Rule: “The majority of” + plural noun = plural verb (usually), लेकिन uncountable noun के साथ singular verb।
✅ The majority of the work is done. (uncountable → singular)
Rule 25: “Time, Money, Distance, Weight” as Subject = Singular Verb
Rule: Time, money, distance, weight — जब इन्हें एक unit के रूप में measure किया जाए, तो singular verb आती है।
✅ Five hundred rupees is too much.
✅ Two hours is enough for the exam.
❌ Ten kilometers are a long distance. (गलत)
SBI PO Prelims Strategy — Speed & Accuracy Formula
🎯 SBI PO Attempt Strategy for Subject-Verb Agreement
Step 1 (First 5 minutes): Simple Error Detection और Fill in the Blanks — 5-6 questions fix करो
Step 2 (Next 8 minutes): Complex Error Detection — Intervening phrases वाले sentences, collective nouns, neither/nor structures
Step 3 (Last 7 minutes): Sentence Improvement और Cloze Test — यहाँ S-V agreement से grammar gaps fill करने हैं
🚫 Don’t attempt: Reading Comprehension अगर time कम हो — SBI PO का RC लंबा और tricky होता है
📊 Time Allocation for SBI PO English Section
| Question Type | No. of Questions | Time per Question | Total Time | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Error Detection (S-V related) | 5-6 | 25-30 sec | 2.5-3 min | Round 1 – आसान वाले पहले |
| Fill in the Blanks | 5 | 25 sec | 2 min | Round 1 – पहले करो |
| Sentence Improvement | 5 | 30-35 sec | 2.5-3 min | Round 2 – बाद में |
| Cloze Test | 5-7 | 40 sec | 3-4 min | Round 2 – बाद में |
| Para Jumbles | 5 | 50 sec | 4 min | Round 3 – time बचे तो |
| Reading Comprehension | 7-8 | Skip या last | — | अगर time बचे तो |
Advanced Speed Tricks — 10-Second Error Detection Shortcuts
⚡ Trick 1: The “Of” Rule — Ignore Everything After “Of”
Rule: “The quality of the products…” — “of” के बाद आने वाले सभी nouns को ignore करें। True subject “of” से पहले आता है।
SBI PO Example: “The quality of the products, which has been deteriorating, are poor.” → Ignore everything after “of” → “quality” singular → is.
⚡ Trick 2: The “Comma” Rule — Remove Extra Information
Rule: Commas के बीच में आने वाली extra information (relative clauses, appositives) को हटा दें।
SBI PO Example: “The CEO, along with his team of experts, are coming.” → Remove “along with his team of experts” → “The CEO is coming.”
⚡ Trick 3: “One of the” Shortcut
Rule: “One of the + plural noun” + singular verb. BUT if there’s “who/that” → plural verb.
Example: “He is one of the boys who have passed.” (who → have)
⚡ Trick 4: “The number” vs “A number” — 2-Second Rule
Rule: “The” = Singular, “A” = Plural
Example: The number of students is… | A number of students are…
⚡ Trick 5: Neither/Nor — Look Only at the Second Subject
Rule: Neither X nor Y — verb Y के according लगेगी (nearest subject).
SBI PO Example: “Neither the manager, despite his experience, nor his assistants is present.” → Ignore intervening phrase → nearest subject “assistants” plural → were.
10 High-Level Sample Questions (Solved with Explanations)
SBI PO Prelims pattern पर based ये 10 high-level questions practice करें:
Question 1: Error Detection Hard
Directions: Find the error in the sentence.
The quality of the products, which has been deteriorating over the past few months, are not up to the expected standards.
A. The quality of the products
B. which has been deteriorating
C. are not up to
D. No error
✅ Answer: C. are not up to
Explanation: True subject “quality” is singular, so verb should be “is”. The relative clause “which has been deteriorating” is just extra information. Correct: “The quality… is not up to the expected standards.”
Question 2: Error Detection Hard
Directions: Find the error in the sentence.
Neither the CEO, despite his extensive experience and qualifications, nor the board members was aware of the fraud.
A. Neither the CEO
B. despite his extensive experience and qualifications
C. nor the board members
D. was aware of the fraud
✅ Answer: D. was aware of the fraud
Explanation: “Neither…nor” — verb agrees with nearest subject. The intervening phrase “despite his extensive experience and qualifications” को ignore करें। Nearest subject “board members” plural → “were aware”.
Question 3: Fill in the Blanks Hard
Directions: Choose the correct option.
She is one of the few women who ______ reached the top position in the company.
A. has
B. have
C. is
D. are
✅ Answer: B. have
Explanation: “One of the + plural noun + who” — “who” refers to “women” (plural), so plural verb “have”.
Question 4: Sentence Improvement Hard
Directions: Improve the underlined part.
The committee, which consists of twelve members, are divided in their opinion about the new policy.
A. are divided in their opinion
B. is divided in its opinion
C. is divided in their opinion
D. are divided in its opinion
✅ Answer: A. are divided in their opinion
Explanation: “Divided in opinion” indicates members are acting individually, so plural verb “are” and plural pronoun “their” are correct. No improvement needed.
Question 5: Error Detection Hard
Directions: Find the error in the sentence.
The number of students applying for the course have increased significantly over the last five years.
A. The number of students
B. applying for the course
C. have increased significantly
D. No error
✅ Answer: C. have increased significantly
Explanation: “The number of” takes singular verb → “has increased”.
Question 6: Fill in the Blanks Hard
Directions: Choose the correct option.
Neither the manager nor his assistants ______ responsible for the delay, according to the investigation report.
A. is
B. are
C. was
D. has
✅ Answer: B. are
Explanation: Nearest subject “assistants” (plural) → plural verb “are”.
Question 7: Error Detection Hard
Directions: Find the error in the sentence.
Each of the students, along with their parents, have been invited to the annual function.
A. Each of the students
B. along with their parents
C. have been invited
D. No error
✅ Answer: C. have been invited
Explanation: “Each of” is singular → “has been invited”. The phrase “along with their parents” does not change the subject.
Question 8: Fill in the Blanks Hard
Directions: Choose the correct option.
Ten kilometers ______ a long distance to walk every day for a person of his age.
A. are
B. is
C. have
D. were
✅ Answer: B. is
Explanation: Distance (ten kilometers) is treated as a single unit → singular verb “is”.
Question 9: Error Detection Hard
Directions: Find the error in the sentence.
A number of issues related to the new policy remains unresolved despite multiple meetings.
A. A number of issues
B. related to the new policy
C. remains unresolved
D. No error
✅ Answer: C. remains unresolved
Explanation: “A number of” means “many” and takes plural verb → “remain unresolved”.
Question 10: Sentence Improvement Hard
Directions: Improve the underlined part.
There is many reasons why the project failed despite the team’s best efforts.
A. There is many reasons
B. There are many reasons
C. There has many reasons
D. No improvement
✅ Answer: B. There are many reasons
Explanation: “Reasons” is plural → “There are”.
Common Traps SBI PO Sets (बचके रहना)
🚨 Trap 1: Long Intervening Phrases
SBI PO में: “The quality of the products, which has been deteriorating over the past few months, are not up to the mark.”
Solution: Intervening phrase को ignore करें। True subject “quality” है, “products” नहीं।
🚨 Trap 2: “One of the” + Relative Clause
SBI PO में: “She is one of the few women who has reached the top.”
Solution: “who” women को refer कर रहा है → plural verb “have”.
🚨 Trap 3: Collective Nouns with Individual Action
SBI PO में: “The committee is divided in their opinion.” — यहाँ “is” singular है लेकिन “their” plural है → inconsistency। Correct: “The committee are divided in their opinion.”
🚨 Trap 4: “Neither…nor” with Intervening Phrases
SBI PO में: “Neither the manager, despite his experience, nor his assistants is present.”
Solution: Nearest subject “assistants” plural → “were present”.
🚨 Trap 5: “The number of” vs “A number of” in Complex Sentences
SBI PO में: “The number of students applying for the course have increased.”
Solution: “The number of” → singular verb “has”.
📥 Download Practice Sets (PDF Format)
Get exam-focused practice materials in PDF format. Perfect for offline practice and revision.
📚 Topic-wise Practice Sets
Basic Rules (Singular/Plural, And/Or, Each/Every)
Subject-Verb Agreement – Practice Set
PDF | 0.5 MBCollective Nouns & Number of
Subject-Verb Agreement – Practice Set
PDF | 0.5 MBNeither/Nor, Either/Or, Along with
Subject-Verb Agreement – Practice Set
PDF | 0.5 MB📝 Full Length Tests
SBI PO Prelims Subject-Verb Agreement
PREMIUM ADVANCED SET
PDF | 1.2 MBSBI PO Prelims Subject-Verb Agreement
COMPLETE REVISION SET
PDF | 1.2 MB💡 Practice Strategy for SBI PO
- रोज 25-30 questions solve करो – Consistency is the key to mastery
- हर सवाल को 30 seconds में solve करने की practice करो – Speed building is essential for SBI PO
- Focus on identifying intervening phrases – This is the most common SBI PO trap
- Download PDFs and practice offline – No internet dependency for practice
Suggested Next Reads
🔗 Complete English Language Series for SBI PO Prelims 2026
- 👉 Master Tenses for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Rules, Common Errors & 75 Practice Questions
- 👉 Master Articles for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Usage Rules & Common Traps
- 👉 Advanced Prepositions for SBI PO Prelims: 100+ Fixed Expressions & Common Errors
- 👉 Master Conjunctions for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Rules & Sentence Connectors
- 👉 Advanced Modals for SBI PO Prelims: 25 Rules with High-Level Questions
- 👉 Master Active & Passive Voice for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Rules & Traps
- 👉 Master Narration for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Rules & Common Traps
- 👉 Master Adjectives & Adverbs for SBI PO Prelims: Advanced Usage & Common Errors
- 👉 Error Detection Rules for SBI PO Prelims: 50 Rules with Speed Tricks
- 👉 Error Detection Practice for SBI PO Prelims: 400 Questions with Shortcut Tricks
🔗 Also check out English Language Prelims study material for other exams
- 👉 IBPS PO English Langauge Prelims Study Material
- 👉 IBPS Clerk English Langauge Prelims Study Material
- 👉 SBI Clerk English Language Prelims Study material
🔗 Also check out English Language Mains study material for other exams
Conclusion
SBI PO Prelims का English section IBPS PO से ज्यादा challenging होता है। यहाँ सिर्फ rules याद करने से काम नहीं चलेगा — application, traps, और complex sentence structures पर focus होता है।
इस article में हमने सीखा:
- 25 advanced rules of Subject-Verb Agreement for SBI PO level
- Advanced speed tricks to solve questions in 10-30 seconds
- SBI PO की smart attempt strategy
- 10 high-level sample questions with detailed solutions
- Common traps SBI PO sets (बचके रहना)
🎯 Final Words for SBI PO Aspirants
Remember: SBI PO में हर सवाल एक puzzle की तरह होता है। Examiners ने हर option में कुछ न कुछ ट्रैप रखा है। आपका काम है shortcuts और concepts का use करके उन ट्रैप्स को identify करना।
Practice करते रहो, analyze करते रहो। हर गलती से कुछ नया सीखो। Subject-Verb Agreement master करने के बाद English section में 25+ questions attempt करना और 22+ सही निकालना possible है।
💪 SBI PO 2026 – आपकी तैयारी अब और मजबूत!
यह article bookmark कर लो। practice sets के links पर click करके रोज practice करो। अगले article में हम Tenses के advanced concepts cover करेंगे जो SBI PO के लिए जरूरी हैं।
Best of luck for SBI PO 2026 Prelims! आपका selection पक्का है। 💯
Share this article with your study group. SBI PO की तैयारी कर रहे दोस्तों को भी ये advanced concepts समझाओ। जितना share करोगे, उतना खुद को revision होगा।