Why This One Rule Costs You So Many Marks
Subject-verb agreement is the single most tested grammar concept in SPM English. It appears in the grammar section of Paper 2, in cloze passages, and examiners notice it instantly in your essays. Get it wrong repeatedly and your language band drops — even if your ideas are good.
The rule sounds simple: singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs. But in practice, SPM questions are designed to confuse you.
The 8 Rules You Must Know
Rule 1: Basic Agreement
- Singular: The student writes an essay every week.
- Plural: The students write an essay every week.
This is straightforward. The difficulty comes when the subject and verb are separated.
Rule 2: Words Between Subject and Verb
The subject-verb agreement is NOT affected by phrases between them.
- The price of these books is too high. ✅ (not “are” — “price” is the subject, not “books”)
- The students in my class are hardworking. ✅ (not “is” — “students” is the subject)
SPM trap: “The collection of stamps _____ valuable.” Answer: IS (collection is singular).
Rule 3: Compound Subjects with “And”
Two subjects joined by “and” are usually plural.
- Rice and curry are my favourite food. ✅
- My mother and father are coming to school. ✅
Exception: When two nouns refer to the same thing, use singular:
- Bread and butter is my usual breakfast. ✅ (one item, not two)
Rule 4: Either/Or and Neither/Nor
The verb agrees with the subject CLOSEST to it.
- Neither the teacher nor the students were late. ✅
- Neither the students nor the teacher was late. ✅
- Either Ali or his friends are going. ✅
This is a favourite SPM question type. Remember: look at the noun closest to the verb.
Rule 5: Collective Nouns
Words like “team,” “family,” “class,” “committee,” and “government” are usually singular in Malaysian English.
- The team is ready for the competition. ✅
- The committee has made its decision. ✅
- My family is very supportive. ✅
Rule 6: Everyone, Everybody, Each, Every
These are ALL singular — even though they refer to many people.
- Everyone is excited about the trip. ✅
- Each of the students has a textbook. ✅
- Every student needs to register. ✅
- Nobody wants to fail the exam. ✅
SPM trap: “Each of the boys _____ given a prize.” Answer: WAS (not “were”).
Rule 7: Uncountable Nouns
Words like “information,” “furniture,” “luggage,” “equipment,” “homework,” and “news” are always singular.
- The news is shocking. ✅
- The furniture was delivered yesterday. ✅
- This information is useful. ✅
Rule 8: “There Is” vs “There Are”
The verb agrees with the noun that follows it.
- There is a book on the table. ✅ (singular: a book)
- There are many students in the hall. ✅ (plural: students)
Quick Test Yourself
Fill in the blanks:
- The group of tourists _____ (is/are) visiting Penang.
- Neither Siti nor her sisters _____ (has/have) finished.
- Every one of the questions _____ (was/were) difficult.
- The news about the results _____ (is/are) out.
- Bread and butter _____ (is/are) served for breakfast.
Answers: 1. is, 2. have, 3. was, 4. is, 5. is
How to Stop Making These Mistakes
The key is not just knowing the rules — it is training yourself to spot the real subject in every sentence. In the SPM exam, the subject is often buried between distracting phrases.
Practice by circling the subject and the verb in every sentence you read for a week. This builds the habit of checking agreement automatically.
For faster improvement, having a tutor catch your specific error patterns makes a huge difference. Our tutors identify which agreement rules you keep breaking and drill those until they become automatic. WhatsApp us to learn more.
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