USTET Language Proficiency — Subject-Verb AgreementCheat Sheet
Subject-Verb Agreement cheat sheet for USTET aspirants. If you could only take one sheet of paper into your review session, this is what it would look like. University of Santo Tomas's most-tested concepts, all in one place.
Exam context
The University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test is conducted by University of Santo Tomas and is scheduled for Early Q4 2026. The Language Proficiency subtest is marked as "Core" in the official pattern, and Subject-Verb Agreement appears in position 2nd of 7 in the USTET Language Proficiency review rotation. Passing mark: Competitive overall score. Recent USTET 2026 papers have drawn roughly a meaningful share of questions from this subject.
Subject-Verb Agreement - Cheat sheet
Your last-minute revision companion for mastering Subject-Verb Agreement rules in Language Proficiency exams
Sections
Section Title
Basic Agreement Rules
Important Facts
- Singular subjects take verbs with -s (The flower smells good)
- Plural subjects take base form verbs (The flowers smell good)
- It is always the VERB that agrees with the SUBJECT, not the other way around
Key Definitions
Term
Subject-Verb Agreement
Example
The cat runs (singular) vs. The cats run (plural)
Definition
The grammatical rule that subjects and verbs must match in number (singular or plural)
Term
Singular Subject
Example
The student studies hard
Definition
One person, place, thing, or idea that takes a verb with -s
Term
Plural Subject
Example
The students study hard
Definition
Two or more persons, places, things, or ideas that take a base form verb
Section Title
Compound Subjects
Important Facts
- Subjects joined by 'and' = plural verb
- Subjects joined by 'or', 'nor', 'either...or', 'neither...nor' = verb agrees with nearer subject
- Exception: Compound subject referring to one person/thing takes singular verb (A mother and wife was here)
Key Definitions
Term
Compound Subject with AND
Example
Fruits and vegetables are important
Definition
Two or more subjects joined by 'and' are always plural
Term
Compound Subject with OR/NOR
Example
Neither the teacher nor the children are ready
Definition
Verb agrees with the subject closer to it
Section Title
Indefinite Pronouns
Important Facts
- SINGULAR: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, everything, nothing, anything, something
- PLURAL: both, several, few, many
- VARIABLE: all, any, most, none, some (depends on the noun they refer to)
Key Definitions
Term
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Example
Everyone likes pizza, Each book has a cover
Definition
Always take singular verbs with -s
Term
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Example
Both have submitted, Several are coming
Definition
Always take plural verbs without -s
Term
Variable Indefinite Pronouns
Example
Some of the pie was eaten (pie = singular), Some of the chips were eaten (chips = plural)
Definition
Can be singular or plural depending on what they refer to
Section Title
Special Cases and Tricky Rules
Important Facts
- Ignore phrases like: with, along with, as well as, together with, in addition to, including
- A number = plural verb, The number = singular verb
- One of the + plural noun = singular verb (One of the flowers has died)
- Amounts of money, time, measurement = singular verb (Fifty pesos was enough)
- Book titles, organization names = singular verb even if plural in form
Key Definitions
Term
Collective Nouns
Example
The team is winning (unit) vs. The team are arguing (individuals)
Definition
Can be singular (as one unit) or plural (as individuals)
Term
Intervening Phrases
Example
The princess, along with 8 guards, has arrived
Definition
Words between subject and verb do not affect agreement
Term
Inverted Sentences
Example
There are three gifts for you
Definition
Subject comes after verb; identify true subject first
Section Title
Always Singular/Plural Nouns
Important Facts
- ALWAYS SINGULAR: mathematics, physics, economics, civics, politics, news, measles, mumps
- ALWAYS PLURAL: scissors, pants, shorts, jeans, eyeglasses, pliers, tongs, tweezers, clothes
- ALWAYS SINGULAR MASS NOUNS: work, music, furniture, jewelry, homework, equipment, baggage
Key Definitions
Term
Always Singular in Meaning
Example
Mathematics gives me a headache
Definition
Nouns that look plural but are singular and take -s verbs
Term
Always Plural in Form
Example
Your scissors are on the table
Definition
Nouns that are always plural and take base form verbs
Must Remember
- Singular subjects take verbs with -s, plural subjects take base form verbs
- Subjects joined by AND are always plural
- With OR/NOR, verb agrees with the nearer subject
- Everyone, everybody, each, either, neither = SINGULAR verbs
- Both, several, few, many = PLURAL verbs
- All, any, most, none, some = depends on what they refer to
- Ignore intervening phrases (with, along with, including, etc.)
- A number = plural, The number = singular
- One of the + plural noun = singular verb
- There is/are: verb agrees with the subject that follows
Last Minute Tips
- Cover the words between subject and verb with your hand to identify the real subject
- If you see 'one of the', the verb is always singular
- For compound subjects with or/nor, look at the subject closest to the verb
- When in doubt with indefinite pronouns, think: can you count it? If yes, it's probably plural
- Mathematics, physics, news = singular despite the 's' ending
Comparison Tables
Rows
Values
- Singular subject
- Verb with -s
- The cat runs fast
Property
Singular Subject
Values
- Plural subject
- Base form verb
- The cats run fast
Property
Plural Subject
Values
- he, she, it
- Verb with -s
- She writes poems
Property
Third Person Singular
Values
- I, you, we, they
- Base form verb
- They write poems
Property
Other Pronouns
Columns
- Subject Type
- Verb Form
- Example
Table Title
Singular vs Plural Subject-Verb Agreement
Rows
Values
- each, everyone, somebody, nothing
- with -s
- Everyone has a book
Property
Always Singular
Values
- both, several, few, many
- base form
- Both have arrived
Property
Always Plural
Values
- all, any, most, none, some
- depends on noun
- Some water is cold / Some books are old
Property
Variable
Columns
- Type
- Pronouns
- Verb Form
- Example
Table Title
Indefinite Pronouns Classification
Previous chapter
Grammar Fundamentals — Parts of Speech & Determiners
Next chapter
Sentence Improvement & Correct Usage
Ready to practise for the USTET 2026?
Super Tutor's AI review plan adapts to your weak areas and builds a weekly practice schedule around your target USTET exam date.