GRAMMATICAL CONCORD

What is Concord?
• Concord is the agreement among the various
elements that constitute a clause.
• SUBJECT-VERB CONCORD
 What is grammatical concord?

• Grammatical concord refers to the agreement of a subject with a

verb, or a pronoun with its antecedent in a sentence

• a. Ade goes to school. (In this example, ‘Ade’ and ‘goes’ agree in
number. ‘Goes’, which is a singular verb, is selected because ‘Ade’,
the subject in the sentence, is also a singular noun.)

• b. James knows himself. (The agreement between ‘James’ and

‘himself’ is in terms of gender and number. ‘himself’ refers
backwardly to ‘James’. ‘James’ is a singular noun and it belongs to
the masculine gender. Hence, the reflexive pronoun, ‘himself’, which
is also singular and masculine, is selected.)
 Grammatical Concord Rules
• When the subject of a sentence is a singular noun
or pronoun, the verb that follows is singular;
when the subject of a sentence is a plural noun or
pronoun, the following verb is equally plural. You
should consider the following examples:
a. Maxwell likes eating rice and beans.
b. Children like eating rice and beans.
c. The students are protesting increase in their
school fees.
• When two or more expressions which refer to
just one entity form the subject in a clause,
the subject is referred to as an appositional
coordinated subject. An appositional
coordinated subject takes a singular verb. The
examples below illustrate this:
a. My wife and mother is very beautiful.
b. The principal and proprietor of the school is
travelling to Canada next week.
c. Rice and beans is my best food.
• When two or more expressions which refer to two or more
different entities form the subject in a clause, the subject is
referred to as a non-appositional coordinated subject and
it is considered to be plural. You should take a moment to
ponder on the difference between an appositional
coordinated subject and a non-appositional one. Can you
see the difference now? The verb that follows a non-
appositional coordinated subject is always plural.
a. My wife and my mother are the two great women in my
life.
b. The principal and the proprietor of the school are travelling
to Canada next week.
c. The Vice Chancellor and the Chairman of the University
Council meet after every meeting.
• Some complex subjects comprise a noun; a parenthetical
expression like alongside, as well as, together with, in
conjunction with, in company of, including, with, in
collaboration with, as much as and another noun (for
example, Toyin as well as his sisters….). In the instance of
such complex subjects, the verbs agree in number with the
first nominal entities. You should examine the following
illustrations:
a. My club, in conjunction with some non-governmental
agencies, is responsible for the construction of the road.
b. The boys, as well as their uncle, are visiting their
grandparents tomorrow.
c. My boss, together with her children, comes to church every
Sunday.
• Complex subject is a kind of subject. Some complex
subjects consist of a noun (which is the headword), a
prepositional phrase, a relative clause or an uninflected
adverb (for instance, The man there). The verb agrees
with the number of the noun before the qualifier (that
is, the prepositional phrase, the relative clause or the
adverb). The following are examples illustrating this
rule:
a. The men in front of the garden love good performances.
b. The women who protested against the senators want
social justice.
c. Some journalists who specialise in investigative
journalism ­come to the secretariat every day.
• Where the subject is a nominal clause, a ‘to’
infinitive phrase (e.g. To post letters is
fashionable), a gerund (Smoking is dangerous)
or a gerundive phrase (e.g. Posting letters is
fashionable) what follows is a singular verb.
a. Wherever you are going is none of my
business.
b. To become a man is not a day’s job.
c. Lying in church indicates lack of integrity.
• Pseudo-plural nouns (pseudo-plural nouns are singular nouns
that end with ‘s’), names of organisations and institutions, a
collective noun referring to a group of people or things
viewed as a unit or a whole, titles of books or movies,
abstract nouns and collective nouns are regarded as singular
nouns. Hence, verbs that follow them must be singular.

a. Many students think Physics is a difficult subject. (pseudo-

plural noun as subject)
b. Measles kills faster than HIV if not well managed. (pseudo-
plural noun as subject)
c. The Nigeria Police Force is working hard to curb criminal
activities in the country. (name of organisation as subject)
• Some nouns do not end with the plural
marker, ‘s’. But they are plural in sense. Where
such nouns function as subjects in sentences,
they take plural verbs. Examples of such nouns
are people, cattle, police, electorate, jury, etc.

a. The people of Nigeria are very religious.

b. The police know how to detect criminals.
c. Vermin are dangerous.
• Where a collective noun functioning as subject
in a sentence refers to the individual persons
or entities making it up, what follows is a
plural noun.
a. The clergy are no longer respected in Nigeria.
b. My football club are playing Arsenal
tomorrow.
c. The army are fighting hard to overcome the
menace of Boko Haram in the country.
• Generic nouns like the affluent, the
enlightened, the disenfranchised and the
oppressed make general references to a group
of people with a common attribute. They are
conceived as being plural in number. Plural
verbs are used with them.
a. The rich also cry.
b. The needy in the country are pleading with
the government to support them.
c. The poor also smile occasionally.
• The proximity principle in concord states that when
two or more nouns or pronouns are joined by
coordinators such as either...or, neither...nor and
not only…but also, the verb agrees with the noun
or pronoun closely preceding it. Let me illustrate
the principle for you with the following examples:
a. Either the Vice Chancellor or one of the principal
officers of the institution is expected at the
occasion.
b. Neither the church members nor the pastors know
where I am living.
c. Neither the students nor I am to blame.
• Indefinite pronouns such as somebody,
something, someone, everybody, everything,
everyone, nobody, nothing, no one, anything,
anyone and anybody are treated as singular
nouns. Some examples are:
a. Nobody understands the plot of the movie.
b. Everyone rejoices with the new managing
director.
c. Nothing bothers me anymore.
• Do you still recollect that ‘All’ as an indefinite
pronoun has two senses; it means either
‘everything’ or ‘all the people’. When it is used in
the first sense (to mean everything), it selects a
singular verb; when it is used to mean ‘all the
people’, the verb is plural. The examples below
exemplify the rule:
a. All is well with the family. (meaning ‘Everything is
well with the family’.)
b. All are waiting at the auditorium for the lecture.
(meaning ‘All the people are waiting at the
auditorium for the lecture.)
• Adverbials like there, here, where, everywhere, somewhere
and nowhere often serve as existential subjects in clauses.
There, here and where are regarded as either singular or
plural entities depending on the number of the following
subject complements. Hence, they take singular or plural
verbs. However, nowhere, somewhere and everywhere
take only singular verbs. Some examples are below for you:

a. Here is the gentleman from Ikere-Ekiti. (The subject

complement is the gentleman.)
b. There are valiant women in Africa. (The subject
complement is valiant women.)
c. Nowhere feels like home.
• An abstract noun can neither be seen nor
touched, it is only felt. Coordinated abstract
nouns expressing qualities take either singular
or plural verbs. Consider the following
examples:
a. Perseverance and character makes/make a
great scholar.
b. Knowledge and dedication lead/leads to a
great future.
c. Character and integrity is/are inseparable.
• Statements of mathematical facts (addition,
multiplication and subtraction) are regarded
as singular or plural subjects. Hence, they take
singular or plural verbs. The examples below
illustrate the rule:

a. Two plus two is/are four.

b. Six multiplied by five is/are thirty.
c. Two subtracted from ten is/are eight.
• Measurement of time, money, weight, liquid,
distance and percentage are regarded as
singular subjects and they select singular
verbs. The examples below portray the rule:

a. Ten hours is enough to complete the task

b. Twenty thousand naira is much.
c. Five per cent of the amount is significant.
• Measurement of time, money, weight, liquid,
distance and percentage are regarded as
singular subjects and they select singular
verbs. The examples below portray the rule:

a. Ten hours is enough to complete the task

b. Twenty thousand naira is much.
c. Five per cent of the amount is significant.
• Where a percentage expression (for instance,
two per cent) takes a prepositional phrase as
its qualifier and the preposition has a plural
noun or pronoun as its complement, what
follows is a plural verb.
a. Ten per cent of the students are not serious
with their studies.
b. Seventy per cent of the books in my library are
written by foreign authors.
c. Forty per cent of poets employ deft imagery.
• Phrasal determiners condition their subjects
and verbs. The behaviour of most English
phrasal determiners with reference to subject-
verb agreement
• A. ‘More than’, ‘the rest of’, ‘a part of’ and ‘a list
of’ : Where ‘more than’, ‘the rest of’, ‘a part of’
and ‘a list of’ are used in noun phrases that serve
as subjects in sentences, the number of the verbs
is determined by the number of the nouns that
follows ‘more than’, ‘the rest of’, ‘a part of’ and ‘a
list of’. The examples below illustrate the rule for
you:
a. More than one orange was given to Tolu and me.
b. More than ten students finish with first class in my
faculty every session.
c. The rest of the students seek permission
 ‘A number of’, ‘All of’ and ‘Both of’
• When the subject in a sentence is a noun
phrase that has ‘a number of’, ‘all of’ or ‘both
of’ as modifier, the following subject and verb
are plural as exemplified below:
a. A number of students were here yesterday.
b. A number of books have just been sent to me
from Canada by my mentor.
c. Both of them know the rules.
 ‘The number of’
• When the subject in a sentence starts with ‘the
number of’ as determiner, the following noun
must be plural but the following verb must be
singular. Consider the examples below:
a. The number of diligent students in Nigeria is
very low.
b. The number of days spent on the work is
nothing relative to the amount of money paid.
c. The number of workers has reduced.
 ‘All...but’ and ‘No one except’
• When ‘all...but’, and ‘no one except’ are followed
by singular nouns, what follow are singular verbs.
In instances where they are followed by plural
nouns, the plural nouns select plural verbs. The
sentences below explicate the rule:
a. All the students but Titi was in school yesterday.
b. All members but Chief Olutunde was in school.
c. No one except me writes like this.
 ‘All...except’
• When ‘all...except’ is used as a phrasal
determiner, it is always followed by plural
subjects and verbs. These examples indicate
the rule:
a. All the students except Titi were in school.
b. All Soyinka’s books except Ake are on my shelf.
c. All the women except Augusta come to the
meeting every day.
‘Each of’, ‘one of’, ‘a pair of’ and ‘every one
of’
• When each of, one of, a pair of or every one of is
used as the phrasal determiner in a noun phrase
that functions as subject in a sentence, a plural
noun follows the determiner but a singular verb
is used with the plural noun.
a. Each of the students is expected to report early
to class.
b. Every one of them needs to be very careful.
c. One of the girls keeps an account with us.
‘Each of’, ‘one of’, ‘a pair of’ and ‘every one
of’
• When there is an intervening relative clause between the
noun phrase (which starts with the phrasal determiner)
and the verb in the main clause, the verb in the
intervening relative clause agrees with the headword (the
noun) in the noun phrase. Since the headword is always a
plural noun and the following relative clause qualifies the
noun, the verb is always plural.
a. One of the men who sell at the market is celebrating his
birthday tomorrow.
b. Each of the girls who sneak out of the hall is to be
punished.
 ‘Most (of)’, ‘Some of’ and ‘Much (of)’
• When ‘most’, ‘some of’ or ‘most of’ is used as a determiner before
the subject in a noun phrase, the verb could be singular or plural
depending on whether the subject is countable or uncountable.
When the noun used with ‘most’, ‘some of’ or ‘most of’ is
countable, the subject will be plural and the verb will also be plural.
When the noun used with any of them is uncountable, the verb that
follows will be singular. ‘much’ and ‘much of’ are used with
uncountable nouns. Since uncountable nouns are regarded as
singular nouns, singular verbs are used with them.
a. Most of the students are at home for the Christmas holiday.
b. Most of the information is false.
c. Much of the work has not been done.
 ‘Many a’
• ‘Many a’ selects singular nouns and singular
verbs. Some examples are given below:
a. Many a soldier loves war.
b. Many a woman speaks English.
c. Many a lady loves gossiping.
d. Many a gentleman is fake.
• Quantifiers specify the quantity of nouns that
follow them. They typically function as
determiners. However, they sometimes serve as
subjects in instances where no noun comes after
them. In such instances, they are regarded as
pronouns. Some quantifiers used as subjects
strictly function as plural countable subjects and
they take plural verbs. Such include many, more,
most, few, a few, fewer, fewest, several and both.
The examples below illustrate the rule:
a. Many are called.
b. Few come for the ceremony.
• Other quantifiers like much, little, a little, less
and least are regarded as uncountable nouns.
Uncountable nouns are treated as singular
nouns. Hence, they take singular verbs.

a. Much was impacted at the seminar.

b. A little is needed to organise the conference.
c. Less is required to organise the conference.
• For some other quantifiers, the contexts of
usage determine whether they (the
quantifiers) are regarded as singular or plural
subjects. Some, all, enough, a lot and more
belong to this category. When they represent
uncountable nouns, they are regarded as
singular subjects and they take singular verbs.
a. The government bought equipment before the
war. Some (equipment) was lost during the war.
b. There was much work to be done but none
(work) was done by them.
• When they (some, all, enough, a lot and more)
replace countable nouns, they take plural
verbs because the countable nouns they
replace usually have plural senses.
a. Some (chairs) are left in the account.
b. More (people) have left the country in the last
decade.
• ‘None’ is slightly different from the other
quantifiers. When it is used to represent a
plural countable noun, a plural pronoun or a
collective noun, one can use either a singular
or a plural verb with it.
a. The trains leave at 9 p.m. None is going to
Ibadan.
b. The trains leave at 9 p.m. None are going to
Ibadan.
• When used as subjects, the demonstrative
pronouns -this and that- take singular verbs.
Their plural forms -these and those- take plural
verbs.
a. This is commendable.
b. That was commendable
c. These are fantastic.
d. Those were fantastic.
 Subject-Subject Complement Agreement

• When the subject of a sentence is singular, its

complement (a noun, pronoun or noun phrase) must
also be singular. Also, when the subject of a
sentence is plural, its complement (a noun, pronoun
or noun phrase) must also be plural.
a. Biola is a medical doctor
b. The man is a lawyer.
c. The students are the ones we have been waiting for.
d. We are friends.
• Plural subjects are sometimes conceived as a
unit. Hence, they select singular subject
complements.
• a. My books are my future.
• In the example above, ‘My books’ is plural but
it takes a singular complement, ‘my future’.
 Object-Object Complement
• The noun serving as an object in a sentence also
agrees with its complement in number. A singular
object takes a singular object complement (as (a) and
(b) below exemplify) and a plural object takes a plural
object complement (as examples (c) and (d) reveal).
a. The boy called Titi a prostitute.
b. We elected Ada our class captain.
c. I call those women my friends.
d. We ordained Mr Adeola and Mr Chukwuemeka our
pastors.
 Pronoun (antecedent)-Pronoun
• Where a pronoun refers to another, there
must be an between them. Consider the
examples below:

a. *One should love himself.

b. One should love oneself.
c. You should love yourself.
 Noun (antecedent)-Pronoun
A pronoun usually refers backward or forward to a noun. The
noun to which a pronoun relates may be in the same
sentence with the pronoun or in a different sentence from
the pronoun. When the noun is plural, the pronoun must
also be plural. When the noun is singular, the pronoun must
be singular. Further examples are offered below:

a. Bukola loves herself.

b. Tunde and James are fond of each other.
c. This is the man.
d. Paul brought the flowers for Nike; the flowers are hers.
 Mandative subjunctive mood
• In sentences with the mandative subjunctive
mood, the verb of the second clause which
expresses recommendation, resolution, demand,
wish, suggestion or prayer must be plural in form
whether the subject is singular or plural.
a. I pray it meet the standard.
b. I wish Biola come today.
c. We hope Nigeria get better.
d. It has been suggested that they go away.