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Concord: Subject-Verb Agreement Rules for WASSCE

The complete set of concord rules — compound subjects, intervening expressions, proximity with either/or and neither/nor, indefinite pronouns, collective nouns, and singular-plural noun forms — drilled with WAEC objective traps.

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Real-World Context & Relevance in Ghana

Heads of state issue joint statements, but Ghanaian media still argue over sentences like "The President, together with his ministers, HAS/HAVE arrived." Every radio talk-show on Accra stations like Citi FM quietly applies concord rules — and WAEC uses exactly these press-release style sentences in its objectives.

Key Syllabus Learning Objectives

  • 1Apply the rule of proximity with either/or and neither/nor constructions
  • 2Isolate the true subject when intervening prepositional phrases come between subject and verb
  • 3Choose the correct verb for indefinite pronouns such as each, every, nobody, either
  • 4Distinguish collective nouns used as a unit versus as individual members
  • 5Solve the ten high-frequency concord traps that appear in WASSCE Paper 1
1

Compound Subjects and the Single-Idea Exception

Subjects joined by "and" normally take a plural verb: "Ama and Kojo ARE trading." But when two nouns name one idea, one dish, or one person, the verb is singular: "Bread and butter IS my favourite breakie"; "War and peace IS the novel's theme." The rarer article test settles identity questions: "The poet and novelist" (one person — one "the") takes a singular verb, while "The poet and the novelist" (two people) takes plural.
  • X and Y = plural: "Rice and beans ARE served here."
  • X and Y as one named thing/idea = singular: "Early to bed and early to rise IS a healthy habit."
  • One "the" before two nouns = one person (singular verb); two "the"s = two people (plural verb).
  • Each/every before compound subjects forces singular: "Every boy and girl HAS received the book."
Practical Example:

A school canteen board: "Waakye and fish IS available daily" — the combo is sold as one dish, so singular.

Core Takeaway:

Decide whether "and" joins two things or names one thing; that choice sets the number.

2

Intervening Expressions: Find the True Subject

WAEC's favourite trap is to bury a plural noun inside a phrase that sits between subject and verb, tempting you to match the verb to the wrong noun. Ignore everything between the subject and the verb when it is introduced by: as well as, together with, along with, in addition to, besides, including, with, except. "The headmaster, as well as the teachers, IS attending." Also beware inverted openings — "There IS many a student..." — where the delayed subject still controls the verb.
  • Cross out the intervening phrase mentally, then set the verb to match what remains.
  • These phrases are PREPOSITIONS, not conjunctions — they cannot create a compound subject.
  • "One of the + plural noun" takes a SINGULAR verb: "One of the boys IS sick."
  • "Only one of those who + plural verb... HE WHO/THAT clause" — watch both layers: "One of the students who PASSSED the exam IS from Tamale."
Practical Example:

A news ticker reads: "The delegation, including three ministers, ARRIVES in Tema tonight" — arrives, because "the delegation" is the subject.

Core Takeaway:

The verb agrees with the head noun before the comma, never with the noun inside the inserted phrase.

3

Proximity Rules: Either/Or, Neither/Nor, and "or"

With paired connectors (either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also, or, nor), the verb agrees with the subject CLOSEST to it. "Neither the minister nor the officers ARE present"; "Neither the officers nor the minister IS present." If both choices are singular, the verb is singular; if both plural, plural; if mixed, obey proximity.
  • Rule of Proximity: match the verb to the NEARER subject.
  • "not only... but also" follows the same proximity behaviour.
  • Simple "or"/"nor" also use proximity: "Your mother or your brothers ARE paying the fees."
  • In WAEC objectives, when both subjects are given, place the plural one nearest the verb if you are writing — but in MCQs just read and apply proximity.
Practical Example:

A notice at a community durbar: "Neither the chief nor the opinion leaders WERE satisfied with the draft budget."

Core Takeaway:

With either/or and neither/nor, the closest subject wins — always check which noun touches the verb.

4

Indefinite Pronouns, Collectives, and Tricky Noun Forms

each, every, anyone, everybody, nobody, somebody, nothing, either (alone) are grammatically SINGULAR: "Each of the candidates HAS a number." Collective nouns (team, committee, government, jury, class, staff) are singular when acting as one unit but plural when the sentence stresses individual members acting separately: "The committee SUBMITS its report" vs "The committee ARGUE among themselves." Then the look-alikes: news, politics, measles, athletics = singular; data, criteria, phenomena, media = plural in formal usage; sums of money, distances, periods = singular units: "Ten years IS a long contract."
  • Plural-in-form, singular-in-meaning nouns (news, the billiards, Olympics as an event) → singular verb.
  • Foreign plurals WAEC loves: data/criteria/phenomena + plural verb; but "the data IS" is accepted only when data is treated as one body of figures — for WASSCE, prefer plural.
  • "A number of" = many → plural; "The number of" = the figure itself → singular.
  • Titles of books/newspapers are singular even if the title looks plural: "'The Times' IS a British newspaper."
Practical Example:

The Ghana Anatomic exam bulletin: "The data on candidate performances ARE now published" (plural), yet "Every candidate WHO failed WAS asked to re-register" (singular each/every logic).

Core Takeaway:

Meaning decides number: unit = singular; separate members or true plurals = plural.

WAEC / WASSCE Examiner Tips
  • Before choosing an option, physically cross out phrases beginning with as well as, together with, along with, in addition to on your paper — you will then see the true subject naked.
  • Method marks in Paper 1 Section B (error correction) require the CORRECTED form, not an explanation: rewrite exactly the underlined verb, never the whole sentence, to avoid introducing a new error.
  • If two options both look plausible, test the sentence with a singular-only pronoun replacement ("it" vs "they"): the verb form that still agrees with the pronoun reveals the number WAEC expects.
  • Time plan: concord/error-identification items should take under 45 seconds each; the proximity rule and "each of + singular" alone settle roughly half of all concord questions.
  • For summary and essay (Paper 2), one concord error costs a mechanical-accuracy half-mark each time; proofread specifically for subject-verb pairs separated by commas before submitting.
Common Candidate Pitfalls & Errors to Avoid
  • Matching the verb to a plural noun inside an intervening phrase: choosing "have" in "The manager, with his assistants, ___" instead of "has".
  • Applying proximity backwards: in "Neither the players nor the coach ___", answering with a plural verb although "the coach" is nearer.
  • Treating "each of/every one of" as plural because of the following plural noun — the head word is EACH, so singular verb.
  • Writing "The team are winning 2-0" as one unit action; WAEC prefers singular when the team acts collectively ("The team IS defending deep").
  • Forgetting that distances, money and time take singular verbs as units: "Five kilometres IS not too far", not "are".
Topic Mastery Checklist
  • Can I identify the true subject by removing all intervening expressions?
  • Can I apply the rule of proximity correctly for either/or and neither/nor?
  • Can I state whether "the committee" in a given sentence needs singular or plural, and why?
  • Can I explain why "Each of the girls HAS..." is singular despite "girls"?
  • Can I handle "the number/a number", news, data, and money/distance/time traps without hesitation?
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Word Classes (Parts of Speech) and Their FunctionsOral English: Monophthongs, Diphthongs and the IPA