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Subject-Verb Agreement
Both Task 1 and Task 2
The verb must always agree in number (singular/plural) with its subject. This is especially important in complex IELTS sentences where the subject and verb are separated.
Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.
Rules
- Singular subject → singular verb (adds -s/-es)
- Plural subject → plural verb (no -s/-es)
- Uncountable nouns are always singular: information, data, evidence, research, news
- 'Data' is increasingly used as singular in modern English: 'The data shows...' is acceptable
Examples
✓
The number of students has increased significantly.
'The number of' = singular
✓
A number of students have enrolled.
'A number of' = plural
✕The information are helpful.
✓
The information is helpful.
'information' is uncountable = singular
✕There is many reasons for this.
✓
There are many reasons for this.
'reasons' is plural
Common grammar mistakes — avoid these in your IELTS essays
✕Do NOT be confused by words between the subject and verb — the verb agrees with the SUBJECT, not the nearest noun
✕Do NOT treat collective nouns inconsistently within the same essay
✕Do NOT use a plural verb with uncountable nouns
✕Do NOT use 'there is' with plural subjects
✕Do NOT make the verb agree with the complement rather than the subject