Worksheet 1
A. Read the following.
Amit, Bobby, Charu and Divya have formed a book reading club. Amit, an architect and avid reader, is the founder of the club. Every Saturday, all of them meet at his house and read for hours. Each member brings one book and circulates it among the others. None of them skips this special Saturday meet. Amit likes to read books by Vikram Seth. But neither Charu nor Divya has read any of his books yet. This Saturday either Charu or the two boys are going to bring The Unequal Music by Vikram Seth.
Amit as well as his three friends thinks that reading is a very rewarding habit. He says, ‘My three friends and I keep collecting different books. The majority of
these books are by Indian authors.’
Note: A finite verb always agrees with its subject in number and person.
B. Read the sentences given below.
- Air and water are necessary for survival.
- Manu and I were the hosts of the party.
Worksheet 2
A. Read the following.
- The comfort and luxury provided by the machines has made people lazy.
- Her hardwork and dedication has paid off.
- Going to a beach and making sand castles is my idea of a perfect holiday. In the above examples, the two nouns either convey the same meaning (as in Sentences 1 and 2) or express one single idea (as in Sentence 3). Therefore, in such sentences, we use a singular verb.
A. Tick (✓) the correct option in the following sentences.
- Simple living and high thinking were/was Gandhiji’s philosophy.
was ✓
- It is said that beauty and brains do/does not go together.
does ✓
- Dev and Anuj is/are going to Goa this weekend.
are ✓
- The singer and actor, Sonu, were/was awarded the trophy.
was ✓
- The singer and the actor were/was wearing similar jackets.
were ✓
- The logic and reasoning of the theory is/are given below.
is ✓
- Milk and cereals are/is the best breakfast for kids.
is ✓
- His honesty and integrity are/is unquestionable.
is ✓
- Watching T.V. and playing video games does/do not interest me.
does ✓
- You and she has/have been selected for the extempore competition.
have ✓
Worksheet 3 –
A. Read the following.
- Neither of the two brothers was selected for the team.
- ‘Should I fill the form in black or blue ink?’ ‘Either of the two is acceptable.’
- I’ve seen all your paintings. Each one is fantastic.
- Everyone, whom we invited, has turned up.
- Only one of the five contestants is going to win the prize.
- Much of my homework is already done.
- Thanks to metro rail, less of my time is wasted in commuting now.
B. Now look at the following.
- None of the work was completed.
- A lot of energy was wasted on finding the treasure. A lot of books have been written on home remedies.
- A variety of music is available here.
C. Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
- Each one is a masterpiece.
- Neither of the two teams was able to score a goal.
- Much of the hardwork of the farmers was
- A great deal of literature has been available.
- A lot of appreciation was
- A lot of people are allergic to dairy products.
- Very little is known of the Harappan Civilisation.
- None of the residents were in the house.
- Less of paper is consumed these days.
- Everyone in the society has now joined hands.
Worksheet 4 –
A. Read the following.
- Now look at the following examples.
B. Tick (✓) the correct option in the following sentences.
- Mr Chopra as well as his subordinates have/has been working for more than ten hours a day.
has ✓
- Not only his parents but his aunt also support/supports his decision.
supports ✓
- Either Rohan or I is/am making the cake.
am ✓
- Neither Mudit nor his friends are/is going on the school trip.
are ✓
- The President with his ministers have/has reached the venue.
has ✓
- Not only the fruit but the leaves of the banana tree is/are also immensely useful.
are ✓
- Either the professor or his students is/are going to present the thesis.
are ✓
- Madhu as well as I am/is anchoring the show.
am ✓
- Neither Indu nor her parents has/have met Tisha.
have ✓
- The contestants as well as the host were/was nervous before the final result.
were ✓
Worksheet 5
Read the following examples.
- Physics is considered to be a tough subject.
- Billiards is fast becoming popular amongst youngsters.
- The people of the locality are protesting against frequent power-cuts.
- The cattle were driven to the farm.
- A few nouns that take a singular verb are explained below.
Worksheet 6
Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
- People in the carnival were wearing all kinds of fancy dresses.
- Statistics is Mohit’s favourite subject.
- This cutlery set gives a very antique look.
- Her furniture shows her elegant taste.
- This pair of trousers doesn’t fit me anymore.
- These trousers are old now.
- 250 gm of flour is
- The jury were divided in their verdict.
- The jury was prompt in acquitting.
- 200 kilometres is a long distance.
- Fried food is
- This crockery is very delicate.
- The police were
- Statistics are always important (referring to figures).
Do It Yourself
- Fill in the blanks with ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘am’, ‘has’ or ‘have’.
(a) My mother and I are delighted to see the pictures.
(b) Neena, my classmate and friend, is going abroad.
(c) Physics as well as Maths is an interesting subject.
(d) A swarm of bees has attacked the farmer.
(e) One way to avoid your mistakes is to re-read your work.
(f) Law and order is important for a nation’s development.
(g) Either the students or the teacher has made the project.
(h) A committee has been set up to review the matter.
(i) None of the boys have secured 100% marks.
(j) A majority of the team members are not willing to participate in this tournament.
(k) People are pleased with the government’s new tax policy.
(l) This pair of sunglasses has scratches on it.
(m) These sunglasses have scratches on them.
(n) This pack of cards is very old.
(o) He and I have been made the class monitors.
(p) Mita with her friends is playing football.
(q) Chatting over phone and gossiping for long is something I do not like.
(r) I with Mohit am responsible for checking the uniforms of our classmates.
(s) A great deal of fuss has been created over the issue.
(t) A number of food courts have cropped up in the area.