If you've ever hesitated between is/are, has/have, was/were, or frozen while converting a sentence into passive voice, you're not alone. Subject-Verb Agreement and Active Passive Voice are two of the highest-weightage, most-repeated grammar topics in the SSC CGL English section — and they quietly decide a large chunk of Error Spotting and Sentence Improvement questions in Tier 1 and Tier 2. This guide covers every important rule, the exact tricks SSC toppers use, a preparation strategy, and interactive mini quizzes so you can test yourself before the real exam.
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Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement Rules for SSC CGL
Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA) is one of the first grammar concepts every SSC CGL aspirant should master, since it forms the base of countless Error Spotting and Sentence Improvement questions across SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, and SSC MTS exams.
What is Subject-Verb Agreement?
In simple words: the verb must agree with the subject in number and person.
- Singular Subject → Singular Verb
- Plural Subject → Plural Verb
- ✔The boy plays cricket.
- ✔ The boys play cricket.
- ✘ The boys plays cricket.
Rule 1: Singular Subject → Singular Verb
Examples: She writes beautifully. The dog barks loudly. My brother lives in Delhi.
Choose the correct sentence.
Rule 2: Plural Subject → Plural Verb
Examples: The teachers work hard. The players practice daily. The books are interesting.
Choose the grammatically correct option.
Rule 3: "Each", "Every", "Everyone", "Everybody", "Anyone", "Someone" Are Always Singular
Examples: Each student is present. Every employee has submitted the report. Everyone knows the answer.
Choose the correct sentence.
Rule 4: Neither...Nor / Either...Or — Verb Agrees with the Nearer Subject
Examples: Neither Ram nor his friends are coming. Neither the players nor the captain is available.
Choose the correct sentence.
Rule 5: Collective Nouns (Team, Committee, Jury, Family, Class)
Collective nouns usually take a singular verb when the group acts as one unit. Examples: The team is playing well. The committee has approved the proposal.
Choose the correct sentence.
SSC Tricks for Subject-Verb Agreement
- Ignore words sitting between subject and verb. "The bouquet of flowers is beautiful" — not "are," because the real subject is "bouquet," not "flowers."
- Don't be fooled by connector phrases like along with, together with, as well as, in addition to. Example: "The manager along with his assistants is attending the meeting."
- "Each of", "Every one of", "One of" always take a singular verb. Example: "Each of the students is ready."
- Paired singular nouns describing one idea take a singular verb. Example: "Bread and butter is my breakfast."
Quick Revision Checklist
Before locking your answer in an Error Spotting question, ask: Who is the real subject? Is it singular or plural? Have I ignored the extra descriptive phrases? Does a special word like each/every/everyone apply? Does the either-or / neither- nor rule apply?
Final Practice Challenge: Subject-Verb Agreement
Spot the error: "The quality of these products are excellent."
Part 2: Active and Passive Voice Rules for SSC CGL
Active and Passive Voice is another consistently repeated topic in SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, and SSC MTS English papers. Once you internalize the formula, voice- change questions become some of the fastest, most reliable marks in the entire English section.
Active Voice vs Passive Voice: The Core Difference
In Active Voice, the subject performs the action: "The chef cooked the meal." In Passive Voice, the object receives the action and moves to the front: "The meal was cooked by the chef."
| Voice | Formula |
|---|---|
| Active | Subject + Verb + Object |
| Passive | Object + Helping Verb (be) + V3 (Past Participle) + by + Subject |
Rule 1: Present Simple
Active: The chef prepares delicious meals. → Passive: Delicious meals are prepared by the chef.
Choose the correct passive voice for: 'She writes a letter.'
Rule 2: Past Simple
Active: The teacher praised the students. → Passive: The students were praised by the teacher.
Choose the correct passive voice for: 'The police arrested the thief.'
Rule 3: Future Simple
Active: The company will launch a new product next month. → Passive: A new product will be launched by the company next month.
Choose the correct passive voice for: 'They will announce the results tomorrow.'
Rule 4: Questions (Interrogative Sentences)
Active: Did the scientist discover the cure? → Passive: Was the cure discovered by the scientist?
Choose the correct passive voice for: 'Did the manager approve the proposal?'
SSC Tricks for Active & Passive Voice
- Identify Subject → Verb → Object first, before attempting any conversion.
- Only transitive verbs (verbs with an object) can be made passive. "The teacher praised the student" ✔ can be converted, but "He slept" ✘ cannot, since it has no object.
- The main verb always changes to its Past Participle (V3): write → written, eat → eaten, take → taken, see → seen, do → done.
- The tense never changes — only the sentence structure changes. Present stays present, past stays past, future stays future.
- "By + Subject" is optional when the doer is unknown or unimportant. "The thief was arrested." is a perfectly correct passive sentence.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| writes | is written |
| wrote | was written |
| will write | will be written |
| has written | has been written |
| had written | had been written |
Final Practice Challenge: Active & Passive Voice
Choose the correct passive voice for: 'The audience applauded the singer enthusiastically.'
Preparation Strategy: How to Master These Topics for SSC CGL
1. Learn Rules, Not Sentences
Don't memorize individual example sentences. Internalize the underlying Subject-Verb Agreement rule or tense-conversion formula so you can apply it to any new sentence in the exam.
2. Practice Error Spotting Daily
Since SVA and Voice questions frequently appear as Error Spotting and Sentence Improvement items, practice at least 15–20 such questions every day from previous year SSC CGL papers.
3. Maintain a Mistake Log
Every time you get a question wrong, write down the exact rule you missed. Revise this log for 10 minutes before each study session — this is what separates SSC CGL toppers from average scorers.
4. Time Yourself on Mocks
In the actual SSC CGL English section, speed matters as much as accuracy. Once the rules feel automatic, switch to timed sectional mock tests to build exam temperament.
Why This Topic Matters
Subject-Verb Agreement and Active-Passive Voice together account for a significant share of grammar-based questions in the SSC CGL English syllabus, appearing repeatedly across Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, and Cloze Test sections. Mastering these two topics alone can meaningfully boost your English score with relatively less preparation time compared to vocabulary-heavy areas.