Exam Tricks for Spotting Concord Errors in WAEC and NECO
If you are preparing for WAEC or NECO English Language exams, one of the quickest ways to improve your scores is by mastering the concept of concord, also known as subject-verb agreement.
Many students lose marks in lexis and structure, essay writing, and comprehension because they fail to recognise concord errors deliberately embedded in questions by examiners. The good news is that spotting these errors becomes easy once you understand a few proven exam tricks. In this guide, you’ll learn how to identify concord mistakes confidently ih such exams.
What Is Concord?
In English grammar, concord is the agreement between a subject and its verb. Simply put, a singular subject must go with a singular verb, and a plural subject must go with a plural verb. For example, when you say “She walks to school,” the singular subject she matches the singular verb walks. But if you say “They walk to school,” the subject they is plural, and so the verb walk must also be plural.
In WAEC and NECO, concord-related questions appear in different sections of the English Language paper. These include objective questions in lexis and structure, essay writing, and sometimes even comprehension and summary. Because the subject and verb may be separated by long phrases or misleading sentence structures, many students choose the wrong verb form without realising it. Knowing how to spot these traps gives you an advantage.
Practical Exam Tricks for Spotting Concord Errors
Trick 1: Focus on the Main Subject, Not the Words in Between
When you see a sentence with words inserted between the subject and the verb, it’s easy to agree the verb with the wrong noun. But you must always find the true subject of the sentence and base the verb on that.
Take this sentence: “The basket of apples is on the table.” Although the phrase “of apples” is close to the verb, the real subject is “the basket,” which is singular. So the correct verb is is, not are.
Whenever a sentence includes a phrase like “of,” “with,” or “including,” simply skip those words temporarily and ask yourself: what is the core noun performing the action?
Trick 2: Ignore Phrases Like Together with, Along with, and As well as
These phrases add extra information but do not change the number of the subject. So, the verb still agrees with the original subject, not with the phrase that follows.
For instance, in the sentence “The teacher, together with his students, is here,” the subject is “the teacher,” which is singular. Therefore, the correct verb is is, even though “his students” is plural and closer to the verb.
Many exam candidates are tricked by this structure, so watch out for it.
Trick 3: In Either…Or and Neither…Nor Constructions, Use the Nearest Subject Rule
When two subjects are joined by either…or or neither…nor, the verb must agree with the subject that is closest to the verb. This is known as the proximity rule.
Let’s consider the sentence: “Neither the boys nor the girl is ready.” Here, the verb agrees with “the girl,” which is singular and closer to the verb, so we use is.
However, if we reverse the order: “Neither the girl nor the boys are ready,” then the verb becomes are because “the boys” is plural and comes closer to the verb.
Always scan the end of these constructions to find the subject the verb should match.
Trick 4: Treat Indefinite Pronouns as Singular
Words such as everyone, someone, anybody, nobody, and each are called indefinite pronouns, and they are always treated as singular subjects in formal English. That means they must be followed by singular verbs.
For example, you should write “Everybody knows the answer,” not “Everybody know the answer.”
Even though everybody refers to a group of people, grammatically it behaves like a single unit. This is a common trap in WAEC and NECO, especially in error-spotting questions.
Trick 5: Be Careful with Collective Nouns
Words like family, team, committee, and group are collective nouns. They refer to groups of people or things, but the verb that follows depends on whether the group is acting as a unit or as individuals.
If the group is acting as a whole, use a singular verb. For example, “The committee is meeting today.” But if the members are acting individually, you can use a plural verb: “The committee are arguing among themselves.”
Examiners may test your ability to detect whether the noun is being treated as singular or plural from the context.
Trick 6: Use Singular Verbs for Amounts, Quantities, and Measurements
When discussing amounts of money, measurements of time or distance, or quantities considered as a unit, the verb is usually singular.
For example, in the sentence “Ten thousand naira is enough for the trip,” we use is because the money is being considered as a single sum. Similarly, we say “Five kilometres is a long walk,” not “Five kilometres are…”
This rule often appears in objective-type exam questions.
Trick 7: Watch for Inverted Sentences That Start with There or Here
In some sentences, the subject comes after the verb, especially when the sentence begins with there or here. In such cases, the verb must still agree with the actual subject, not with there or here.
For example, in “There are many students in the hall,” the subject is “many students,” which is plural. So, the verb are is correct. You must train yourself to identify the subject even when it appears later in the sentence.
Trick 8: Long Clause Subjects Are Always Singular
When a sentence begins with a clause introduced by what, that, or other similar words, treat the entire clause as a singular subject.
So, in the sentence “What she needs is support,” the verb is is correct because the whole clause “What she needs” is considered a single idea.
Practice Questions
Try spotting the correct verb in the following examples:
- The boys, along with their father, (was / were) at the park.
- Either my friends or my teacher (has / have) the answer.
- Nobody (know / knows) the truth.
- Five kilometres (is / are) enough for a race.
- There (is / are) several books on the shelf.
Take a moment to identify the true subject in each sentence before choosing your answer. That’s how examiners expect you to think.
Final Exam Strategy: Master Sentence Structure First
Before you choose a verb in any exam question, follow this simple process:
- Locate the main subject of the sentence.
- Determine whether it is singular or plural.
- Match the verb correctly with the subject.
Avoid being distracted by extra phrases, nearby nouns, or reversed sentence order. This strategy will help you eliminate wrong options quickly and increase your accuracy in the exam.
Related Lessons
To explore this topic further, check out these helpful lessons:
- Basic Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)
- Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns (Everyone, Somebody, etc.)
- Collective Nouns and Subject-Verb Agreement Explained
- How to Handle Complex Subjects in Subject-Verb Agreement
