English (Précis and Composition) · Grammar · Verbs and tenses. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
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A verb agrees with its true subject, not with the noun that happens to stand next to it. So the first step is always to find the subject. Cross out any phrase that sits between the subject and the verb (of the boys, along with his friends, in the rooms) and read the sentence again.
Then ask whether the subject is singular or plural in meaning. Some words look plural but are singular (news, mathematics, the title of a book). Some look singular but take a plural verb (police, cattle).
With either ... or and neither ... nor, the verb follows the subject nearer to it.
Making the verb agree with the nearest noun, as in 'The quality of the mangoes are poor'. The subject is 'quality', so the verb is 'is'.
Answer: have
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