Rule #1: The main verb must match the real subject of the sentence.

❌ The smell of fresh mangoes from the market fill the kitchen.

✅ The smell of fresh mangoes from the market fills the kitchen.

🤔 Why is "fills" correct?

Because the real subject is “the smell” - not “mangoes.”

Think of it like this:

• If your subject is one thing, your verb should also act like one thing (singular).

• If your subject is many things, your verb should act like many things (plural).

❗It’s All About Traps!

If you ask me what’s the one thing I want you to remember during your IBA, BUP, or even SAT test, that would be traps. All these tests are basically aptitude tests. They are not exactly meant to test your knowledge.

IBA DU is a business school. When I was in IBA DU, I was doing finance, accounting, and other business courses such as marketing, human resources, and so on. Notice that IBA DU doesn’t directly test your finance, accounting, or business knowledge in the entrance exam.

The key word here is “directly.” They indirectly test you. In the math section, I will show you a direct link between the math you are learning to prepare for the IBA DU exam and the math that you would have to do in finance courses at IBA DU.

But for now, remember that the IBA DU exam is not precisely a difficult exam in terms of content. In other words, the exam is difficult, I know, but the content of the exam is not difficult. IBA DU throws vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension questions at you in the English section. They don’t ask you to solve difficult physics or calculus questions.

Why is this important to understand?

Because the way IBA DU makes this seemingly easy content appear difficult for you during the test is by setting traps. They basically play mind games with you.

They want you to fall for these traps so that they can filter you out from students who didn’t.

Thousands of students want to get into IBA DU. But we, unfortunately, don’t have the capacity to enroll and teach all of them at the best business school in Bangladesh.

I have seen so many brilliant kids not getting into IBA DU. Remember, it’s not the end of the world. I couldn’t even finish my BBA degree at IBA DU after 3 years of studying there. My life didn’t stop. Your life won’t stop either if you don’t get in.

But I want you to somewhat memorize this rule in your mind: IBA DU sets traps everywhere in the test. So the best way to prep and crack the exam is to learn what the traps are, how they set the traps, and how to not fall for them.

Alright?

Don’t worry. I will make more detailed videos and content on this. But for now, let’s start with the first grammar trap that IBA DU sets for you in the test - so that you don’t fall for it.

🧨Trap #1: Extra Words Between the Real Subject and Main Verb

They put extra words between the real subject and the main verb to confuse students and make them think that one of these extra words is the subject of the sentence.

Sometimes the subject is hidden behind extra words or phrases!

What’s the real subject in this sentence?

The sound → that’s ONE thing!

The question is asking you to decide what should be the main subject - singular (is) or plural (are).

Notice that they have intentionally inserted extra words between the main subject and the main verb.

And do you know the most interesting thing about this trap? They will intentionally put a word close to the main verb that sounds like the subject of the sentence.

In reality, that’s not the subject. They are trying to trick you into thinking that the word right next to the main verb is the subject so that you choose the main verb based on a word that isn’t even relevant to this decision.

So the way I like to look at this sentence is:

My tactic is pretty simple, and I implement it in 3 stages:

1. I ask myself: Is the word that’s close to the main verb actually the real subject or not?
   
   Usually, the word (noun/pronoun) that is close to the main verb is a trap - it’s not the real subject. But it’s still useful to ask this question, just to be safe.
   

2. Then, I try to look farther away from the main verb and those extra words to spot the real subject.
   

3. After that, just to ensure I got it right, I cross off the extra words between the main subject and the main verb with a pencil (don’t do it with a pen!), and ask myself:
   
   Does this sound meaningful?

   
   👉 What’s the one thing this sentence is really about?

   
   That’s your subject - match the verb to that.

Just like in the example above:
After we crossed off “of the drums,” we got:
“The sound is loud.”

And it makes sense, right?

The sound is loud, not the drums.
This sentence is about the sound.

🚫 Phrases to IGNORE (they’re not the subject!)

If you see phrases starting with:

• of

• with

• along with

• together with

• in addition to

• as well as

🚫 DO NOT use these to choose your verb! Ignore them.

Don't get tricked by the extra words like:

• of mangoes

• with her friends

• along with the others

• in addition to his brothers

They are not the real subject.
They are just extra info.

🔁 Shortcut

🧨 How to Intuitively Identify the Real Subject?

Let’s say you don’t agree with me. Let’s say you claimed that “the drums” is the subject.

So the real question is: How do I know what’s the real subject?

I used to teach my students back in Bangladesh that everything in grammar can be explained in 2 ways:

1. With Meaning - the explainable

2. With Convention - the unexplainable

There are some things in grammar that we can’t explain with reason. They’re just rules. They exist, and we have to follow them. These are conventions - the unexplainable.

But a lot of grammar rules can be explained if you understand the meaning or essence of it.

Life isn’t black and white, no matter how much we hate to hear it. And just like life, grammar rules aren’t black and white either - they exist on a spectrum.

Grammar can sit between meaning and convention, and sometimes, it even shifts over time.

I’ll make separate content on this framework of mine. I’m not sure whether there’s an academic model/theory that explains it this way, but this is something I came up with myself while teaching English - first to myself, then to my students.

But for now… let’s go with meaning and try to figure out the real subject.

Ask yourself this:
Are the drums loud?
Or:
Is the sound of the drums loud?

The drums are not loud by themselves.
It’s the sound of the drums that’s loud.

A subject in a sentence is the person or thing the sentence is about.

So here, we’re not exactly talking about the drums.
We’re talking about the sound of the drums.

That’s why the real subject is the sound, not drums.

💥 Examples

🔸 Example #1

🟨 Real subject?
The CEO → one person.

✅ So:
The CEO, along with her team, makes the final decision.

("along with her team" = extra)

🔸 Example #2

🟨 Real subject?
A bag → singular.

✅ So:
A bag of chips was on the table.

Not “chips” - we’re talking about the bag.

🔸 Example #3

🟨 Real subject?
My cousin → ONE person.

✅ So:
My cousin, as well as her friends, is coming to the party.