‘One of My Friend’ or ‘One of My Friends’?The plural-noun, singular-verb rule
‘One of’ is one of the most frequently tested subject-verb agreement patterns in SSC exams — because it breaks the instinct that a plural noun needs a plural verb. Here is the rule, permanently.
The rule in one line
One of + plural noun + singular verb.
‘One of’ means ‘one member selected from a group’ — the group must be named with a plural noun (friends, students, candidates). But the real subject of the sentence is ‘one’, which is singular, so the verb stays singular too: One of my friends is coming.
The family — same pattern every time
| Starter | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One of | singular | One of my friends is a doctor. |
| Each of | singular | Each of the students has a laptop. |
| Either of | singular | Either of the roads leads to the station. |
| Neither of | singular | Neither of the candidates was selected. |
💡 Memory line: whatever comes right after ‘of’ is plural; the verb agrees with the word before ‘of’, which is always singular.
Five exam traps — solved
Each sentence below is a real SSC error-spotting pattern. Find the error before opening the answer.
Trap 1 — singular noun after 'one of'“One of my friend is coming to the party.”+
✓ One of my friends is coming to the party.
'One of' means 'one member out of a group' — the group must be named with a plural noun. 'Friend' is singular here, which is the error. The verb 'is' is already correct, because it agrees with 'one', not with the group.
Trap 2 — plural verb with 'one'“One of the students have submitted the assignment late.”+
✓ One of the students has submitted the assignment late.
The noun 'students' is correctly plural — that part is fine. The error is the verb: it must agree with 'one' (singular), not with 'students'. 'Has', not 'have'.
Trap 3 — plural verb with 'each'“Each of the boys were given a prize.”+
✓ Each of the boys was given a prize.
'Each of' follows the identical pattern as 'one of': plural noun ('boys'), singular verb. 'Were' wrongly agrees with 'boys' instead of with 'each'. The correct verb is 'was'.
Trap 4 — plural verb with 'neither'“Neither of the two candidates were selected for the interview.”+
✓ Neither of the two candidates was selected for the interview.
'Neither of' also takes a singular verb, even though it is immediately followed by a plural noun ('candidates'). Examiners plant 'were' here because it sounds like it agrees with the nearby plural noun — it doesn't.
Trap 5 — singular noun after 'one of' (possessive)“One of my sister's friend called me yesterday.”+
✓ One of my sister's friends called me yesterday.
The possessive 'my sister's' doesn't change the rule — 'one of' still needs the group noun in its plural form: 'friends', not 'friend'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it 'one of my friend' or 'one of my friends'?+
'One of my friends' is correct. 'One of' means 'one member selected from a group', so the noun naming that group must always be plural: friends, students, boys, candidates. Saying 'one of my friend' leaves the group as a single person, which contradicts the meaning of 'one of'.
Why does 'one of my friends' take a singular verb like 'is'?+
Because the grammatical subject of the sentence is 'one', not 'friends'. 'Of my friends' is just a prepositional phrase describing which group the 'one' comes from. Since 'one' is singular, the verb must be singular too: 'One of my friends is coming', not 'are coming'.
Do 'each of', 'either of', and 'neither of' follow the same rule?+
Yes. 'One of', 'each of', 'either of', and 'neither of' all follow the identical pattern: plural noun after 'of', singular verb agreeing with the first word. 'Each of the students has', 'Neither of the candidates was' — the logic never changes.
What is the SSC exam trap with 'one of'?+
Examiners plant one of two errors: either a singular noun where a plural is required ('one of my friend'), or a plural verb where a singular is required ('one of the students have'). Both traps rely on the same underlying rule, just tested from opposite ends.