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Understanding Subject/ Verb Agreement

Exploring Subject/Verb Agreement

There are three items that work together to form a complete sentence. They are:

1. Subjects
2. Verbs
3. Complete Thought

In order to form a complete thought, subjects and verbs must agree.

In this lesson, you will learn about subject/verb agreement.

What is a Subject/Verb Agreement?

Subject/Verb agreement is a necessary for sentence structure to be correct.

In Subject/verb agreement, the subject and verb must agree in number. That is, either
both must be singular, or both must be plural.
A singular subject has no s on the end, but a singular verb has an s, whereas the
opposite is true for plural subjects and verbs.

For example:

Mr. Jones walks to the store.

Sally passes Tommy on the street.

*TIP* The subject of a verb is never part of a prepositional phrase. The true subject is the
only part of the sentence that must agree with the verb.

For example:

One of the men in the film crew turns his camera suddenly.
The subject of this sentence is one, not of the men in the film crew.

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Understanding Subject/ Verb Agreement Questions

Part 1 Directions:

Make each subject agree with its verb. Underline the correct verb in parentheses.

1. She (want, wants) to serve cakes and pastries at afternoon tea on the terrace.

2. Your cousin (run, runs) faster than anyone else on the team.

3. Our chauffeur (washes, wash) our limousine and (wax, waxes) it beautifully.

4. Dreams can never (causes, cause) actual harm; theyre just imaginary.

5. The winding staircase (rises, rise) up to the second floor.

6. The mocking bird (live, lives) in a tree.

7. The plot (turn, turns) on the actions of the villain.

8. They (wander, wanders) into a green valley and (stay, stayed) awhile.

9. The logs (crackles, crackle) cheerfully on the fire.

10. He (jump, jumps) over the fence.

Part 2 Directions:

Make each subject agree with its verb. Underline the correct word.

1. Primeval bison appeared/appear in Eurasia about 800 thousand years ago.

2. The rocket/rockets blaze in the sky until it/they disappear.

3. Satellites/satellite orbit the earth for long periods of time.

4. He/they make fun of my old car, but he/they always want to ride in it.

5. Skydivers open/opens their parachutes over the field where they will be landing.

6. Audience participation play/plays a big part in the enjoyment of the performance.

7. The two boys drives/drive each others cars.

8. My team/teams competes well on the soccer field.

Copyright 2007 InstructorWeb

Name__________________________ Date_________________

Understanding Subject/ Verb Agreement Questions (contd)

Part 3 Directions:

Make the subject and verb agree by inserting a correct verb or noun.

1. In Medieval times, ____________ jousted atop beautifully decorated fast horses.

2. Baby ________________ are wheeled briskly through the park on autumn days.

3. Fortunately, my French class _________________ a trip to Paris in June.

4. Last summer, my brother ______________ plenty of money mowing lawns.

5. Scary ______________ are usually a big laugh to people like me.

6. My wealthy ______________ appreciates the finer things in life.

7. Santas _____________ hand out peppermint sticks and candy canes at the mall.

8. With only one minute left, their _____________ scores a touchdown.

Part 4 Directions:

There are nine incorrect verbs in the passage below. Cross out the incorrect verbs.

When the pilgrims landed in America, they facing unexpected challenges. They had

to clear the land to grow crops, they have to fight off wild animals, they had to face a harsh

winter with lots of snow, and even more difficult than all these things, they have to deal with

the Native Americans who was live there already. But, by some miracle, they managed to

made friends with the new land and the people who lived there. Their success at founding

the Plymouth Colony became the foundation for a new country called America.

Their tolerance for their Native American friends allowed them to learns the best

ways to survive from a people who had living there for centuries. They learned how to hunt,

farm, make clothing, and create shelter from the people who lives around them.

Americans celebrates this great relationship every November during Thanksgiving.

Copyright 2007 InstructorWeb

Name__________________________ Date_________________

Understanding Subject/ Verb Agreement Answers

Part 1

1. She (want, wants) to serve cakes and pastries at afternoon tea on the terrace.

2. Your cousin (run, runs) faster than anyone else on the team.

3. Our chauffeur (washes, wash) our limousine and (wax, waxes) it beautifully.

4. Dreams can never (causes, cause) actual harm, theyre just imaginary.

5. The winding staircase (rises, rise) up to the second floor.

6. The mocking bird (live, lives) in a tree.

7. The plot (turn, turns) on the actions of the villain.

8. They (wander, wanders) into a green valley and (stay, stayed) awhile.

9. The logs (crackles, crackle) cheerfully on the fire.

10. He (jump, jumps) over the fence.

Part 2

1. Primeval bison appeared/appear in Eurasia about 800 thousand years ago.

2. The rocket/rockets blaze in the sky until it/they disappear.

3. Satellites/satellite orbit the earth for long periods of time.

4. He/they make fun of my old car, but he/they always want to ride in it.

5. Skydivers open/opens their parachutes over the field where they will be landing.

6. Audience participation play/plays a big part in the enjoyment of the performance.

7. The two boys drives/drive each others cars.

8. My team/teams competes well on the soccer field.

Copyright 2007 InstructorWeb

Name__________________________ Date_________________

Understanding Subject/ Verb Agreement Answers (contd)

Part 3: Answers will vary.

1. In Medieval times, __knights___ jousted atop beautifully decorated fast horses.

2. Baby ___carriages____ are wheeled briskly through the park on autumn days.

3. Fortunately, my French class ___will take_____ a trip to Paris in June.

4. Last summer, my brother ___earned_____ plenty of money mowing lawns.

5. Scary ____movies____ are usually a big laugh to people like me.

6. My wealthy __uncle____ appreciates the finer things in life.

7. Santas ___elves___ hand out peppermint sticks and candy canes at the mall.

8. With only one minute left, their __receiver___ scores a touchdown.

Part 4
Directions: There are nine incorrect verbs. Cross out the incorrect verbs.

When the pilgrims landed in America, they facing unexpected challenges. They had
to clear the land to grow crops, they have to fight off wild animals, they had to face a harsh
winter with lots of snow, and even more difficult than all these things, they have to deal with
the Native Americans who was living there already. But, by some miracle, they managed to
made friends with the new land and the people who lived there. Their success at founding
the Plymouth Colony became the foundation for a new country called America.
Their tolerance for their Native American friends allowed them to learns the best
ways to survive from a people who had living there for centuries. They learned how to hunt,
farm, make clothing, and create shelter from the people who lives around them.
Americans celebrates this great relationship every November during Thanksgiving.

Copyright 2007 InstructorWeb