Subject-Verb Agreement: Basic Agreement

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

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Subject-Verb Agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number with its verb. This means that a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

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When do we use a singular verb?

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We use a singular verb when the subject is singular (one person or thing). For example, 'The dog barks.'

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When do we use a plural verb?

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We use a plural verb when the subject is plural (more than one person or thing). For example, 'The dogs bark.'

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What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'The children (shares, share) their toys'?

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The correct verb form is 'share.'

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What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'Forest Fires (destroys, destroy) millions of trees each year'?

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The correct verb form is 'destroy.'

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What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'Here (is, are) the garden chairs for your party'?

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The correct verb form is 'are.'

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What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'Apartments in this neighborhood (is, are) inexpensive'?

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The correct verb form is 'are.'

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What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'A nest of hornets (was, were) in the barn'?

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The correct verb form is 'was.'

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What is a compound subject?

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A compound subject consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction and share the same verb. For example, 'Tom and Jerry are friends.'

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How does a compound subject affect verb agreement?

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A compound subject usually takes a plural verb. For example, 'The cat and the dog play together.'