Subject-Verb 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 match the verb in number (singular or plural).

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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 cat is sleeping.'

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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 cats are sleeping.'

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What is the singular form of the verb 'to be' for he, she, or it?

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The singular form of the verb 'to be' for he, she, or it is 'is.'

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What is the plural form of the verb 'to be' for they?

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The plural form of the verb 'to be' for they is 'are.'

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How do you determine if a subject is singular or plural?

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A subject is singular if it refers to one person or thing, and plural if it refers to more than one.

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What is an example of a singular subject with a singular verb?

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An example is 'The dog barks.' Here, 'dog' is singular and 'barks' is the singular verb.

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What is an example of a plural subject with a plural verb?

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An example is 'The dogs bark.' Here, 'dogs' is plural and 'bark' is the plural verb.

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What do we do with compound subjects joined by 'and'?

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When subjects are joined by 'and', they are usually considered plural, so we use a plural verb. For example, 'Jim and his friends want to play.'

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What do we do with compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

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When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. For example, 'Either the cat or the dogs are playing.'