Subject-Verb Agreement

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must match the verb in number (singular or plural).

Front

When do we use a singular verb?

Back

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

Front

When do we use a plural verb?

Back

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

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'The hummingbird's wings ... very fast'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'beat.' The complete sentence is 'The hummingbird's wings beat very fast.'

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'My brother or my sister ... the garden every Sunday'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'waters.' The complete sentence is 'My brother or my sister waters the garden every Sunday.'

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'The rain ... on the trees in the forest'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'falls.' The complete sentence is 'The rain falls on the trees in the forest.'

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'My uncle and my cousin ... at the zoo'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'are.' The complete sentence is 'My uncle and my cousin are at the zoo.'

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'The red and yellow lovebird ... a lot of noise'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'makes.' The complete sentence is 'The red and yellow lovebird makes a lot of noise.'

Front

What do we do when subjects are joined by 'and'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'and,' we use a plural verb. For example, 'Tom and Jerry are friends.'

Front

What do we do when subjects are joined by 'or'?

Back

When subjects are joined by 'or,' we use a verb that agrees with the nearest subject. For example, 'Either the dog or the cats are outside.'