More Subject-Verb Agreement

More Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule #1

Subjects and verbs must agree in number. That means a singular subject must be paired with a singular verb.

Example

In the sentence, "She writes every day." She is the subject and is about one person. Writes is the verb and it is singular.

Rule 2

When the subject is plural (more than one), the verb must also be plural.

Example

They write every day.

They is plural (subject). Write is also plural and describes what they are doing (verb).

Linking verbs must agree in number, too. The most common singular linking verbs: is, has, and was end with s .

The most common plural linking verbs are: are, have, and were.

Multiple Choice

Select the preposition

• is

• were

• on

• have

Multiple Select

Select the linking verbs

• with

• was

• is

• of

Rule #3

When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

Example: The doctoral student and the committee members write every day.

Rule #4

When there is one subject and more than one verb, the verbs throughout the sentence must agree with the subject.

Example: An assumption is something that is generally accepted as true and is an important consideration when conducting a doctoral study.

Your turn

Multiple Choice

This study _(suggests/suggest)_ a low-cost, bio-friendly way to decompose Styrofoam.

• suggests
• suggest

Multiple Choice

Researchers _(has/have)_ discovered mealworms are able to break down the material quickly.

• have
• has

Multiple Choice

More than 70 U.S. cities _(has/have)_ banned Styrofoam.

• has
• have

Multiple Choice

Each year, Americans _(throws/throw)_ away more than 1 million tons of Styrofoam.

• throw
• throws

Multiple Choice

Marine life _(has/have)_ increased fivefold turning Cabo Pulmo into a tourist attraction, making it the most successful marine reserve in the world.

• has
• have

Multiple Choice

The waters off the coast of Cabo Pulmo, Mexico _(are/is)_ teeming with life.

• are
• is