Subject Verb Agreement (M.3)

Subject Verb Agreement

Challenge !!! Subject Verb Agreement

1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.

3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.

4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.

5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.

What Is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Basic Principles

- The basic principle behind subject-verb agreement is that a singular subject needs a singular verb and a plural subject needs a plural verb.

- So, the subject of your sentence must agree with the verb itself

– And, they must agree in terms of number.

What Are the Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement?

Rule 1. Number Agreement

• Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept. And, only the subject affects the verb! Nothing else matters.

• The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they are angry.

Rule 2. Words Between Subject and Verb

• Subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases that come between the subject and verb don't affect their agreement

• The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good. The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.