Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement

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Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental rule in grammar that ensures that the subject and the verb in a sentence agree in number. This means that a singular subject must be paired with a singular verb, and a plural subject must be paired with a plural verb.

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​Singular subjects usually take singular verbs

Example: The dog barks at the mailman.

Multiple Choice

The cat ________ on the roof.

• jumps

• jump

• is jumping

• are jumping

Plural subjects usually take plural verbs

Example: The dogs bark at the mailman.

Multiple Choice

The students ________ their assignments.

• completes

• complete

• completing

• completed

Indefinite pronouns, such as "everyone," "someone," or "anybody," are singular and require singular verbs

Example: Someone is knocking at the door.

Multiple Choice

Everyone ________ their own responsibilities.

• takes

• take

• is taking

• are taking

Collective nouns, such as "team," "family," or "group," can be singular or plural depending on the context. When referring to the group as a whole, use a singular verb. When emphasizing the individual members, use a plural verb:

Example (singular): The team is playing well.

Example (plural): The team are wearing their jerseys.

Multiple Choice

The committee ________ in session.

• is

• are

• has

• have

Compound subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb

Example: John and Sarah are going to the party.

Multiple Choice

John and Sarah ________ going to the movies.

• is

• are

• has

• have

When the subjects are connected by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the closer subject

Example: Neither the cat nor the dog is allowed on the couch.

Multiple Choice

Neither the cat nor the dog ________ allowed on the bed.

• have

• has

• are

• is

When using "either...or" or "neither...nor" to connect singular subjects, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it: Example: Either the cat or the dogs are causing a mess.

Multiple Choice

Either John or his friends ________ the party supplies.

• are bringing

• is bringing

• bring

• brings

Subjects that express a portion, amount, or quantity, such as "a lot," "some," or "most," are singular if they are followed by a singular noun and take a plural verb if followed by a plural noun:

Example (singular): A lot of water is left in the bottle.

Example (plural): A lot of students are attending the seminar.

Multiple Choice

A lot of money ________ missing from the safe.

• is

• are

• has

• have

Titles of books, movies, or other works that are singular in form take singular verbs: Example: "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a classic novel.

Multiple Choice

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" ________ a classic.

• is

• are

• has

• have

In sentences that begin with "there" or "here," the subject follows the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not the word after "there" or "here":

Example: There are many books on the shelf.

Multiple Choice

There ________ a lot of cars in the parking lot.

• is

• are

• has

• have

Poll

How is the presentation and the quizzes?

• bad

• good

• very good

• excellent

​THANKS