Mastering Subject-Verb Agreement

Identify the singular verb in the sentence: The dog barks loudly.

• barks

• bark

• barking

• barked

Answer explanation

The singular verb in the sentence "The dog barks loudly" is "barks". It agrees with the singular subject "dog" and indicates the action performed by it.

Identify the plural verb in the sentence: The cats play in the garden.

• played

• play

• plays

• playing

Answer explanation

In the sentence, 'The cats play in the garden,' the verb 'play' is in its base form and agrees with the plural subject 'cats.' Therefore, 'play' is the correct plural verb.

Match the subject with the correct verb: The team (is/are) winning the game.

• were

• are

• was

• is

Answer explanation

The correct verb is 'is' because 'team' is a collective noun treated as a singular entity in American English. Therefore, we say 'The team is winning the game.'

Choose the correct verb tense: She (walk/walked) to school yesterday.

• will walk

• walked

• walks

• walking

Answer explanation

The correct verb tense is 'walked' because the sentence refers to an action that occurred in the past (yesterday). 'Walked' is the past tense of 'walk', making it the appropriate choice.

Use the correct verb: The flock of birds (fly/flies) south for the winter.

• flying

• flied

• flys

• flies

Answer explanation

The correct verb is 'flies' because 'flock' is a collective noun that takes a singular verb. Therefore, we say 'The flock of birds flies south for the winter.'

Identify the singular verb: The child (run/runs) fast.

• runses

• runs

• running

• ran

Answer explanation

The correct singular verb for 'The child' is 'runs' because it agrees with the singular subject. 'Run' is the base form, while 'runs' is the correct present tense form for third-person singular subjects.

Identify the plural verb: The children (play/plays) outside.

• plays

• play

• playes

• playing

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'play' because it is the plural form of the verb that agrees with the plural subject 'children'. 'Plays' is singular, while 'playes' is a misspelling and 'playing' is a different form.

Match the subject with the correct verb: The group of students (was/were) excited.

• was

• were

• is

• are

Answer explanation

The correct verb is 'was' because 'the group' is a collective noun treated as a singular entity. Therefore, we say 'The group of students was excited.'

Choose the correct verb tense: They (eat/ate) dinner at 6 PM.

• ate

• will eat

• eats

• eating

Answer explanation

The correct verb tense is 'ate' because the sentence refers to a completed action in the past. 'They ate dinner at 6 PM' indicates that the action has already happened.

Use the correct verb: The committee (decide/decides) on the new rules.

• decides

• decide

• decided

• deciding

Answer explanation

The correct verb is 'decides' because 'committee' is a collective noun treated as singular in American English. Therefore, we use the singular form of the verb to match the subject.