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Subject Verb Agreement

The document provides an overview of subject-verb agreement in English grammar, emphasizing that subjects must agree with verbs in number and person. It outlines simple rules, special cases, and examples to illustrate correct usage, including collective nouns and specific singular subjects. The document concludes with practice questions to reinforce understanding of the topic.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
37 views18 pages

Subject Verb Agreement

The document provides an overview of subject-verb agreement in English grammar, emphasizing that subjects must agree with verbs in number and person. It outlines simple rules, special cases, and examples to illustrate correct usage, including collective nouns and specific singular subjects. The document concludes with practice questions to reinforce understanding of the topic.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Subject-Verb

Agreement
• Subject-verb agreement is
a fundamental rule in
English grammar that
states the subject must
agree with the verb in
number and person.
• For example, if the subject
is singular, the verb must
also be singular, and
similarly for plural subjects.
Simple Rules of Subject-Verb
Agreement
• To make a noun plural, we add –s
Singular: girl
Plural: girls

• To make a verb plural, we take away the –s.


Singular: he talks
Plural: they talk
Examples of Subject-Verb
Agreement
Watch the Verb Endings!
Singular Plural
•I walk •We walk
•You walk •You walk
•He/She/It walk s •They walk
•Joe walk s
•Joe and Maria walk
•The girl walk s
•The girls walk
Special Cases in Subject-Verb
Agreement
Some subjects, such as collective nouns, can take either singular or
plural verbs depending on the context.

Example: The team is winning. The team are celebrating their victory.

'The team are winning.' instead of 'The team is winning.'


Subject-Verb Agreement Rules
1. When the subject is singular, use a singular verb. Most
singular verbs end in –s.
Ex. Julie dances at the party.

2. When the subject is plural, use a plural verb. Plural verbs are
NOT formed by adding –s or –es like plural nouns.
Ex. Julie and Jan dance at the party.
The students study hard for the test.
3. Two singular subjects connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ require a singular
verb.
Ex. Jack or Jonathan dances at the party.

4. When a singular subject is connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ to a plural


subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Ex. The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf .
5. Use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are
connected by ‘and’.
Ex. The dog and the cat fight with each other.

6. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but
that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group,
team, committee, class, and family.
Ex. The class works on their homework.
7. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody,
anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are
singular and require a singular verb.
Ex. Everybody knows Mr. Jones.

8. Subjects such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news


require singular verbs.
Ex. Fifty dollars is enough for the meal.
9.Sums of money and periods of time always take singular verbs.
Ex: Three hours is too long to wait.
Six months is the duration of the course.

10. Subjects such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears


require plural verbs.
Ex: These trousers are old.
The scissors are in the drawers.
Conclusion
• Understanding subject-verb agreement is essential for effective communication in
writing and speaking.

• Always remember to match the subject with the correct form of the verb to convey
your message clearly.

• Singular subject and singular verb:


• Incorrect: She walk to the park every morning.
• Correct: She walks to the park every morning.
• Plural subject and plural verb:
• Incorrect: The students was excited about the trip.
• Correct: The students were excited about the trip.
Practice Questions
• The teacher and the student _____ (is/are) going to the event.
• Boys in the class _____ (was/were) playing soccer.
• The dog _______ (bark/barks) loudly at strangers.
• My friends _______ (enjoy/enjoys) playing basketball after school.
• Each of the books _______ (is/are) interesting in its own way.
• The committee _______ (decide/decides) the meeting dates.
• There _______ (is/are) several cars parked outside the building.
Practice Questions
Which sentence uses correct subject-verb agreement?

A. The cats jumps on the table.


B. The cats is jumping on the table.
C. The cat jumps on the table.
D. The cat jump on the table.
Practice Questions
Choose the correct verb to fill in the blank. Each of the students
_______ excited about the event.

A. were
B. have
C. are
D. is
Practice Questions
Identify the correct sentence:

A. Neither the teacher nor the students was present at the meeting.
B. Neither the teacher nor the students were present at the meeting.
C. Neither the teacher nor the students is present at the meeting.
D. Neither the teacher nor the students has present at the meeting.
Practice Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct verb: The number of complaints
_______ increasing every year.

A. Have
B. Are
C. Is
D. were
Practice Questions
Which sentence is grammatically correct?

A. The committee has decided their agenda for the meeting.


B. The committee have decided their agenda for the meeting.
C. The committee has decided its agenda for the meeting.
D. The committee have decided its agenda for the meeting.
THANK YOU

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