Subject Verb Agreement
Basic Use: If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb will need to be plural.
I (have/has) two dogs. They (bike/bikes) three miles a day.
She (run/runs) two miles a day. They (is/are) three years old.
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Next Step: When other words come between the subject and the verb, (intervening elements), you may mistake the noun nearest to the verb for the verb’s real subject.
Wrong: A central part of my life’s goals have been to go to law school.
Correct: A central part of my life’s goals has been to go to law school.
Wrong: The profits earned by the cosmetic industry is not high.
Correct: The profits earned by the cosmetic industry are not high.
*Be particularly careful that you subject and verb agree when your subject is made up of two or more parts joined by and or or .
Wrong: My brother and his friend commutes every day from Louisville.
Correct: My brother and his friend commute every day from Louisville.
Wrong: The pencil or the eraser are in the drawer.
Correct: The pencil or the eraser is in the drawer.
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*Also, when you have a collective noun, it is considered singular, even though it may look plural.
The soccer team (has/have) an undefeated record.
The freshman class (was/were) on a field trip.
Starters
Day 1: Basic Use
1. The world would (change/changes) so rapidly that we can hardly keep up.
2. Everyone (is/are) often ten years behind the times in their knowledge of the world.
3. People who (live/lives) in poverty often do not even have television or newspapers.
Day 2: Intervening elements
1. The letter with its several attachments (was/were) received this morning.
2. His sworn statement, together with copies of the testimony and statements from other connected with the case, (was/were) made a part of the file.
3. Our letters, like our speech, (are/is) indications of our knowledge of English.
Day 3: Compound Subject
1. She and her friends (is/are) at the fair.
2. The book or the pen (is/are) in the drawer.
3. (Is/Are) dad and his brothers going on the fishing trip?
Day 4: Collective nouns
1. The Student Council (was/were) gone on a field trip.
2. Each of you (has/have) an equal chance to make good grades.
3. The students in my first block class (have/has) been to the computer lab.
Mixed Review
1. The soccer team (were/was) gone yesterday.
2. Invisible Children (is/are) a corporation to help children in Africa.
3. Sarah or Susan(have/has) the key to the locker room.
4. The stock that I purchased last year (has/have) not been doing well.
Subject Verb Quiz
Directions: Choose the correct letter and write it on your separate sheet of paper.
1. Which of the following sentences has the correct subject-verb agreement?
a. The muscles in my legs burns as I rode up the hill.
b. My family reunion were in Corbin, Kentucky.
c. I have quite a bit of experience ridden on buses.
d. The cell phone, along with other crime scene evidence, was presented into evidence.
2. Which of the following sentences has the correct subject-verb agreement?
a. My dad and his brothers are going to a car show in Pigeon Forge.
b. Traditionally, college students has been very active in politics.
c. There is both men and women at the meeting.
d. The students in my class has very poor work habits.
3. Which of the following sentences has the correct subject-verb agreement?
a. Bananas, not oranges, is my favorite fruit.
b. The lion, besides appearing savage, are also fierce.
c. The queen and her many servants are arriving shortly.
d. Determination are necessary for an athlete.
4. Which of the following sentences has the correct subject-verb agreement?
a. Everything change when people have children.
b. Invisible Children are a corporation to help children in Africa.
c. Sarah or Susan has the key to the locker room.
d. The stock that I purchased last year have not been doing well.
5. Which sentence shows correct subject/verb agreement?
a. Many of the animals in the Washington, D.C. Zoo has been born there.
b. The largest of the wolves are usually the leader of the pack.
c. Vince, like most of the other freshmen, are riding a bus to school.
d. The table that comes with the chairs is in good condition.