Exercise #1 : Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
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.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee members (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
EXERCISE #2
A.
Underline the subject (or compound subject) and then identify the verb that
agrees with it.
Everyone in the telecom focus group (has/have) experienced problems with
cell phones
1. Your friendship over the years and your support (has/have) meant a great

deal to us.

2. Hamilton Family Center, a shelter for teenage runaways in San Francisco,

(offers/offer) a wide variety of services.

3. The main source of income for Trinidad (is/are) oil and pitch.

4. The chances of your being promoted (is/are) excellent.

5. There (was/were) a Pokémon card stuck to the refrigerator.

6. Neither the professor nor his assistants (was/were) able to solve the mystery of

the eerie glow in the laboratory.

7. Many hours at the driving range (has/have) led us to design golf balls with

GPS locators in them.

8. Discovered in the soil of our city garden (was/were) a button dating from the

Civil War dating from the turn of the century.

9. Every year, during the midsummer festival, the smoke of village bonfires

(fills/fill) the sky.

10. The story performers (was/were) surrounded by children and adults eager to

see magical tales.

EXERCISE 2: B

Edit the following sentences to eliminate problems with subject-verb agreement

and write the edited sentence. If a sentence is correct, write “correct.”

Jack’s first days in the infantry was gruelling

Jack’s first days in the infantry were gruelling

1. One of the main reasons for elephant poaching are the profits received from

selling the ivory tusks.

2. Not until my interview with Dr. Chang were other possibilities opened to me.

3. Batik cloth from Bali, blue and white ceramics from Cambodia, and a bocce

ball from Turin has made Hannah’s room the talk of the dorm.

4. The board of directors, ignoring the wishes of the neighbourhood, has voted to

allow further development.

5. Measles is a contagious childhood disease.

6. The presence of certain bacteria in our bodies are one of the factors that

determines our overall health.

7. Leah is the only one of the many applicants who has the ability to step into this

job.

8. Neither the explorer nor his companions was ever seen again.

Exercise #3:

Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Exercises

1. Everyone (has/have) done his or her homework.

2. Each of the students (is/are) responsible for doing his or her work.
3. Either my father or my brothers (is/are) going to sell the car.
4. Neither my sisters nor my mother (is/are) going to sell the house.
5. The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
6. Mary and John usually (plays/play) together.
7. Both of the dogs (has/have) collars.
8. Neither the dogs nor the cat (is/are) very hungry.
9. Either the girls or the boy (walk/walks) in the evening.
10. Either the boy or the girls (walk/walks) in the evening.
11. At the end of the fall (comes/come) the hard tests.
12. The slaughter of animals for their fur (has/have) caused controversy.
13. The student, as well as his teacher, (was/were) going on the field trip.
14. The hard tests (comes/come) at the end of the fall.
15. Both of my roommates (has/have) decided to live in the dorms.

Exercise #4: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
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.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee members (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Exercise #5

Subject/Verb Agreement Worksheets

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 

RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 

RULE 1 – A verb agrees with its subject in number. 

Singular subjects take singular verbs: 

The car stays in the garage. The flower smells good. 

There is an old saying: “Opposites attract.” The rule for singular and plural verbs is just the opposite of the rule for singular and plural nouns. Remember
this when you match subjects and verbs. You might guess that stays and smells are plural verbs because they end in s. They aren’t. Both stays and smells
are singular verbs. 

RULE 2 – The number of the subject (singular or plural) is not changed by words that come between the subject and the verb. 

One of the eggs is broken. Of the eggs is a prepositional phrase. The subject one and the verb is are both singular. Mentally omit the prepositional phrase
to make the subject verb-agreement easier to make. 

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE 1 

Direction: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below. Check your answers on the following page. 

1. Your friend (talk-talks) too much. 

2. The man with the roses (look-looks) like your brother. 

3. The women in the pool (swim-swims) well. 

4. Bill (drive-drives) a cab. 

5. The football players (run-runs) five miles every day. 

6. That red-haired lady in the fur hat (live-lives) across the street. 

7. He (cook-cooks) dinner for his family. 

8. The boys (walk-walks) to school every day. 

9. The weather on the coast (appear-appears) to be good this weekend. 

10. The center on the basketball team (bounce-bounces) the ball too high. 
Exercise #6

Directions: Write four sentences of your own illustrating the first two subject-verb agreement rules. 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 1 _________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 2 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 

RULE 3 – Some subjects always take a singular verb even though the meaning may seem plural. 

These subjects always take singular verbs: 

each someone either anyone neither nobody one somebody no one anybody everyone everybody 

Someone in the game was (not were) hurt. Neither of the men is (not are) working. 

RULE 4 – The following words may be singular or plural, depending upon their use in a sentence, some, any, all, most. 

Most of the news is good. (singular) Most of the flowers were yellow. (plural) All of the pizza was gone. (singular) All of the children were late. (plural) 

Exercise# 7

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE II 

Directions: Circle the correct verb in the sentences below. Check your answers on the bottom of this page. 

1. Each of the girls (look-looks) good on skis. 

2. Everybody (was-were) asked to remain quiet. 

3. Neither of the men (is-are) here yet. 

4. (Is-Are) each of the girls ready to leave? 

5. Several of the sheep (is-are) sick. 

6. Some members of the faculty (is-are) present. 

7. Nobody in the class (has-have) the answer. 

8. Each of the girls (observe-observes) all the regulations. 

9. All of the milk (is-are) gone. 

10. Most of the seats (was-were) taken. 

IT’S YOUR TURN 

Directions: Write four sentences of your own illustrating rules 3 and 4. 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

Rule 3 _________________________________________________________________________ 

Rule 4 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 

RULE 5 – Subjects joined by and are plural. Subjects joined by or or Nor take a verb that agrees with the last subject. 

Bob and George are leaving. 

Neither Bob nor George is leaving. 

Neither Bob nor his friends are leaving. 

RULE 6 – There and here are never subjects. In sentences that begin with these words, the subject is usually found later on in the sentence. 

There were five books on the shelf. (were, agrees with the subject book) 

Here is the report you wanted. (Is agrees with subject report) 

RULE 7 – Collective nouns may be singular or plural, depending on their use in the sentence. 

A collective noun is a noun used to name a whole group. Following are some common examples: 

army crowd orchestra audience flock public class group swarm club herd team committee jury troop 

United States 

The orchestra is playing a hit song. (Orchestra is considered as one unit—singular.) 

The orchestra were asked to give their musical backgrounds. (Orchestra is considered as separate individuals—plural) 

Exercise #8: ANSWERS TO SUBJECT-VERB EXERCISE III 

Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below. Check your answers at the bottom of this page. 

1. Margo and her parents (visit-visits) each other often. 

2. Either the cups or the glasses (are-is) in the dishwasher. 

3. Vern and Fred (need-needs) a ride to work. 

4. There (is-are) a dog, a cat, and a bird in the garage. 

5. Neither Matt nor his brothers (was-were) at the party. 

6. Here into the main ring of the circus (come-comes) the trained elephants. 

7. Either the workers or the boss (deliver-delivers) the merchandise. 

8. The committee (work-works) hard for better schools. 

9. There (is-are) many things to do before the holidays. 

10. The jury (was-were) polled for their verdicts. 

11. Here (is-are) the nails you need for the projects. 

12. Either Joyce or Ellen (was-were) here. 

13. The United States (is-are) a country of contrast. 

14. A magazine and a book (was-were) lying on the floor. 

15. The family (is-are) occupied with their individual problems. 

IT’S YOUR TURN 

Direction: Write 6 sentences of your own illustrating rules 5, 6, and 7. 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 5 _________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 6 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 7 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 

RULE 8 – Expressions of time, money, measurement, and weight are usually singular when the amount is considered one unit. 

Five dollars is (not are) too much to ask. Ten days is (not are) not nearly enough time. 

On occasion, however these terms are used in the plural sense: 

There were thirty minutes to countdown. 

RULE 9 – Some nouns, while plural in form, are actually singular in meaning. 

Mathematics is (not are) an easy subject for some people. 

Physics is (not are) taught by Prof, Baldwin. 

mumps home economics social studies economics measles calisthenics statistics civics physics gymnastics phonics news acrobatics aesthetics thesis
mathematics 

RULE 10 – Don’t and Doesn’t must agree with the subject. Use doesn’t after he, she, it. 

Doesn’t he (not don’t) know how to sail? They don’t (not doesn’t) make movies like that anymore. 

Exercise #9

SUBJECT-VERB EXERCISE IV 

Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below. 

1. Mumps (is-are) one of the most uncomfortable diseases. 

2. One hundred dollars (is-are) not a lot of money to some people. 

3. She (doesn’t-don’t) look very well today. 

4. Twenty minutes (is-are) the amount of time it takes me to get home from work. 

5. It (doesn’t-don’t) seem so cold today. 

6. Gymnastics (is-are) easy for Angela. 

7. Interesting news (is-are) what sells our paper. 

8. A pound of cookies (cost-costs) about a dollar. 

9. They (doesn’t-don’t) think they’ll win the game tonight. 

10. He (don’t-doesn’t) speak very well. 

IT’S YOUR TURN 

Direction: Write six sentences of your own illustrating rules 8, 9, and 10. 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 8 _________________________________________________________________________ 

RULE 9 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 
RULE 10 _________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

PROGRESS CHECK ON SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT /No answers provided

Directions: Write the correct verb in the blank to the left of each sentence. See the instructor for answers. 

1._________________ Everybody (was-were) asked to be quiet. 

2._________________ In a marathon, few of the starters (finishes-finish) the race. 

3._________________ Sixty days (is-are) not enough time to complete the project. 

4._________________ All of the workers (is-are) receiving their bonus. 

5._________________ On our street (is-are) many tall trees. 

6._________________ It (don’t-doesn’t) make any difference. 

7._________________ The value of cars and motorcycles (has-have) increased. 

8._________________ The principal and her husband (is-are) honored guests. 

9._________________ Either the pitcher or the base runners (was-were) caught napping. 

10._________________ One of my friends (believe-believes) in E.S.P. 

11._________________ Have you ever heard the expression, “No new (is-are) good news?” 

9 8 

12._________________ There (was-were) several dents in the car. 

13._________________ Louise (doesn’t-don’t) want to drive that long distance. 

14._________________ Either Luis or Horace (pay-pays) the bills in our house. 

15._________________ A boy and a girl (were-was) here to see you. 

16._________________ The box of apples (is-are) on the porch. 

17._________________ Some of the job applicants (is-are) expected to pass the difficult screening test. 

18._________________ The army (is-are) conducting maneuvers in March. 

19._________________ Here (come-comes) the family now. 

20._________________ Neither of us (is-are) going to work. 

21._________________ (Doesn’t-Don’t) they know when to quit? 

22._________________ Thirty minutes (is-are) the time limit for the test. 

23._________________ Measles (is-are) a disease most children experience. 

24._________________ The class (is-are) turning in their registration forms today. 

25._________________ Beyond the mountains (is-are) a fertile valley. 

Exercise 10

Subject and Verb

EXERCISE: - In each sentence below, underline the verb that with its

subject.

1. The jug of water (is, are) in the fridge.

2. The picture books (reminds, remind) me of when I was a child.

3. A chocolate chip cookie, as well as some ice cream, (is, are) a good dessert.

4. Lions (lives, live) in the savanna.

5. Rome, together with Florence, (has, have) great works of art.

6. Color (enhances, enhance) the effect of the portrait.

7. Polar bears (roams, roam) freely in the arctic.

8. Broccoli, in addition to kale, (is, are) very nutricious.

9. Many animals (rises, rise) when the sun comes up.

10.The mystery novels (is, are) based on real crimes.

11. The plant on my windowsill (gets, get) watered every day.

12.Isabella, along with her brothers, (wants, want) to learn to make pasta.

13.My favorite pair of shoes (is, are) missing.

14.My uncle from the Georgia (loves, love) to bake.

15.Three of my friends (is, are) going to the beach.