Subject-verb agreement refers to the
agreement of verb and subject in the sentence.
The verb must match in the number of the
subject. In short, either both of it must be in
singular or plural form. The first thing you have
to do is to find the subject (someone who is
doing the action) and the verb (action word) in
the sentence.
The Basic Rule
* If the subject is singular, the verb must be
singular too, whereas if the subject is plural, it
takes also a plural verb.
* When the subject in the sentence is separated
from verb by a phrase or clause, it doesn’t affect
the number of the subject. (Like the words
“with”, “as well as”, “along with”, “of” and etc.)
Examples:
1. The politician, along with the newsmen,
is expected shortly.
* In connecting multiple nouns or pronouns as
your subject by using conjunction “and”, the
verbs are always plural.
Examples:
1. Jess and Jane admit their wrongdoings.
2. Health and education are the sectors
that should not be taken for granted.
*There is an exception wherein compound
subjects refer to a singular idea.
Example:
The captain and coach of the basketball team
has been dismissed.
“The captain and coach” is the compound
subject that pertains only to one idea that takes
also a singular form of verb which is “has”. To
make it two different individuals, you will use
two articles which are: “a”, “an”, or “the”.
Plural: The captain and the coach of the
basketball team have been dismissed.
* When the sentence begins with the word
“here” or “there”, the subject follows the verb.
The words “there” and “here” are not
considered as subject, meaning the verb used in
the sentence must agree to with what follows
them.
Examples:
1. There are few people in the park.
2. Here is the copy of your exam.
3. There are top students in my class.
* If two subjects are joined by “or, either…
or/neither….nor”, “not only but also”, the verb
must take also the form of the subject closes to
it.
Example:
Either Mary or my friends destroy the table.
* In terms of collective nouns, subject might be
singular or plural depending on the meaning of
it. It refers to a team, group, crowd or
something that made up of more than one.
Examples:
1. The gang was caught by the policemen
yesterday.
2. The staff members have received an incentive
bonus this month.
* Indefinite pronouns “each one”, “everyone”,
“everybody”, “anybody”, “anyone”, “nobody”,
“somebody”, “someone”, and “no one” should
be used with singular verbs.
Examples:
1. No one talks about the news.
2. Someone changes the password of my
phone.
3. Everybody enjoys the Christmas party.
* Plural indefinite pronoun like “several”, “few”,
“both”, and “many” should take plural verbs.
Examples:
1. Many houses have been stumbled by
the earthquake earlier.
* With regards to measurement, time, money,
and weight, use singular verb if it refers to one
unit, if not, use plural verb.
Example (Singular) :
Ten thousand was donated for the victim of
volcanic eruption.
Example (Plural) :
Ten thousand were scattered in the ground.

* Take note that some indefinite pronouns are
either singular or plural such as “some”, “any”,
“all”, and “most” depending on the meaning of
it. To know when to use singular or plural form
of the verb, identify first if the subject is
uncountable or countable. If it’s uncountable,
use singular, otherwise use plural if the subject
used is countable.
Principal Parts of Verbs
 expresses present time or actions that is
happening now, something that is true
at all times and future time
Examples:

Examples: push open climb

punch
1. Some of the water spills because it is
not properly closed. smile brush clap
boil
2. Some of the rocks are mixed with the
sand and cement. PRESENT PARTICLE

* Plural form subjects take singular verbs.
Examples:
1. Thesis stresses the students so much.
*The meaning of such subjects may change
depending on the sentence usage.
Examples:
 also called progressive tenses
(continuing action)
 refers to an action which is in the
process of happening; formed by adding
-ing at the end of the word and always
combined with the helping verb to
show continuous actions such as am, is
and are when used in the sentence

1. The pair of pants were given to the Examples:

hardworking farmers.
closing listening filling
* In the situation where the title of single complaining
entities is used as subject in the sentence, you
counting creating
will use singular verb. (Ex: books, movies,
dragging enjoying
organization, countries, and etc.)

Examples:
PAST TENSE
13 Reasons Why is my definition of a movie
  expresses a completed action or an Structure:
activity
 Find the verb of the sentence then add
 formed by adding -ed/d at the end of only “-s/es” at the end. (Verb+ “-s/es”)
the base form; if it ends with -e, just
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
add -d only at the end
Examples:
Examples:
1. Sarah teaches out-of-school youth in her
controlled damaged
place.
delivered learned baked
attacked acted PRESENT CONTINUOUS
PAST PARTICIPLES something is occurring at the time of speaking
and also has a clear end of the said act
 same as the pattern of past tense which
adds -ed/d in the end of the verb (the Structure:
difference is that past participle is about
an action that started in the past and  first form of the verb + -ing
continues to the present)  singular first person: am + verb + -ing
 you can only identify it as past  singular third person: is + verb + -ing
participle if the verb used in the
sentence is combined with the helping  plural 1st, 2nd and 3rd person and
verbs have, has or had singular 2nd person: are + verb + -ing

Examples:  1st person singular: am

I have treated my disease with antibiotics. (subject + is/am/are + verb + -ing + object)

She had celebrated her birthday last year. Examples:

1. Kindly wait for a moment, Bright

is talking with Johnny.

2. I am cooking when the dog barks outside.

3. They are playing in the playground at this

time.
WHAT IS TENSE?
PRESENT PERFECT
 comes from the Latin word tempus
which means "time”  the action is already complete in the
past and looking for the results in the
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE present time without any words
referring to the time
 used to describe an action that is
happening at the present time and  can also be used with unspecific
don’t know when it will end expressions such as: ever, never, once,
many times, several times, before,
 an action that is not only occurring now,
so far, already, yet, etc.
but repeats after time
Structure:
 I / you / we / they or plural subject =
have + past participle of the verb
 he / she / it or singular subject = has +
past participle of the verb
PRESENT PERFECT
Examples:
1. She has stayed in the Korea before.
2. Scientists have tested several chemical
for several times.
3. Have you called the policeman yet?
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
used to talk about a continuous, but not
necessarily finished action or situation
Structure:
 singular subject = (has/hasn’t + been)
plural subject or I = (have/haven’t + been)
* Use since if the point of time is mentioned.
* Use for if the duration of time is specified.
Examples:
1. I have been struggling for about two
weeks.
2. She has been studying in English since
this morning.
3. They haven’t been waiting since we
left.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
 narrates the things that happened in
the past or an action that already exist
before this present time
 Irregular verbs do not follow the same
pattern with the regular.
(regular verb = add -d/-ed)
(irregular verb = changes in spelling)
Structure:
 subject + base form of the verb + -d/-
ed + object
Examples:
1. They travelled across the world.
2. We went to our grandfather’s house
yesterday.
3. Last year, I studied about biology.
PAST CONTINUOUS
 indicates an action that started in the
past and also continue in the past (it
means that the action will not continue
at the present time)
 formed by using helping verbs and
making the base form of the verb ends
with -ing
Structure:
 Positive: subject + was/were + verb + -
ing + object
 Negative: subject + was/were + not +
verb + -ing + object
 Question: was/were + subject + verb + -
ing
* If the subject is singular use “was”, but if the
subject is plural use “were”.
Examples:
1. You were not asking for a cup of coffee.
2. Was it raining yesterday morning?
3. Were they swimming last summer?
PAST PERFECT TENSE
  an action that already happened before Examples:
something else
1. They had been starting the party when
 shows the order of two completed the clown arrived.
actions in the past
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Structure:
 indicate actions that will occur in the
 Positive: subject +had + past participle future or more likely making a decision
of what action a person will do at the
 Negative: subject + had not/hadn’t +
time of speaking
past participle
 use auxiliary verb “will/shall” together
 Question: had + subject + past
with the base form of the verb
participle
Structure:
Examples:
 Positive: subject + will + base form of
1. Clara had declared her status before the
the verb
engagement party.
 Negative: subject + will not/won’t +
2. I hadn’t eaten my breakfast because I slept
base form of the verb
again.
Question: will/shall + subject + base form of
3. Had you brought your card before you came
the verb
here?
Examples:
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1. You will change your outfit later.
 actions that started in the past and
continued after another action also in 2. an action that is expected to happen in
the past the future and continue also in the
future
 tells the duration of the performed
action or how long the action had 3. used to emphasize future plans and
continued intentions

 sentences are framed by using the “will be” + present participle of the verb
modal, had + been + the present
Examples:
participle of the verb (-ing)
1. I will be catching fish in the river all day by
Structure:
tomorrow.
 Positive: subject +had + been + verb + -
FUTURE PERFECT
ing
 an action that is planned to complete
 Negative: subject + had not/hadn’t +
before the expected time in the future
been + verb + -ing
general formula: will + have + verb (-ing)
 Question: had + subject + been + verb +
-ing Examples:
1. They will have fixed the design of the venue information and a lot way easier to absorb. On
by tomorrow. the other hand, passive voice is somehow useful
if you intend to focus on the object rather than
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
the subject.
 combination future continuous and
Directions: Read and analyze the following
future perfect verb tenses
sentences and
 the action is ongoing and completed at
try to change them according to the
some point in the future
demand.
Examples:
1. He threw the old picture of his ex-girlfriend.
1. She will have been staying in her house for (A-P)
the next three days.
2. You will be promoted this year by the
Voice of the Verb president of the

 tells us whether the subject is the doer company. (P-A)

or the receiver of the action within a
3. The poor people were amazed with her
statement
kindness. (P-A)

4. Apple sells thousands of iPhones everyday.

(A-P)

5. This project was accomplished last night. (P-

Active Voice
A)
 If the subject of the sentence is
6. These mangoes were bought by my mother in
performing the action, the sentence is
the market. (P-A)
written in active voice.
7. The cat was killed with the poison. (P-A)
EX: The teacher taught the children.
8. The technician fixes the defect of the
Passive Voice- If the subject of the sentence is
refrigerator. (A-P)
being acted upon by someone or something
else, the sentence is in passive voice. 9. Andrew is thinking of the word
“incomparable”. (A-P)
EX: The children were taught by the teacher.
10. Bongbong Marcos tops the latest
PASSIVE VOICE
presidential survey. (A-P)
always constructed with form “to be” followed
Degrees of Comparison
by the past participle of the verb
 POSITIVE DEGREE- the actual form of
Structure:
adjectives used when describing or
object + verb + subject modifying a single entity

PASSIVE ACTIVE EXAMPLES: Arya Stark is brave.

In terms of writing, active voice is often used COMPARATIVE DEGREE- comparison of an

rather than passive voice for it gives clearer entity from another entity
EXAMPLES: Arya is braver than Sansa Understanding How Good People Turn Evil.
Random House, 2007
SUPERLATIVE DEGREE- describes an entity as
having most of the qualities than all other
entities

EXAMPLES: For some, Arya is the bravest

member of House Stark.

3 Ways of Forming Comparison

Add -er and -est at the end of one-syllable and
two-syllable adjectives.
 Robb favored Talisa with a bright smile.
 Gendry’s smile is brighter than Robb’s.
 Jon’s smile is the brightest of all.
If the two adjectives are from the same group,
place “and” between them. Adjectives of the
same group are called coordinate adjectives.
Example:
Her phone’s case is green and red.

 Milesandre is a crafty old woman.

 Petyr Baelish is craftier than

Millesandre.

 Tyrion Lanister is the craftiest character

in Game of Thrones.

More and most are often used with adjectives

with one and two syllables when the addition of
–er and –est would sound awkward. In this
case, it is important to rely on your ear.

Order of Adjectives

Adjective before nouns: "This brave old man

and his sons were amongst the first to hear and
heed the trumpet of freedom calling them to
battle." - Frederick Douglas, Life and Times of
Frederick Douglas, 1881

Adjectives after nouns: “The

clouds, white  and  fluffy, floated across the
sky.”

Adjectives after verbs: "Stanley was the little

smart one whom we went to for authoritative
answers."- Philip Zimbardo, The Lucifer Effect: