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English Third-Person Singular (3PS) Present -s for Verbs

In English, most verbs have 4-5 forms: (1) basic, (2) simple past, (3)
third-person-singular/3PS present, (4) progressive, (5) past participle. (Regular verbs: 2 & 5
are the same.)

For example,

1. I see, you see, we see, they see, I can see, I’d like to see it, I didn’t see you.
2. I saw, you saw, she saw, … they saw.
3. He sees, she sees, it sees, my friend sees, the government sees, everyone sees.
4. I am seeing a guy, you are seeing a girl, …. they are seeing a movie.
5. I have already seen this movie, you have seen the other movie, … we have seen all
the movies.

For most students, the most difficult change to remember is #3: the S on third-person-
singular present verbs. This is because most “people” subjects (I, you, we, they) in basic
grammar exercises don’t need the S. Only he, she, and it need the S. However, the S is also
necessary for many noun subjects, like Keiko {1 Name}, the man {1 Person}, an owl {1
Animal}, Hamada {1 Place}, liberty {1 Abstract Idea}, or this phone {1 Object}.

For present S, practice exercises often look like this:

Like Miss Want Eat Catch Visit

I like
You eat
He catches
She
It wants
We
They miss

Or this:

My father ___________ (drink) coffee. Your parents ________ (be) friendly.

I ____________ (play) football at school.
My favorite food __________ (be) pizza.
You and I _________ (live) near the station.
They ________ (like) watching movies.
She _________ (want) to travel to Paris.
You ________ (be) smart and kind.
It _________ (turn) on with a button.
It _______ (feel) strange to be here.
You _______ (do) your homework daily.
He_______ (have) a cat and two dogs.
Anna ________ (catch) the ball every time.
I ________ (be) very tired today.
We ________ (visit) Grandma every week.
His brothers _______ (have) a farm.
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English Third-Person Singular (3PS) Present -s for Verbs

However, an S verb is also necessary for the following pronoun subjects:

Everyone Someone Anyone No one

Everybody Somebody Anybody Nobody
Everything Something Anything Nothing
Everywhere Somewhere Anywhere Nowhere

For example,

While camping, someone sees a bear. Everybody panics! Does anyone call for help? Yes,
somebody screams loudly. But no one knows what to do. Is anywhere safe? Everyone looks
around. Everywhere is forest. Nowhere is hidden from the bear. “Somewhere has to be
safe,” someone says, “but does anyone know what to do now?”

And for some subjects, different speakers use different verbs. Teachers: When teaching these
words, check recent usage in the target region.

Collective nouns (examples):

1. My family is/are well.
2. The committee has/have decided on a course of action.
3. The team want/wants a better stadium.

Complex subjects (examples):

1. None of us is/are happy about this.
2. The rest of the team want/wants to come along.
3. Neither of us like/likes this room
4. Do/does either of them need help?

Usually, intermediate students can give correct answers to focused exercises, but they often
forget to use the S in context. Editing exercises can help intermediate and advanced students
identify this problem in their own work. For example:

Find the plural and present verb mistakes in the paragraph:

April 1st is the beginning of a new experience for many people in Japan – a new school, a new
job, or maybe a new city. April is a beautiful month to start a new school year – the weather is
good, the cherry tree are blooming, and the bird are singing. The world feel bright and hopeful
as our life change.

April 1st is a special day in many English-speaking country, too, but for different reason. The
day is called “April Fools Day”. There is a tradition to play prank or trick on friend, family, or
coworker.

Old-fashioned April Fool prank were physical prank, such as coating onion, instead of apple,
with caramel. However, more recent prank involve spoken deception – telling people a big lie
that they believe for the whole day. So as you start your new chapter of life, please
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English Third-Person Singular (3PS) Present -s for Verbs
analyze situation carefully, consider other people’s motivation, and expand your cultural
awareness. But most importantly, have a little fun!