SUBJECT VERB

AGREEMENT
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM

• A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb
singular noun Plural noun

• That monkey eats bananas. Those monkeys eat bananas.

singular verb Plural verb
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM
• That monkey eats bananas.
• That boy walks to school.
• This car goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
Those boys walk to school.
These cars go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM
• That monkey eats bananas.
• That child walks to school.
• This car goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Say lives in Florida.
Compound
Subject
Those monkeys eat bananas. childs
Those children walk to school.
These cars go fast. Irregular verb
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
Say and Leah (live / lives) in Florida
Say or Leah live / lives in Florida
 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(COMPOUND SUBJECTS)
• Singular Subjects joined by AND require a Plural Verb

Ex. Say and Leah live in Florida. / Vince and Dom are lovers.

• If both Subjects refer to the same single person or thing, use singular verb
Ex. Macaroni and cheese is an easy to prepare dish.

Pork and beans is Ping’s favorite snack.

 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(COMPOUND SUBJECTS)
• Use singular verb when each or every precedes the subject
Ex. Each man and wife has to sign here.
Every boy and girl deserves good education.

• Singular subjects joined by or or nor take singular verb

Angel or lucy is responsible for the affair
I guess my sister nor my cousin knows that man
 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(COMPOUND SUBJECTS)
• Plural Subjects joined by or or nor are generally plural and require plural
verbs.
Ex. The students or the teachers know the answer to the riddle.
Baked goods or fried foods are not healthy for you.
 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(COMPOUND SUBJECTS)
• For subjects of mixed number joined by or, nor either – or, or neither nor,
when a sentence has both a singular subject and a plural subject, the nearer to
the verb determines the agreement
• Ex. I or they are going to the hall.
Either she or her cousins have prepared dinner for us.
Neither the toy by the door nor the shoes in the living room need to
be put away.
E
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM
• That monkey eats bananas.
• That boy walks to school.
• This car goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
Those boys walk to school.
These cars go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (NEGATIVE FORMS)
• That monkey doesn’t eat bananas.
• That boy doesn’t walk to school.
• This car doesn’t go fast.
• Your shirt doesn’t look nice.
• That lady doesn’t speak Spanish.
• My grandfather doesn’t have a big house.
Those monkeys don’t eat bananas.
Those boys don’t walk to school.
These cars don’t go fast.
Your shirts don’t look nice.
Those ladies don’t speak Spanish.
My grandparents don’t have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (QUESTIONS)
• Does that monkey eat bananas?
• Does that boy walk to school?
• Does this car go fast?
• Does your shirt look nice?
• Does that lady speak Spanish?
• Does my grandfather have a big house?
Do those monkeys eat bananas?
Do those boys walk to school?
Do these cars go fast?
Do your shirts look nice?
Do those ladies speak Spanish?
Do my grandparents have a big house?
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• That monkey eats bananas.
• He walks to school.
• This car goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
They walk to school
These cars go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• That monkey eats bananas.
• He walks to school.
• This car goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
They walk to school
These cars go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• That monkey eats bananas.
• He walks to school.
• It goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
They walk to school
They go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• That monkey eats bananas.
• He walks to school.
• It goes fast.
• Your shirt looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
They walk to school
They go fast.
Your shirts look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• That monkey eats bananas.
• He walks to school.
• It goes fast.
• It looks nice.
• That lady speaks Spanish.
• My grandfather has a big house.
Those monkeys eat bananas.
They walk to school
They go fast.
They look nice.
Those ladies speak Spanish.
My grandparents have a big house.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM (PRONOUN)
• He/She/It eats bananas. They eat bananas.
• He walks to school. They walk to school
• It goes fast. They go fast.
• It looks nice. They look nice.
• She speaks Spanish. They speak Spanish. We speak Spanish

• He has a big house. They have a big house.

• He lives in Florida They live in florida We live in Florida
 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC FORM
NOUNS PRONOUNS VERB FORM

Monkey boy car shirt lady He She It Eats walks goes looks speaks
grandfather Mark has lives singular

Monkeys boys cars shirts We They I You Eat walk go look speak have
ladies grandparents Mark and live plural
Anna

reads makes
I read the newspaper every morning. You make very good coffee.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
THREE GRAMMATICAL PERSONS
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE

FIRST PERSON I am I was

We are We were

Second Person You are You were

Third Person He is He was

She is She was
It is It was
They are They were
 SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(VERB BE)
NOUNS PRONOUNS VERB
FORM
Present
- I am I am a teacher I am going to eat
Singular He She It is He is happy She is waiting It is raining
Plural You We They are You are late We are eating They are playing

Past
Singular I He She It was I was tired He was running She was afraid
Plural You We They were You were rude We were travelling Dogs were barking
EXERCISES
 Verb be
Nouns Pronouns Verb form NOUNS PRONOUNS VERB
FORM
Singular He She It Eats
Present
Has
Does - I am
Singular He She It is
Plural I You We They Eat Plural You We They are
Have
Do
Past
Singular I He She It was
Plural You We They were
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
CONFUSING SUBJECTS
• The singular indefinite pronouns ( one, each, either, neither, everyone,
everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, everything, and
nobody) need singular verb.
• Ex. Nobody wants to answer the phone
Someone has left this purse.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
CONFUSING SUBJECTS
• The Plural indefinite pronouns (both, several, few, many, and others) take
plural verbs.
• Ex. Several arrive late.
Many have doubted his decision.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
CONFUSING SUBJECTS
• The pronouns (all, any, more, most, none, some and such) take either a
singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the pronoun refers to
something singular or plural.
• Ex. Some of the tomatoes are ripe.
All of the milk was already consumed.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS

• A collective noun requires a singular verb if it is regarded as one or acts

as a single unit.
• Ex. The jury makes a unanimous decision.
The Choir sings a beautiful song.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS

• It takes a plural verb if the group it names acts individually

• Ex. The herd go on different directions.
The faculty have discussed the new policies with the parents.
SUBJECT LINKING VERB

• A linking verb agrees with its subject, not its subjective compliment.
• Ex. Antique paints are her passion
Her passion is antique paintings.
PLURAL LOOKING NOUNS

• Nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning must have a singular
verb. (news, billiards, acoustics, mumps, mathematics, economics,
whereabouts, athletics, and measles)
• Ex. Mathematics is an easy subject for Bea
The news fascinates me

• Use plural verb with nouns that always come in pairs, such as trousers,
scissors, pants, pliers and tweezers.
• Ex. Her pants appear loose
The Tweezers are new.
 IT AND THERE AS EXPLETIVES
(WORDS WITH NO MEANING IN A SENTENCE)
• There is never the subject. In sentences beginning with there is (was) there are
(were), look after the verb for the subject, and make the verb agree with the
subject.
• Ex. There is a key on the table
There are many tourists In the park today.

• It is always singular
• Ex. It was her foot that ached,
It was her feet that ached
LITERARY TITLES AND WORDS CONSIDERED AS
WORDS
• Note : It is always singular
• Ex. Charlie’s Angels is an action film
Mice is a plural form of mouse.
The Avengers is a great epic movie.
 AMOUNTS AND MEASUREMENTS

• Nouns expressing an amount or measurement are usually singular and take singular verb.
• Ex. Seven hundred pesos is enough to buy a pair of pants.
Two kilometers seems to near to travel by car.
• However, when considering individual sums of money or measurements use plural verb
• Ex. Two cups of sugar are needed for that recipe Note: The number takes a singular verb;
Three-fourths of the letters were already delivered. a number plural

• In mathematical problem, you may use either.

The number of enrollees is low
• Ex. Ten and two is (makes) twelve
A number of enrollees arrive
Ten and two are twelve
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
RELATIVE CLAUSES
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

• 1. The cookies ( is / are) for Bea.

The box of chocolates is for Ping.

subject Preposition + Object = Prepositional phrase

• 2. A wallet with four credit cards (was / were) found lying in the grass.

Subject Prepositional phrase

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

• 3. Some students in my class (speak / speaks) French as their first language.

• 4. Small business owners throughout the state ( have / has) voiced their displeasure with
the government’s new tax proposal.

Some common prepositions: of in on at by with with to for from about between above
below before after
RELATIVE CLAUSES

• If the antecedent of who, which or that is singular use a singular verb; use a plural verb if
the antecedent is plural. (Relative Pronoun)
• Example subject
1. This vintage watch, which I received as a wedding gift from my grandparents, (is /are)
one of my most prized possessions.

Adjective clause / Relative Clause

RELATIVE CLAUSES

• 2. The architect who designed some of this city’s biggest skyscrapers ( live / lives ) in a
modest two-bedroom apartment downtown.
• 3. The only books that I actually enjoyed reading when I was a kid ( was / were)
superhero comics.
• 4. Prescription drugs, which cannot simply be obtained over the counter, (require /
requires) a doctor prescription in order to be purchased.