Subject-Verb Agreement

Essential Question

The subject of the sentence must agree with its verb how?

Must agree in number

Making Subjects Agree with Verbs

1. If the subject of the sentence is singular than the verb of the sentence must be singular.

2. If the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural.

Rules

That tree loses its leaves early in the fall.Those trees lose their leaves late in the fall.

Making Subjects Agree with Verbs

1. To make a noun plural, add “s” or “es”.

2. To make a verb singular, add “s” or “es”.

Rules

Nouns VerbsSingular Plural Plural Singular

girl girls walk walksbox boxes fix fixes

Making Subjects Agree with Verbs

1. The irregular verbs be, do, and have can be main verbs or helping verbs. In either case, they must agree with the subject.

Rules

Singular: She is painting a portrait. He does well. It has a good plot.Plural:They are artist. The students do try. They have completed the lesson.

Summary

1. The subject of the sentence must agree with its verb in _______________________Must agree in number

1. To make a noun plural just add ______________

2. To make a verb singular just add ______________

“s” or “es”

“s” or “es”

Essential Question

The subject of the sentence must agree with its verb how?

Must agree in number

Making Subjects Agree with Verbs

1. The verb must agree with the subject even when subject and verb are separated.

Rules

Sometimes a prepositional phrase separates the subject and verb.

Sometimes the subject come after the verb.Interrogative sentence, a helping verb may come

before the subject.

Prepositional Phrase separates subject and verb

Examples

The goal of those charities is to provide shelter for the homeless people.The goal of those charities is to provide shelter for the homeless people.

Cars with air bags appear safer than cars without them.Cars with air bags appear safer than cars without them.

Sometimes the subject comes after the verb, as in sentences that begin with here or there.

Examples

Here is the book you looked for yesterday.

There is a bug in your hair.

Here is the book you looked for yesterday.

There is a bug in your hair.

Subject: book Verb: is

Subject: bug Verb: is

In an interrogative sentence, a helping verb may come before the subject.

Examples

Does your dog really eat grapes?

Was Kelly happy with her final performance?

Does your dog really eat grapes?

Was Kelly happy with her final performance?

Subject: dog Verb: does eat

Subject: Kelly Verb: was happy

Summary

1. The subject of the sentence must agree with its verb in ___________ .

2. Sometimes a ____________________ separates the subject from the verb.

3. In sentences that begin with __________________ the subject comes after the verb.

4. A _________________ may come before the subject in an interrogative sentence.

Prepositional phrase

number

Here or there

Helping verb

Collective NounsA collective noun names a group. It has a singular meaning when it describes a group that acts as a unit. It has a plural meaning when it describes members of the group acting as individuals

SingularThe class reads everyday

PluralThe class read from their textbooks.

Nouns that ends in -sSome Nouns that end in –s take a singular verb

Some Nouns that end in –s take a plural verb

Mathematics is my best subject.Mumps is a childhoods disease.

The news is good.

Here are the binoculars.

Are my clothes ready?The scissors are on my desk.

Title of a bookThe title of a book or work of art is always singular.

Little Women is a book by Louisa May Alcott

Where the Red Fern Grows is the book our teacher assigned us.

AmountsIf an amount is treated as a single unit, it is singular.

Twenty dollars is the price of the radio I want

If an amount is treated as many individual units, it is plural.

Twenty dollars are scattered on the floor.

Amount

Twenty minutes lasts forever when you’re waiting for a phone call.

Five minutes pass quickly.