Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.

10

Learning Centre

SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT

The subject of a verb affects the verb

A verb in present tense form changes depending on the subject.

I walk we walk
you walk you walk
he/she/it walks they walk

Notice that when the subject is he, she or it, you need to add an “s” to the end of
the verb. The same is true when the subject is a noun such as Cathy, a pen, or
Vancouver. If you replace these nouns with a pronoun, they are replaced with he,
she or it.

He washes the dishes every day. John is usually late.

They wash the dishes every day. John and Susan are usually late.

Exercise 1: Choosing singular or plural verb forms

Circle the subject in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

Example:

Every morning Peter walk/walks to the park.

Here you would underline walks, and cross out walk.

1. He always take/takes his dog.

2. The dog is/are called Bear.

3. Bear and Peter especially like/likes walking through the woods.

4. After their walk, they often go/goes to the coffee shop.

J. Robinson/2005
1
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
Continued from page 1

5. Bear sit/sits outside and wait/waits while Peter get/gets a coffee.

6. Then they sit/sits outside and watch/watches the people go by.

7. When Peter finish/finishes his coffee, Bear and Peter go/goes home.

8. At home, Bear lie/lies down have/has a nap, and Peter leave/leaves for work.

Complications with Subject/Verb Agreement

Exercise 1 is not difficult, but subject/verb agreement isn’t always so easy.

Things that confuse writers about subject/verb agreement include:

 The subject doesn’t look plural, but it is.

 The subject is a noun we don’t count.
 Words come between the subject and the verb.
 The subject is a word like who, which, or that.
 The verb comes before the subject.
 The subject is an indefinite pronoun like each, anybody or both.

Each of these is explained here.

 The subject doesn’t look plural, but it is

Usually plural nouns in English have an “s” or “es” on the end. However, some
plural words do not end in “s”. For example, people, children, sheep and mice
can all be plural words. So, the subject is treated like they when you use these
words. The question to ask yourself is, “Am I talking about one or more than
one?” In this example, Most children love chocolate., you are writing about more
than one child. Most children can be replaced by they. Therefore, the verb does
not get an “s”.

 The subject is a noun we don’t count

In English, some nouns are not counted. For example, we don’t count water,
happiness or gold. We might count glasses of water or liters of water, but we
don’t count the water itself. We cannot say one water or two waters. When we
use non-count nouns like these, we treat the subject as singular. For example,
we might say, Water is a precious natural resource. Water in this sentence can
be replaced by it, so we treat water as a singular subject.

J. Robinson/2005
2
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
 Words come between the subject and the verb

Sometimes people get confused about the subject of a verb. This often happens
when other words come between the subject and the verb. Look at these
examples. Which one is correct?

a) The potatoes in the fridge are left over from last night.
b) The potatoes in the fridge is left over from last night.

To decide on the correct verb form, you need to decide which noun is the
subject. What is left over, the potatoes or the fridge? Clearly, it is the potatoes.
Therefore, the verb is controlled by the potatoes. The correct answer is a). The
words in the fridge are between the subject and the verb.

When you decide on subject/verb agreement, you need to ask yourself, “What is
the real subject of this verb?” It is a mistake to only look at the noun that comes
before the verb.

Exercise 2: Choosing the correct verb form: complications 1, 2 and 3

Circle the subject in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

1. The cost of mattresses has/have gone up lately.

2. People often forget/forgets the importance of free time.

3. Brown rice is/are nutritious.

4. The homework for those classes is/are very time-consuming.

5. The equipment in those storage rooms is/are used by gym classes.

6. Unfortunately, many children in Mexico City lives/live on the streets.

7. My notes from that class isn’t/aren’t very hard to read.

8. Iron rusts/rust easily in wet weather.

9. The buildings under the bridge seems/seem empty.

10. The students in her class doesn’t/don’t like her exams.

J. Robinson/2005
3
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
 The subject is a word like who, which or that

Look at the following example.

This course is not for people who hate writing.

This sentence has two verbs. Can you find them? The first verb is is. The subject
of is is this course. The second verb is hate. The subject of hate is who. Now
look at the next example.

She met a man who works for the phone company.

In this sentence, there is also a who subject. Who is the subject of the verb
works. So, in the first sentence the subject who takes a verb without an “s”, but in
the second sentence, the subject who takes a verb with an “s”. Can you explain
why both are correct?

The reason both who hate and who works are correct is that the verbs are
controlled by the noun who refers to. The who in who hate refers to people, a
plural noun. The who in who works refers to a man.

When we use who, that or which, we have to look at what noun those words are
referring to. Then we can decide on the subject/verb agreement.

Exercise 3: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 4

Circle the subjects in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

1. They lives/live in a city which has/have a high crime rate.

2. She goes/go to Douglas College which has/have three campuses.

3. John and his friend Lisa eats/eat at a restaurant which is/are near the skytrain

station.

4. The man that was/were in the front row is my father.

5. That movie isn’t/aren’t for people who scares/scare easily.

6. Claire and Amanda shares/share an apartment which has/have two

bedrooms.

J. Robinson/2005
4
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
 The verb comes before the subject

When the verb comes before the subject, some people get confused about
subject/verb agreement. Look at the following sentences.

In the corner of the living room are two china dogs.

There is a stain on the carpet.
Why are Paul and Simon so tired?

In each of these sentences, the verb comes before the subject. The first step in
deciding on the agreement is to find the verb in each sentence. To find the
subject, ask yourself a who or what question about the sentence. For example,
you might ask, “Who or what are in the corner of the living room?” The answer is
two china dogs. Therefore, two china dogs is the subject of the verb. If there was
only one china dog, look what would happen to the sentence.

In the corner of the living room is one china dog.

Exercise 4: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 5

Circle the subjects in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

1. There is/are ants on the windowsill.

2. When is/are the movies starting?

3. Under the pillow is/are a quarter.

4. In the sky is/are millions of stars.

5. There is/are 25 students in that class.

6. Why does/do the student always come late?

 The subject is an indefinite pronoun like each, anybody or both

Most indefinite pronouns are treated as singular nouns. They include:

one, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, anybody, everybody, somebody,
nothing, anything, everything, something, each, either and neither.

For example, we say:

Everybody is coming at 6:00.

J. Robinson/2005
5
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
The only indefinite pronoun that we treat as plural is both.

For example, we say:

Both are late for class.

Exercise 5: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 6

Circle the subjects in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

1. One of my friends is/are from France.

2. Everyone in my family likes/like bright colours.

3. Both of those teachers gives/give a lot of homework.

4. Each of the girls is/are wearing her best dress.

5. Nobody likes/like that restaurant.

6. Something is/are worrying them.

Exercise 6: Choosing the correct verb form - review

Circle the subjects in each of the following sentences. Then underline the correct
verb form and cross out the incorrect verb form.

1. On top of the mountain is/are two small cabins.

2. Nobody lives/live in the cabins.

3. Outside one cabin, there is/are a table and some chairs.

4. Hikers often stops/stop there to eat their lunch.

5. On rainy days, hikers on their lunch break often eats/eat on the porch.

J. Robinson/2005
6
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
Continued from page 6

6. They love the view of the river valleys which spreads/spread in three

directions.

7. From the mountain top, everyone seems/seem to see something different.

8. Paul notices/notice the sky, and Terry watches/watch the rivers’ paths.

9. Both of the children likes/like to look at the houses which sits/sit on the

hillsides.

10. Neither notices/notice the sky.

Proofreading for Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is an issue that should not concern you while you are
writing a paragraph or essay. Instead, you should leave concerns about subject-
verb agreement until the editing or proofreading stage of writing. Even good
writers have subject-verb agreement problems in their writing. After they have
completed a draft, they need to go back and check their writing for subject-verb
agreement problems.

Exercise 7: Proofreading for subject-verb agreement errors - sentences

Circle the subjects and underline the verbs. Make an arrow from the verb to its
subject. If the sentence has a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the
incorrect verb and write the correct verb form above it.

Example:

Everyone are excited about the party.

1. Sara and Desmond is organizing the food.

2. Many of my classmates are arriving early to decorate the party room.

3. The party start at 8:00.

4. Each of us are bringing a small gift that cost less than $10 for another person.

J. Robinson/2005
7
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
Continued from page 7

5. Mike, like many other students, have been trying to decide on the best gift to

buy.

6. Mike doesn’t want to get something serious; he like to make people laugh.

7. Unfortunately, all the funny things is too expensive.

8. Soo Min is making a cake, and Maria is buying some special chips.

Exercise 8: Proofreading for subject-verb agreement errors - sentences

Circle the subjects and underline the verbs. Make an arrow from the verb to its
subject. If the sentence has a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the
incorrect verb and write the correct verb form above it.

1. Calcium, which is one of the world’s most common elements, are important

for growing strong bones and teeth.

2. Every animal requires calcium for its health.

3. Calcium are also used for many other purposes.

4. As far back as Ancient Egyptian times, historians tell us of the use of calcium

as a building material.

5. In nature, this important element is always found as a compound such as

calcium carbonate and calcium fluoride.

6. Lack of calcium can be a serious problem.

7. Calcium-deficient bones is brittle and breaks easily.

8. Older people, especially older women, frequently gets osteoporosis.

9. Osteoporosis are a condition which cause calcium deficiency in bones.

10. In Canada, one in four women over the age of fifty suffer from osteoporosis.

J. Robinson/2005
8
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
Continued from page 8

11. A person with osteoporosis can break a bone doing simple daily activities like

walking, hugging or coughing.

12. Each osteoporosis sufferer needs to eat foods high in calcium daily.

13. Milk, tofu and spinach is high in calcium.

14. Regular exercise also help prevent osteoporosis.

15. The other group that need lots of calcium are children who are growing.

16. They need calcium to help their bones and teeth grows strong.

J. Robinson/2005
9
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 9: Proofreading for Subject-verb Agreement Errors - Paragraph

Circle the subjects and underline the verbs. Make an arrow from the verb to its
subject. If the sentence has a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the
incorrect verb and write the correct verb form above it.

The Columbia Icefield

The Rocky Mountains, on the border of the provinces of Alberta and British

Columbia, has many attractions for tourists. One attraction is the Columbia

Icefield. This huge field of ancient ice cover 125 square kilometers. The

Athabasca, Stutfield and Dome glaciers make up the icefield. As the ice melts,

the water flow into four major river systems. These systems is the Columbia,

Fraser, Mackenzie and Saskatchewan. The meltwater flows down these rivers

into three different oceans, the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic. This high point in a

continent’s water system is called a “hydrological apex”, and the Columbia

Icefield is one of only two such apexes in the world. Tourists visit the icefield from

April to October each year. Walking tours and snowcoach tours is available.

Many people go to the icefield because it is the biggest area of ice and snow in

North America south of the Arctic Circle.

J. Robinson/2005
10
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 10: Proofreading for Subject-verb Agreement Errors – Paragraph

Circle the subjects and underline the verbs. Make an arrow from the verb to its
subject. If the sentence has a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the
incorrect verb and write the correct verb form above it.

The Beaver

The beaver, Canada’s national animal, have some unusual characteristics. One

unusual fact about beavers is their large size. The beaver is the largest rodent in

North America, weighing from 13 to 35 kg. It spend a lot of time in the water, so

its feet is large and webbed for swimming. The beaver’s tail which is wide and flat

like a paddle also helps it to swim. Thick underfur keep the beaver warm and dry,

even in very cold water. In fact, beavers have been known to stay under water in

icy ponds for as long as fifteen minutes. Beavers also has long teeth which grows

all their lives. They use these powerful teeth to cut down trees which they use for

food and shelter. Another unusual fact about the beaver is that it is one of the

few animals that change its own environment. Beavers create ponds by building

dams with roots, sticks, mud and stones. Each family of beavers build a lodge, or

nest, in a riverbank or in the middle of a pond. They build an underwater

entrance to the lodge. Having the entrance underwater protects them from their

enemies. Beavers is also very social animals. They not only communicate with

each other by making sounds with their mouths but also by slapping their big flat

tails on the water. The beaver’s social life is complex and focus around the

female. These very special animals are found in every province in Canada.

J. Robinson/2005
11
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 11: Proofreading your own writing for Subject-verb Agreement

Errors

Write a paragraph about one of the following:

 the habits of you and your friends or family members on weekends

 the appearance and habits of a wild animal
 a special place

While writing the paragraph, don’t worry about subject-verb agreement.

Concentrate on writing an interesting paragraph. When you have finished writing
a draft of the paragraph, follow these proofreading steps for subject-verb
agreement.

1. Circle the subjects and underline the verbs.

2. Make an arrow from the verb to its subject.

3. If the sentence has a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the incorrect
verb and write the correct verb form above it.

4. Highlight any verbs you are not sure of. Discuss these with your tutor.

For further practice, see:

Benson, B. and Byrd, P. (1989) Improving the grammar of written English: the
editing process. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. pp. 91, 93, 145.

Langan, J. and Winstanley, S. (1997) Sentence skills: a workbook for writers.

Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp. 72-79, 271-274.

Lane, J. and Lange, E. (1993). Writing clearly. Boston: Heinle and Heinle. pp.
170-177

J. Robinson/2005
12
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Douglas College Learning Centre

SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT – ANSWER KEY

Exercise 1:

1. He always take/takes his dog.

2. The dog is/are called Bear.

3. Bear and Peter especially like/likes walking through the woods.

4. After their walk, they often go/goes to the coffee shop.

5. Bear sit/sits outside and wait/waits while Peter get/gets a coffee.

6. Then they sit/sits outside and watch/watches the people go by.

7. When Peter finish/finishes his coffee, Bear and Peter go/goes home.

8. At home, Bear lie/lies down have/has a nap, and Peter leave/leaves for work.

Exercise 2: Choosing the correct verb form: complications 1, 2 and 3

1. The cost of mattresses has/have gone up lately.

2. People often forget/forgets the importance of free time.

3. Brown rice is/are nutritious.

4. The homework for those classes is/are very time-consuming.

5. The equipment in those storage rooms is/are used by gym classes.

6. Unfortunately, many children in Mexico City lives/live on the streets.

7. My notes from that class isn’t/aren’t very hard to read.

8. Iron rusts/rust easily in wet weather.

9. The buildings under the bridge seems/seem empty.

10. The students in her class doesn’t/don’t like her exams.

J. Robinson/2005
13
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 3: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 4

1. They lives/live in a city which has/have a high crime rate.

2. She goes/go to Douglas College which has/have three campuses.

3. John and his friend Lisa eats/eat at a restaurant which is/are near the skytrain

station.

4. The man that was/were in the front row is my father.

5. That movie isn’t/aren’t for people who scares/scare easily.

6. Claire and Amanda shares/share an apartment which has/have two

bedrooms.

Exercise 4: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 5

1. There is/are ants on the windowsill.

2. When is/are the movies starting?

3. Under the pillow is/are a quarter.

4. In the sky is/are millions of stars.

5. There is/are 25 students in that class.

6. Why does/do the student always come late?

Exercise 5: Choosing the correct verb form – complication 6

1. One of my friends is/are from France.

2. Everyone in my family likes/like bright colours.
3. Both of those teachers gives/give a lot of homework.
4. Each of the girls is/are wearing her best dress.
5. Nobody likes/like that restaurant.
6. Something is/are worrying them.

J. Robinson/2005
14
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 6: Choosing the correct verb form - review

1. On top of the mountain is/are two small cabins.

2. Nobody lives/live in the cabins.

3. Outside one cabin, there is/are a table and some chairs.

4. Hikers often stops/stop there to eat their lunch.

5. On rainy days, hikers on their lunch break often eats/eat on the porch.

6. They love the view of the river valleys which spreads/spread in three

directions.

7. From the mountain top, everyone seems/seem to see something different.

8. Paul notices/notice the sky, and Terry watches/watch the rivers’ paths.

9. Both of the children likes/like to look at the houses which sits/sit on the

hillsides.

10. Neither notices/notice the sky.

Exercise 7: Proofreading for subject-verb agreement errors - sentences

1. Sara and Desmond is organizing the food.

2. Many of my classmates are arriving early to decorate the party room.

3. The party start at 8:00.

4. Each of us are bringing a small gift that cost less than $10 for another person.

5. Mike, like many other students, have been trying to decide on the best gift to

buy.

6. Mike doesn’t want to get something serious; he like to make people laugh.

7. Unfortunately, all the funny things is too expensive.

8. Soo Min is making a cake, and Maria is buying some special chips.

J. Robinson/2005
15
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10

Exercise 8: Proofreading for subject-verb agreement errors - sentences

1. Calcium, which is one of the world’s most common elements, are important

for growing strong bones and teeth.

2. Every animal requires calcium for its health.

3. Calcium are also used for many other purposes.

4. As far back as Ancient Egyptian times, historians tell us of the use of calcium

as a building material.

5. In nature, this important element is always found as a compound such as

calcium carbonate and calcium fluoride.

6. Lack of calcium can be a serious problem.

7. Calcium-deficient bones is brittle and breaks easily.

8. Older people, especially older women, frequently gets osteoporosis.

9. Osteoporosis are a condition which cause calcium deficiency in bones.

10. In Canada, one in four women over the age of fifty suffer from osteoporosis.

11. A person with osteoporosis can break a bone doing simple daily activities like

walking, hugging or coughing.

12. Each osteoporosis sufferer needs to eat foods high in calcium daily.

13. Milk, tofu and spinach is high in calcium.

14. Regular exercise also help prevent osteoporosis.

15. The other group that need lots of calcium are children who are growing.

16. They need calcium to help their bones and teeth grows strong.

J. Robinson/2005
16
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
Exercise 9: Proofreading for Subject-verb Agreement Errors - Paragraph

The Columbia Icefield

The Rocky Mountains, on the border of the provinces of Alberta and British

Columbia, has many attractions for tourists. One attraction is the Columbia

Icefield. This huge field of ancient ice cover 125 square kilometers. The

Athabasca, Stutfield and Dome glaciers make up the icefield. As the ice melts,

the water flow into four major river systems. These systems is the Columbia,

Fraser, Mackenzie and Saskatchewan. The meltwater flows down these rivers

into three different oceans, the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic. This high point in a

continent’s water system is called a “hydrological apex”, and the Columbia

Icefield is one of only two such apexes in the world. Tourists visit the icefield from

April to October each year. Walking tours and snowcoach tours is available.

Many people go to the icefield because it is the biggest area of ice and snow in

North America south of the Arctic Circle.

Exercise 10: Proofreading for Subject-verb Agreement Errors – Paragraph

The Beaver

The beaver, Canada’s national animal, have some unusual characteristics. One

unusual fact about beavers is their large size. The beaver is the largest rodent in

North America, weighing from 13 to 35 kg. It spend a lot of time in the water, so

its feet is large and webbed for swimming. The beaver’s tail which is wide and flat

like a paddle also helps it to swim. Thick underfur keep the beaver warm and dry,

even in very cold water. In fact, beavers have been known to stay under water in

icy ponds for as long as fifteen minutes. Beavers also has long teeth which grows

J. Robinson/2005
17
 Subject/Verb Agreement GR3.10
all their lives. They use these powerful teeth to cut down trees which they use for

food and and shelter. Another unusual fact about the beaver is that it is one of

the few animals that change its own environment. Beavers create ponds by

building dams with roots, sticks, mud and stones. Each family of beavers build a

lodge, or nest, in a riverbank or in the middle of a pond. They build an

underwater entrance to the lodge. Having the entrance underwater protects them

from their enemies. Beavers is also very social animals. They not only

communicate with each other by making sounds with their mouths but also by

slapping their big flat tails on the water. The beaver’s social life is complex and

focus around the female. These very special animals are found in every province

in Canada.

J. Robinson/2005
18