Subject-Verb Agreement: Simple Rules and Examples

Subject-verb agreement is an important part of English grammar. It means the subject (the doer of the action) and the verb (the action word) need to match in number (singular or plural) and person. Learning these rules will help you write better sentences!

1. Basic Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement

• Singular vs. Plural:

  • A singular subject uses a singular verb, and a plural subject uses a plural verb.
  • Example:
    • Singular: The cat runs fast.
    • Plural: The cats run fast.

• Subjects combined with 'and':

  • If two subjects are connected by "and," use a plural verb.
  • Example: Tom and Jerry are friends.

• Subjects combined with 'or' or 'nor':

  • If subjects are connected by "or" or "nor," the verb matches the subject that is closest.
  • Example: Either the dog or the cats are outside.
    Neither the cats nor the dog is in the house.

2. Special Cases

• Collective Nouns:

  • These are words that represent a group (like team, group, family). They can be singular or plural, depending on whether the group works together or separately.
  • Example: The team is winning. (acting as one)
    The team are wearing their jerseys. (acting as individuals)

• Indefinite Pronouns:

  • Some pronouns (like everyone, someone, nobody) are always treated as singular.
  • Example: Everyone loves ice cream.

3. Verb Changes

It’s important to know how verbs change based on time (tense):

• Present Tense:

  • He runs. (singular)
  • They run. (plural)

• Past Tense:

  • He ran. (singular)
  • They ran. (plural)

• Future Tense:

  • He will run. (singular)
  • They will run. (plural)

4. Examples of Different Types of Sentences with Subject-Verb Agreement

• Declarative: The dog barks loudly.
• Question: Does the dog bark loudly?
• Command: Bark at the door.
• Exclamation: What a loud bark that is!

Practice Activities

1. Make sentences using different collective nouns and find the right verb form.
2. Write pairs of sentences using "or" and "and" to see how the verb agreement changes.

By following these rules and practicing regularly, you'll get better at understanding subject-verb agreement in different kinds of sentences!