Includes a handout explaining the rule for subject verb agreement with intervening phrases, two practice worksheets with 10 sentences each, a worksheet or assessment with 15 sentences that have intervening phrases between the subject and the verb on a full sheet or as two per page to save copies. The gregg reference manual provides excellent explanations of subjectverb agreement section 10. In each sentence below, circle the verb that agrees with. The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good. Subjectverb agreement means that subjects and verbs must agree in number. Subjectverb agreement sentences are easier to understand when subjects and verbs match, meaning they grammatically agree with each other.
See the section on plurals for additional help with subject verb agreement. Subject verb agreement rules are mentioned below along with relevant examples. Sensory words like tastes, looks, smells, sounds, seems can be action verbs or linking verbs, depending on their context. If you dont have an essay, write a correct sentence to illustrate each of your own trouble spots. Underline the verb in the parentheses that agrees with its subject. Subject verb agreement handout and worksheet packet. When a word refers to more than one, it is plural in number. Subject verb agreement worksheet 2 underline the correct verb in the parentheses. Includes detailed terms, interactive exercises, handouts, powerpoints, videos, and more. Subject and verb are separated sometimes, the subject of the sentence is separated from the verb by a word group. Sometimesthe writer can identify the subject and verb with no problem.
Subjectverb agreement most native english speakers know the standard verbsubject combinations by ear. The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are. Subjectverb agreement a subject is a noun or pronoun. Upper grades subject verb agreement practice worksheets with key.
You get 5 worksheets, and a 2 page subject verb agreement handout which explains singular and plural number and how subjects and verbs must agree. Printable proofreading worksheets for building grammar, spelling, and writing skills. When a word refers to one person or thing, it is singular in number. There are twelve commonly used verb forms in the english language. The 20 rules of subject verb agreement in standard english. In each sentence below, circle the verb that agrees with its. When mak ing the subject and verb agree in a sentence, b eware of words or phrases that occur between the subject and verb. Matching subjects with verbs verbs must agree with subjects in number and in person 1st2nd3rd.
However, like most aspects of grammar, there are both rules and exceptions. Almost everybody has have some difficulty with writing. While some verb endings are irregular, most follow the rules below. The gregg reference manual provides excellent explanations of subject verb agreement section 10. Rules for subjectverb agreement wayne community college.
Agreement of subject and verb verbs can change form in tense, person, and number. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. They are presented in a simple form for easy understanding. Showing top 8 worksheets in the category subject verb agreement. When one unit collective noun is used, most likely a singular verb is used. To find the subject of the sentence, find the verb and ask who. Written by jerry plotnick, director, university college writing centre. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. Johnson county community college writing center subjectverb agreement handout 4. The box of grapes from saratoga farms was delivered today.
The subject and verb of a sentence must both be singular or both be plural. The subject and verb of every clause independent or dependent, however, must agree in person and number. Neither the chipmunk nor the squirrels is are bothering us. Make the verb agree with its subject, not with a word that comes between. This handout will cover subject verb agreement and some of the special scenarios associated with agreement. Worksheet exercises was, were the following exercises are in the free pdf worksheets. Now try answering these exercises to measure how much you learned. The following exercises will reinforce the subjectverb agreement rules. Identify the subject which should be either a noun or a pronoun.
Packet 6 subject verb agreement all nouns and pronouns have number. Examples of these combinations are he talks, not he talk and she has, not she have. Verbs can change form in tense, person, and number. Learning how to match subjects and verbs can be tricky for first graders, but these resources give them the tools they need to understand and practice to be at the top of their game. This handout outlines common errors of subjectverb agreement and how to correct. The rules of subjectverb agreement also apply when the verb to be is used as a helping verb, as in were running or was baking.
Subjectverb agreement subjects and verbs agree when they are the same in number. Action verbs, identifying verbs, verb tenses, linking verbs, and subjectverb agreement. Compound subjects that use and or both in the sentence will use a plural verb. In the sentence, give a directed learning activity topic. In other words, a singular subject requiresa singular verb. In first sentence, he is singular that is why the verb go is used in form of goes. In these worksheets, students select the form of the verb that agrees with the subject of the sentence. Subject verb agreement subjects and verbs must always match. Subjectverb agreement is one of the first things you learn in english class. What follows now are some tips for avoiding some of the. Subjectverb agreement most native english speakers know the standard verb subject combinations by ear. Subjects can be singular only one or plural more than one. In the blank, use the correct present tense form of the infinitive given at the beginning of each sentence.
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of subjectverb agreement. Worksheets give plenty of individual practice while lesson plans give you a howto guide to teach them what they need. This handout covers the basics and some of the more complicated situations. Reasonsfor faulty agreement sometimeslack of agreementis the result of carelessness. The first worksheet has twentyfive practice sentences that students can use to practice their skills. After learning the basic fundamentals of subjectverb agreement, read and understand. A singular noun dennis, chair, bike, cat, wind, tree ex. Subjects and verbs separated by words or phrases when words or phrases separate the subject and verb, the verb should agree with the subject, not with the words in the modifying phrase.
Get the answers by doing the interactive version of the exercise at this address. The plural subject jake and john agrees with the plural verb are. Part of a collection of free grammar and writing worksheets from k5 learning. They are singular in number if they refer to one thing. This paragraph has mistakes in verb tenses, subjectverb agreement, indenting, homophones knowno and missing words. Subject verb agreement with intervening phrases handout and worksheets. Many argue, argues that i ntelligence is, are what intelligence tests test, te sts.
These printable worksheets help students learn to recognize and use verbs. You get 2 worksheets, and a subject verb agreement handout. Subject verb agreement worksheets printable worksheets. Use the simple trick to determine which verbs are action verbs and which ones are linking verbs. The number represented by the subject determines which verb you use. If you dont recall the first part of the handout on subjectverb agreement or you havent read it yet, go back and read it before you continue. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement. Subjectverb agreement 1 this work is licensed under a creative commons attributionnoncommercialsharealike 4. Subject verb agreement nova southeastern university. Subjectverb agreement part 2 subjects and verbs must agree in number for sentences to work as theyre supposed to. Some of the worksheets displayed are subject verb agreement, subject verb agreement work, subject and verb agreement, subject verb agreement exercise 5, subject verb agreement, subject verb agreement, subject verb agreement work, every sentence has a subject and a they must agree.
After learning the basic fundamentals of subject verb agreement, read and understand these special rules and after some practice, forming correct sentences will be easy. In this english lesson, youre going to learn a few more advanced cases of subjectverb agreement that confuse many learners. The first worksheet has practice on identifying singular and plural nouns, and simpl. The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs. If subjectverb agreement is often an issue in your writing, allow time for a draft in which you focus exclusively on the problem. A singular subject must have a singular verb usually by adding s or es in the.
With practice, the extra draft should no longer be necessary. This handout will help you understand verbs and how to fix your errors. The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb while a plural subject takes a plural verb. Dont get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb. My sisters are mathematicians see the section on plurals for additional help with subjectverb agreement the indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs. If you have a doubt about the correct verb, refer to the clues on the. In each sentence below, circle the verb that agrees with its subject. Circle the correct verb in the following sentences. However, if you dont trust your ear or you find simple sentence formations confusing. Subjectverb agreement subjectverb agreement means that subjects and verbs must agree in number singular or plural. In every example in this handout, the subject will be bold and the verb will. Subjectverb agreement university of texas at dallas. Johnson county community college writing center subject verb agreement handout 4.
Subjectverb agreement exercise 1 this handout accompanies exercise 1 of grammar bytes. Make the verb agree with its subject, not with the word in between high levels of pollution cause damage to the respiratory tract the subject is levels, not pollution 2. Once you identify the subject and the verb, you can then determine such agreement of the subject and the verb. Quickly access your most used files and your custom generated worksheets. If the subject is a noun rather than a pronoun, you may need to substitute the pronoun subject in order to see if you have chosen the correct verb, i. Agreement is to assume that present tense verbs ending in s ex. Subject verb agreement sentences are easier to understand when subjects and verbs match, meaning they grammatically agree with each other. Subjectverb agreement the university of texas at dallas. This handout will cover subjectverb agreement and some of the special scenarios associated with agreement. They are plural in number if they refer to more than one thing. Subjects are in bold typeface and verbs are underlined. Subjectverb agreement adapted from the little, brown handbook, 11th edition, contributors dayne sherman, jayetta slawson, natasha whitton, and jeff wiemelt, 2010, 308.
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