Subject-verb agreement
Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in sentences, maintaining subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'He hops' vs 'We hop')
What a learner can do afterwards
- Write 'The dog runs' (singular) and 'The dogs run' (plural) with correct verb agreement
- Correct subject-verb agreement errors in sentences: fix 'The children plays' to 'The children play'
- Choose the correct verb form to match a singular or plural subject in a gap-fill exercise
1 · Read
Getting this right helps people understand you the first time. When just one person or one thing is doing something, the verb usually gets an extra s. Say it with me: he hops, she jumps, it runs.
When more than one person or thing is doing something, the verb loses that s. Say it with me: we hop, they jump, the dogs run.
Nouns often add an s for more than one, like dogs. Verbs do the opposite. One doer adds the s to the verb, more than one takes it away.
Two little words are special: I and you. They name just one person, but the verb stays plain, with no s. Say it with me: I run, you run. I jump, you jump.
The words is and are play the same matching game. Use is with one doer: the dog is fast. Use are with more than one: the dogs are fast.
One doer: the verb gets an s. More than one: no s. I and you take the plain verb. One takes is, more than one takes are.
The rewritten reading was written for this dataset.
More to read
Subject-verb agreement
Every sentence needs two important parts: a subject and a verb.
The subject is who or what the sentence is about. The verb tells what the subject does.
Subject-verb agreement means the subject and verb must match in number. If the subject is just one (singular), the verb usually gets an -s. Like this: 'The dog runs.'
If the subject is more than one (plural), the verb does not get an -s. Like this: 'The dogs run.'
Here is another pair: 'He hops' but 'We hop.'
Choose the verb that fits
A subject and its verb need to match. We call this subject-verb agreement.
Find who or what the sentence is about. Is there one, or are there more?
For one dog, write "The dog runs." For two, write "The dogs run."
Change "The dogs runs" to "The dogs run." When checking your writing, read slowly. Look for the subject, then check its verb.
Subject-verb agreement
Subject-verb agreement means your subject and your verb match up.
A singular subject, like 'the cat,' needs a singular verb, like 'jumps.'
A plural subject, like 'the cats,' needs a plural verb, like 'jump.'
Subject-verb agreement | Grammar guide
Subject-verb agreement means the subject and the verb in a sentence must match in number.
Look at this example: Wrong: 'Apples is different from oranges.' Right: 'Apples are different from oranges.'
'Is' is a singular verb, used for just one thing. 'Are' is a plural verb, used for more than one thing.
Since 'apples' means more than one apple, it is a plural subject. So it needs the plural verb 'are,' not 'is.' Always check how many things your subject has, then pick the verb that matches.
2 · Watch
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Where it sits
Where this leads
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24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.