Circle the correct verb in the following sentences. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement. If the subject is singular then the verb must be singular too. Subjectverb agreement means that subjects and verbs must always agree in number. You need to know all of the rules for subject verb agreement and check your sentences as you write and when you proofread your work. In the blank, use the correct present tense form of the infinitive given at the beginning of each sentence. Matching subjects with verbs verbs must agree with subjects in number and in person 1st2nd3rd. If a subject of a sentence is singular, then the verb must also be in the singular form. Subjectverb agreement a subject is a noun or pronoun. The subject and verb are the most important elements of a sentence. The causes of this prevalent disease are bad diet and lack of exercise. Even in this case, the subject and the verb must agree.
The challenge is learning how to recognize subjects and verbs in complicated sentences. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionnoncommercialsharealike 4. A plural subject means that there is more than one person or object. The form of the verb should be in direct relation to the number and person of the subject. Subject verb agreement nova southeastern university. Dont get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb. Here are some examples of subject verb agreement with a phrase or clause between the subject and verb. Here are four other examples of subjectverb agreement. The verb must be singular if the subject is singular and the verb must be plural if the subject is.
With all sentences, if you can recognize the subject and know how to conjugate the verb, you cannot fail to produce subjectverb agreement. If the subject is singular, a singular verb is required. 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. Not only does a verb change its form to tell time, but it also can change its. I cover the first four subjectverb agreement rules on the second objective. Subjectverb agreement with the verb to be present tense i am. Both your adviser and your subject teacher believe that youre the best candidate for class president. Irregular verbs might completely change form depending on whether they are singular or plural. Intervening words, phrases or clauses do not in any way affect the agreement between the subject and the verb. The verb of a sentence must be in agreement with the subject in regard to person and number the number of the subject can be singular and plural. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept. Statistics is used as a plural subject with the plural verb are. The 20 rules of subject verb agreement in standard english.
Inverted subject verb order in inverted sentences the subject follows the verb. The next section of this article provides numerous subjectverb agreement examples for complex sentences. The sentence may begin with a prepositional phrase, the words here or there, or the verb form of do. Mother always bakes a chocolate cake for our birthday. In the following rules and examples, subjects and verbs are referred to in their simplest forms.
Check your answers with the interactive version of the exercise. An uncountable noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form e. Subjectverb agreement the university of texas at dallas. In english language, the subject must agree with the verb. The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good. If you have a doubt about the correct verb, refer to the clues on the.
Next, determine the form of the verb that matches the subject singular or plural. The student in my college classes works long hours. Grammar checkers will try to help you with subject verb agreement, but it is a hitormiss hint i. Subject verb agreement southeastern louisiana university. Remember the subject is not in the prepositional phrase. Sometimes a prepositional phrase comes between the subject and verb in a sentence. In the present tense form, subjects and verbs should agree in number singular or. After learning the basic fundamentals of subjectverb agreement, read and understand these special rules and after some practice, forming correct sentences will be easy. Irregular verbs have different forms which must be learned. A theory of physics ascertains that a body in motion stays in motion.
Wc grammar subject verb agreement university of new. On the other hand, a plural subject takes a plural verb. The relation between the subject and verb depends on two issues. A virus in all the companys computers is a real threat to security.