|| Jai Gurudev ||

SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR VIDYA MANDIR

Bangalore North
Practice Worksheet- 2
Subject: English Class: VIII

Subject Verb Agreement

The subject and verbs in a sentence must both agree on the number, whether it be singular
or plural.

A singular subject (he, Ram, train, etc.) requires a singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a
plural subject requires a plural verb.

Subject-Verb Agreement Examples

Singular Subject Singular Verbs Plural Subject Plural Verbs

am/ was/ have/ go/ are/

I We
read were/have/go/read

are/ were /have are/

You You
/go/read were/have/go/read

is/was /has/goes/ are/

He/ She/ It They
reads were/have/go/read

Rule 1
The first rule is the use of a singular verb with a singular subject and a plural verb with a
plural subject
For example:
 Radha spends her free time listening to music. (Singular subject with singular
verb)
 Beena and Vinitha play the piano. (Plural subject with plural verb)

Rule 2
When using the ‘be’ form of verbs, there is an exception. In this case, the verb is used
according to the number and person of the subject

Person Pronoun Verb Example

 First person singular I am I am confident.

First person plural We are We are confident.

Second person singular/plural You are You are confident.

He is He is confident.

Third person singular She is She is confident.

It is It is amazing.

Third person plural They are They are confident.

Rule 3
The subject also affects how “have” and “has” are used as primary verbs, in the present
perfect continuous tense, and in other contexts. “Has” is used by all singular subjects and
by all plural subjects.
For example:
 I have a younger brother.
 You have taken the wrong cut.
 Swetha has a pet dog.
 William Shakespeare has written around 37 plays.
 Diya has been waiting to talk to you about the test results
Rule 4
When compound subjects are united with the conjunction,” a plural verb is taken.
For example:
 Krish and Radha are on their way to the airport.
 Karan, Sheela and Akash have completed their assessments.
Rule 5
When more than one noun is joined by the conjunction ‘or’, the subject is considered to be
singular and a singular verb is used.
For example:
 Celery or spring onion works fine.
 Your mom or dad has to be here in an hour.
Rule 6
Sentences with pronouns such as anybody, anyone, no one, somebody, someone,
everybody, everyone, nothing and nobody are treated as singular subjects and will therefore
use a singular verb.
For example:
 Nobody has understood anything.
 Everyone was happy with the outcome.
 Nothing fits me well.
 No one finds the movie interesting.
Rule 7
For sentences using ‘either..or’ and ‘neither..nor’, the verb should agree with the noun or
pronoun that comes just before it.
For example:
 Neither Rithesh nor Gita is here yet.
 Either the teacher or the students have to take an initiative to keep the classroom
clean.
 Neither the children nor their parents are aware of the consequences.
Rule 8
When sentences have subjects like police, news, scissors, mathematics, etc. (nouns that are
plural by default), the verb used should be plural.
For example:
 The news of demonetisation shocks the entire nation.
 The police have been looking for the culprits.
Rule 9
When a negative sentence is written, the ‘do’ verb is used and it has to match the subject.
For example:
 The children do not like working out trigonometry problems.
 My father does not work at the bank anymore.
Rule 10
Interrogative sentences also take the help of the ‘do’ verb. As far as the subject-verb
agreement of interrogative sentences is concerned, the first verb (‘be’ verb or ‘do’ verb) has
to be aligned with the subject of the sentence.
For example:
 Do you read thriller novels?
 Doesn’t she know you already?
 Is Tina happy with the new house?
 Were you looking for me?
 Has Sheetal submitted her final project yet?
Rule 11
When you have sentences that begin with ‘here’, ‘there’, ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘those’, ‘these’, etc.,
always remember that the subject follows the verb and therefore the verb has to be
conjugated with reference to the subject.
For example:
 Here is your book.
 There lies your shirt.
 That was a great movie.
 There have been many changes in the timetable.
Rule 12
Abstract noun and uncountable nouns are considered as singular subjects, so make sure you
use a singular verb along with it.
For example:
 Honesty is the best policy.
 Love makes people do crazy things.
 Good friendship keeps your mind and body healthy.
Rule 13
When the subject refers to a period of time, distance or a sum of money, use a singular verb.
For example:
 1267 kilometres is too long for us to travel in half a day.
 10 years is not considered optimum to go on the water slide.
  Don’t you think 1000 rupees is a little too much for a portrait?
Rule 14
The next rule is based on the use of collective nouns as subjects. Remember that when you
have a collective noun as the subject of the sentence, the verb can be singular or plural
based on the sentence and the context.
For example:
 My family is settled in Australia.
 All groups of participants have arrived.
Rule 15
In sentences that have adjectives such as ‘all’, ‘a lot of’, ‘lots of’ or ‘some’ are used along
with nouns to form a phrase that acts as the subject of the sentence, the verb is used
according to the noun just before it.
For example:
 All of my dresses have become tight.
 A lot of food is left out.
 Some of the books are torn and damaged.
Rule 16
When a sentence begins with ‘each’ or ‘every’ as the subject, it is considered singular and
so the verb has to be singular too.
For example:
 Each student has been asked to provide a consent letter.
 Every teacher, parent and student is expected to work together

Rule 17
When you are using a sentence to express a wish or a sentence expressing a request, verbs
are used a little differently from other sentences.
For example:
 I wish I were a bird.
 If you were here, I would not be sad.
 We request that everyone make their choices now.

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules Chart

1. If the SUBJECT is singular, add ‘s’ to 2. If the SUBJECT is plural, don’t add ‘s’
the verb. to the verb.
Eg., The horse walks down the street. Eg., The horses walk down the street.

3. If the SUBJECT is I or You, do not add

4. Linking Verbs:
‘s’ to the verb.
Singular Subject- was, has, is, does, am
Eg., I ride the bicycle.
Plural Subject- were, have, are, do
You ride the bicycle.

Let’s Practice

Question: Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject:
1. The amenities of the farmhouse ____ quite impressive. (is/are)
2. Man and woman _____ complementary to each other. (is/are)
3. The leader as well as his supporters _____ to the same tribe. (belong/belongs)
4. The students accompanied by their professor _____ went on a trip. (has/have)
5. A large sum of money _____ stolen. (was/were)
6. A lot of buildings _____ collapsed in the storm. (has/have)
7. The government ____ criticised by the High Court for their actions. (was/were)
8. Many people _____ tried hard to climb the treacherous mountain range. (have/has)
9. All the tourists ____ excited to visit the museum. (is/are)
10. Somebody ____ waiting at the restaurant for you. (is/are)
11. The carpenter, along with his helper ____, expected to come soon. (is/are)
12. Neither Danny nor Emily ____ went to work. (has/have)

Answers:
1. The amenities of the farmhouse are quite impressive.
2. Man and woman are complementary to each other.
3. The leader as well as his supporters belongs to the same tribe.
4. The students accompanied by their professor have gone on a trip.
5. A large sum of money was stolen.
6. A lot of buildings have collapsed in the storm.
7. The government was criticized by the High Court for its actions.
8. Many people has tried hard to climb the treacherous mountain range.
9. All the tourists were excited to visit the museum.
10. Somebody is waiting at the restaurant for you.
11. The carpenter, along with his helper is, expected to come soon.
12. Neither Danny nor Emily has gone to work.