Subject Verb Agreement
Student Name: _______________________________Date: __________ Period: ___
I went over your PSAT scores and the questions that we are missing above and beyond other questions, were,
surprisingly, subject verb agreement. Now, PSAT makes these particularly sneaky. We will build up to the sneakiness.
First, sort the nouns into either plural or singular.
Singular Nouns
Plural Nouns
Either
Now, divide the following verbs into singular or plural.
Singular Verbs
Plural Verbs
Either
Now, let’s do some basic sentences just to get the hang of it. Correct the errors in the sentences below where necessary.
1. The dog runs to the park.
2. George and her brother is both friendly.
3. They wants us to go to the movies.
4. Happily, John and Peter walk in the park.
Sneaky stuff. ROUND 1.
1. Peanut butter and Jelly is available in the cafeteria.
2. Spaghetti and meatballs goes well with garlic bread.
3. Her husband and best friend likes doing the dishes.
4. CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKY SENTENCE:
If it looks like a plural subject
but is actually referring to one
unified thing such as a dish or
a person, it is singular.
Sneaky stuff. ROUND 2.
1. There are eggs in the basket.
2. Here are two apples.
With “there” and “here” the
subject is actually AFTER the
verb and determines count.
3. There is no apparent reason for this.
4. CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKY SENTENCE:
Sneaky stuff ROUND 3:
1. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
2. Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
3. John or his sisters are going to dance happily.
4. CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKY SENTENCE:
Sneaky Stuff ROUND 4:
1. Some of the beads are missing.
2. Some of the water is gone.
3. Each of you needs to bring a different dish to dinner.
4. None of the students claim responsibility.
5. None of the food is fresh.
6. CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKY SENTENCE:
“And” combines things
to make plural subjects.
“Or” does not. With
“or” the second or last
subject determines
count.
“Some” and “None” can
be plural or singular.
“Some” is singular with
no count nouns. “None”
is singular if the meaning
is “not one” but plural if
the meaning is “not any.”
“Each” is always singular.
Sneaky Stuff ROUND 5:
1. The variation between seasons are caused by the tilt of the planet; summer happens where sunlight is hitting
the earth more directly.
2. The president of the college, along with other members of the board, make decisions on education policy.
3. Cooking is not often considered a fine art, but the creation of delicious meals that balance flavors require a real
sense of artistry.
4. The ash trees that line the long driveway up to the mansion is diseased and likely to die soon.
5. CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKY SENTENCE:
Prepositional phrases and other
sentence parts may distract but
resist the distraction!!!
Subject Verb Agreement
Student Name: ______________________________Date: _______ Period: _____
Group Practice:
1. The agencies collaborating on the investigation is preparing a joint statement to share their findings with the press.
2. Purple glitter and a mysterious odor often signifies the presence of Peruvian Sea Slugs, animals that are both rare
and beautiful.
3. Either the dogs or the electricity bill is going to be the last straw! They both are driving me crazy.
4. None of the houses is fit for living in unless you are willing to live without water or electricity.
5. The glaring sun, the intense music, and the actor’s solemn speech combines to form an overdramatic effect.
6. The accusation that the new neighbors stole my family’s container gardens are a blatant lie.
7. Fried chicken and waffles is Katie’s favorite breakfast dish from The Breakfast Klub, a restaurant in midtown.
8. The railroad between the towns of Greensburg and Rodbury were destroyed in the alien invasion.
9. The rich and the famous often eats in the fancy restaurants on Main Street.
10. There is many flowers growing in her yard but none grows in mine.
DO NOT CONTINUE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED AS A CLASS!
Independent Practice:
1. There is no way that I am going to agree with what you said during dinner last night.
2. Stephanie claims that she wants to attend college after graduation, but her poor attitude about studying during
senior year do not indicate that she enjoys being a student.
3. Each of you are necessary for this project to be a success because teamwork is a crucial element of this project.
4. Peter or one of his friends is responsible for criminal acts committed last night in the park.
5. James is a proactive police offer, so although the local rebellious teenagers are annoyed by his strict nature, the
overall safety of the town have improved drastically since he was hired.
6. Here is the instructions that you need to input data into our company’s database.
7. A pair of supportive shoes are important if you are experiencing lower back pain.
8. Neither his pants nor his shirt is dry, so he will have to find something else to wear to the dance.
9. The paralegal believed that there were an overload of cases in the office, which was creating stress.
10. His wife and best friend is the only one in the world to whom he has confided his deepest, darkest secret.
10
NOUNS
VERBS
Everyone
Neither
Either
All
Somebody
Some
Many
Someone
She
It
Mathematics
Sarah
John and Beatrice
Each
The mayor and his brothers
Fish
Team
Nobody
runs
are running
is running
will run
have run
are
has run
skipped
will have run
wanted
wants
want
should run
can run
could run
were
was
is