Reading/Language Arts
Grade 5
Subject-Verb Agreement
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Dear Parent or Guardian:
Your son or daughter is currently learning to identify the proper
use of subject and verb agreement in a sentence. Here is your
chance to help him or her practice this important skill.
In this PAL Packet you will find a short activity for you and your
son or daughter to do. Please do the activity and The Back Page
this evening. Then sign your name on The Back Page and have your
son or daughter return it tomorrow.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
________________________
Your son or daughter’s teacher
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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Last printed 9/3/04
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SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Parent Pointer —
For a sentence to be correct, its subject and verb must be in
agreement. This means that if you use a singular subject (Pete), the
verb must also be singular (calls). (Example: Pete calls his mom at
work.) If the subject is plural (girls), then the verb must be plural
(walk). (Example: The girls walk to the mall after school.) Knowing
how to make subjects and verbs agree is a key ingredient to writing
accurate and complete sentences.
Reading In the Home, On the Go, and For the Fun of It —
DIRECTIONS: Read and discuss the examples of correct and
incorrect subject-verb agreement shown on the Identifying SubjectVerb Agreement page with your parent or partner. Then, complete the
Do the Subject and Verb Agree? page by coloring in, with a pencil or
light-colored crayon, the correct verb that “agrees” with the subject
of the sentence. Use the Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement page
or ask your parent or partner if you have any questions about subjectverb agreement.
Talk About It —
After you have finished the activity, turn to The Back Page to show
what you know.
Now go have some fun with the activity! (
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject in a sentence is who or what the sentence is about. It is a
noun.
The verb in a sentence shows or tells about the action.
When writing a sentence, make sure the subject and the verb “agree”
with each other. For the subject-verb agreement to be correct in a
sentence, a singular subject must have a singular verb; a plural subject
must have a plural verb.
A Sentence with One Subject
Singular Subject
Plural Verb
NO
Singular: Cherie want to go to the movies tonight. (Incorrect)
Cherie wants to go to the movies tonight. (Correct)
Singular Subject
Singular Verb
YES
A Sentence with More Than One Subject
Plural Subject
Singular Verb
NO
Plural: The boys contends that the answer is wrong. (Incorrect)
The boys contend that the answer is wrong. (Correct)
Plural Subject
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
Plural Verb
YES
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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Do the Subject and Verb Agree?
mash
Mom
mashes
the potatoes until there are no
more lumps in them.
Dad
fertilize
fertilizes
the lawn so it will grow during the
spring.
The trees will
wither
withers
if the weather stays
this hot.
My uncles
restore
restores
old cars and enter them in
car shows.
The forest rangers will
release
releases
the injured
bear after its wounds have healed.
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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Do the Subject and Verb Agree?
(Continued)
The sailor
scrape
scrapes
the barnacles off so they
do not damage the boat.
Doctor Fielding
examine
examines
the dog now that it is
asleep.
The giant moose
crunch
crunches
the leaves as it
walks through the forest.
The cheerleaders
choose
chooses
to go to the
competition in Texas.
The other runners
admire
admires
the strength of the
young man during the race.
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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The Back Page
Talk About It
Parent —
Ask your son or daughter the following question:
9What is the importance of making sure the subject
and verb agree in a sentence?
Student —
Answer the above question in a complete sentence at the
bottom of this page.
OR
Do the following activity on the reverse side of this page:
9Ask your parent or partner to write a short paragraph
using incorrect subject-verb agreements. Then,
rewrite the paragraph, correcting the incorrect
subject-verb agreements.
__________________________ __________________________
Student’s Name
Parent or Guardian’s Signature
Grade 5 – Subject-Verb Agreement
© 2004 Evans Newton Incorporated
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