Subject-Verb Agreement

Agreement in number and phrases between subject and verb

Verbs must agree with their subjects in NUMBER

If the subject is SINGULAR, the verb must be in its SINGULAR form

If the verb is PLURAL, the verb must be in its PLURAL form

Hint: a noun that ends in “s” is usually plural, but a verb that ends in “s” is usually singular.

Examples: The student helps the old lady across the street.

The students help the old lady across the street.

Phrases lurking in the sentence

Sometimes a phrase that is hiding between the subject and verb can be confusing.

For example: The Smith family dog, loved by neighbors,

barks every evening until midnight.

Let’s review phrases, shall we?

A phrase is a group of related words that act as one part of speech. They do not have a subject or predicate.

Prepositional phrases – begin w/ a preposition and act as adjectives or adverbs.

He went to the movies. The cat was hiding under the rug. The phone in my purse just rang.

More phrase review!

Appositive phrases give more information about a noun or pronoun

Bob, my favorite cousin, just ran over my cat.

Verbal (participial, gerund and infinitive) phrases act as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

Painfully plunking the keys, the boy rehearsed his piano lesson for an hour.(ptc.)

More example phrases…

My brother tried licking a light post on a cold winter’s day. (gerund phrase)

To watch him squirm as he tried to break free was quite entertaining. (infinitive phrase)

Why is recognizing a phrase important?

…because sometimes they make subject/verb agreement a difficult task.

HOWEVER, when a phrases is stuck between the subject and verb, the number of the subject does NOT change.

Ex: The success of our students is reflected in their performance after high school. (subject- success/ verb – is)

More examples:

Books – whether history or science fiction —are fascinating.

The jeans in the window are really expensive Most foods needed for our citizens to survive

are still cultivated in the United States.

Practice and Apply

Try out activity 3 on page 159 1-5. Write the verb form that agrees with the subject.