Subject Verb Agreement Examples With Answers

Subject Verb Agreement Examples With Answers

Subject verb agreement is an important aspect of English grammar that can be a bit tricky to master. However, with a bit of practice and some helpful tips, you can ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct and easy to understand.

In this article, we’ll go over what subject-verb agreement is, why it’s important, and how to use it correctly in your writing.

Mastering Subject Verb Agreement:
Tips for Writing Grammatically Correct Sentences

What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship between the subject and verb in a sentence. In a grammatically correct sentence, the verb agrees in number (singular or plural) with the subject of the sentence. For example, if the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb should be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.

Why is Subject-Verb Agreement Important?

Subject-verb agreement is important because it helps ensure that your sentences are clear and easy to understand. When the subject and verb don’t agree in number, it can lead to confusion or ambiguity, making it harder for your readers to follow your writing.

Tips for Using Subject-Verb Agreement Correctly

Now that we know what subject-verb agreement is and why it’s important, let’s go over some tips for using it correctly in your writing:

Identify the subject of the sentence: Before you can determine whether the verb agrees with the subject, you need to identify what the subject of the sentence is. The subject is typically the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the sentence.

Match the verb to the subject: Once you’ve identified the subject, make sure that the verb agrees with it in number. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb, and if the subject is plural, use a plural verb.

Watch out for tricky subjects: Some subjects can be tricky to identify, such as collective nouns (e.g. team, family, group) or nouns that end in -s (e.g. news, physics). In these cases, you’ll need to pay extra attention to whether the subject is singular or plural to ensure that the verb agrees.

Be consistent: Make sure that the subject and verb are consistent throughout the sentence. For example, if the subject is singular, make sure that any pronouns or other nouns that refer to it are also singular.

The Ultimate Guide to Subject-Verb Agreement in English Grammar

Examples of Subject-Verb Agreement

Let’s take a look at some examples to illustrate how subject-verb agreement works in practice:

  • The dog runs in the park. (singular subject and verb)
  • The dogs run in the park. (plural subject and verb)
  • My family is going on vacation. (singular subject and verb)
  • The team are all wearing red jerseys. (tricky subject – collective noun, but plural verb)
  • The news is reporting on the latest developments. (tricky subject – noun that ends in -s, but singular verb)
subject verb agreement examples with answers

The cat (singular subject) chases (singular verb) the mouse.
The cats (plural subject) chase (plural verb) the mice.

My friend (singular subject) is (singular verb) a doctor.
My friends (plural subject) are (plural verb) doctors.

The flower (singular subject) smells (singular verb) lovely.
The flowers (plural subject) smell (plural verb) lovely.

The dog (singular subject) barks (singular verb) at strangers.
The dogs (plural subject) bark (plural verb) at strangers.

The book (singular subject) is (singular verb) on the table.
The books (plural subject) are (plural verb) on the table.

The teacher (singular subject) teaches (singular verb) English.
The teachers (plural subject) teach (plural verb) English.

The child (singular subject) plays (singular verb) in the park.
The children (plural subject) play (plural verb) in the park.

The tree (singular subject) provides (singular verb) shade.
The trees (plural subject) provide (plural verb) shade.

The girl (singular subject) reads (singular verb) a book.
The girls (plural subject) read (plural verb) books.

The apple (singular subject) tastes (singular verb) sweet.
The apples (plural subject) taste (plural verb) sweet.

The company (singular subject) is (singular verb) hiring new employees.
The companies (plural subject) are (plural verb) hiring new employees.

The mouse (singular subject) runs (singular verb) across the floor.
The mice (plural subject) run (plural verb) across the floor.

The car (singular subject) drives (singular verb) on the road.
The cars (plural subject) drive (plural verb) on the road.

The bird (singular subject) sings (singular verb) a beautiful song.
The birds (plural subject) sing (plural verb) beautiful songs.

The doctor (singular subject) examines (singular verb) the patient.
The doctors (plural subject) examine (plural verb) the patients.

The sun (singular subject) shines (singular verb) brightly.
The stars (plural subject) shine (plural verb) brightly.

The athlete (singular subject) runs (singular verb) the race.
The athletes (plural subject) run (plural verb) the race.

The ocean (singular subject) covers (singular verb) 70% of the earth’s surface.
The oceans (plural subject) cover (plural verb) 70% of the earth’s surface.

The flower (singular subject) blooms (singular verb) in the spring.
The flowers (plural subject) bloom (plural verb) in the spring.

The politician (singular subject) makes (singular verb) a speech.
The politicians (plural subject) make (plural verb) speeches.

subject verb agreement examples with answers

The boy runs fast. (singular subject and verb)
The boys run fast. (plural subject and verb)

The city has many buildings. (singular subject and verb)
The cities have many buildings. (plural subject and verb)

The teacher assigns homework. (singular subject and verb)
The teachers assign homework. (plural subject and verb)

The bee pollinates the flowers. (singular subject and verb)
The bees pollinate the flowers. (plural subject and verb)

The horse gallops across the field. (singular subject and verb)
The horses gallop across the field. (plural subject and verb)

The boy throws the ball. (singular subject and verb)
The boys throw the ball. (plural subject and verb)

The child eats breakfast. (singular subject and verb)
The children eat breakfast. (plural subject and verb)

The coffee tastes bitter. (singular subject and verb)
The coffees taste bitter. (plural subject and verb)

The baby cries loudly. (singular subject and verb)
The babies cry loudly. (plural subject and verb)

The doctor examines the patient. (singular subject and verb)
The doctors examine the patients. (plural subject and verb)

The nurse takes care of patients. (singular subject and verb)
The nurses take care of patients. (plural subject and verb)

The flower smells sweet. (singular subject and verb)
The flowers smell sweet. (plural subject and verb)

The student studies for exams. (singular subject and verb)
The students study for exams. (plural subject and verb)

The child plays with his toys. (singular subject and verb)
The children play with their toys. (plural subject and verb)

The car drives on the highway. (singular subject and verb)
The cars drive on the highway. (plural subject and verb)

The book belongs to me. (singular subject and verb)
The books belong to us. (plural subject and verb)

The teacher teaches English. (singular subject and verb)
The teachers teach English. (plural subject and verb)

subject verb agreement examples with answers

The cat ___ on the mat. (sits)
The cats ___ on the mat. (sit)

The dog ___ its toy. (chews)
The dogs ___ their toys. (chew)

My friend ___ a new car. (has)
My friends ___ new cars. (have)

The student ___ the exam. (passes)
The students ___ the exam. (pass)

The book ___ interesting. (is)
The books ___ interesting. (are)

The bird ___ in the tree. (sings)
The birds ___ in the tree. (sing)

The baby ___ asleep. (is)
The babies ___ asleep. (are)

The nurse ___ the patient. (assists)
The nurses ___ the patients. (assist)

The flower ___ in the vase. (blooms)
The flowers ___ in the vase. (bloom)

The child ___ to school. (walks)
The children ___ to school. (walk)

The athlete ___ the race. (wins)
The athletes ___ the race. (win)

The sun ___ in the sky. (shines)
The stars ___ in the sky. (shine)

The doctor ___ the patient. (examines)
The doctors ___ the patients. (examine)

The river ___ to the sea. (flows)
The oceans ___ to the sea. (flow)

The teacher ___ the lesson. (teaches)
The teachers ___ the lessons. (teach)

The child ___ a book. (reads)
The children ___ books. (read)

The food ___ delicious. (is)
The dishes ___ delicious. (are)

The wind ___ outside. (blows)
The storms ___ outside. (blow)

The waiter ___ the order. (takes)
The waiters ___ the orders. (take)

The child ___ with the toy. (plays)
The children ___ with the toys. (play)

The sunflower ___ in the garden. (grows)
The sunflowers ___ in the garden. (grow)

The clock ___ on the wall. (ticks)
The clocks ___ on the wall. (tick)

The athlete ___ hard. (trains)
The athletes ___ hard. (train)

The restaurant ___ Italian food. (serves)
The restaurants ___ Italian food. (serve)

The rain ___ outside. (falls)
The showers ___ outside. (fall)

The audience ___ the performance. (enjoys)
The audiences ___ the performances. (enjoy)

The baby ___ a diaper. (needs)
The babies ___ diapers. (need)

subject-verb agreement examples with answers

The cat __ (sleeps/sleep) on the windowsill.
Answer: sleeps

The birds __ (are/is) singing in the trees.
Answer: are

My friend and I __ (are/am) going to the mall.
Answer: are

The company __ (has/have) a strict dress code.
Answer: has

The children __ (are/is) playing in the park.
Answer: are

The new sofa __ (matches/match) the curtains perfectly.
Answer: matches

My dad __ (cooks/cook) dinner every night.
Answer: cooks

The team __ (is/are) practicing hard for the big game.
Answer: is

The book on the shelf __ (belongs/belong) to my sister.
Answer: belongs

The mountains __ (are/is) covered in snow.
Answer: are

The girls in my class __ (likes/like) to study together.
Answer: like

The company’s profits __ (has/have) increased this year.
Answer: have

The boy with the red backpack __ (is/are) my neighbor.
Answer: is

The water in the lake __ (is/are) freezing cold.
Answer: is

The committee __ (has/have) made their decision.
Answer: has

The flowers in the garden __ (smells/smell) lovely.
Answer: smell

The baby in the stroller __ (is/are) sleeping soundly.
Answer: is

The group of friends __ (are/is) going to the beach for the day.
Answer: is

The pizza from that restaurant __ (tastes/taste) amazing.
Answer: tastes

The cars on the highway __ (are/is) moving slowly.
Answer: are

The teacher __ (teaches/teach) math and science.
Answer: teaches

The news on the radio __ (is/are) reporting a traffic accident.
Answer: is

The students in my class __ (works/work) hard on their projects.
Answer: work

The price of gas __ (has/have) gone up again.
Answer: has

The cupcakes __ (looks/look) delicious.
Answer: look

The baseball team __ (is/are) in first place in their division.
Answer: is

The music on the radio __ (sounds/sound) really good.
Answer: sounds

The company’s employees __ (is/are) getting a raise.
Answer: are

The keys to the car __ (is/are) in my pocket.
Answer: are

The boys in my class __ (likes/like) to play soccer at recess.
Answer: like

The coffee in the mug __ (smells/smell) strong.
Answer: smells

The athlete __ (runs/run) five miles every day.
Answer: runs

The data on the computer __ (is/are) backed up regularly.
Answer: is

The couple __ (has/have) been together for ten years.
Answer: has

The trees in the park __ (are/is) turning colors in the fall.
Answer: are

The dishes in the sink __ (needs/need) to be washed.
Answer: need

subject verb agreement examples with answers

The dog barks in the park. (singular subject and verb)
The dogs bark in the park. (plural subject and verb)

My brother is playing basketball. (singular subject and verb)
My brothers are playing basketball. (plural subject and verb)

The teacher writes on the board. (singular subject and verb)
The teachers write on the board. (plural subject and verb)

The car drives on the highway. (singular subject and verb)
The cars drive on the highway. (plural subject and verb)

The book is on the table. (singular subject and verb)
The books are on the table. (plural subject and verb)

The cat sleeps on the couch. (singular subject and verb)
The cats sleep on the couch. (plural subject and verb)

The student studies for the test. (singular subject and verb)
The students study for the test. (plural subject and verb)

The flower blooms in the spring. (singular subject and verb)
The flowers bloom in the spring. (plural subject and verb)

The baby cries in the night. (singular subject and verb)
The babies cry in the night. (plural subject and verb)

The restaurant serves delicious food. (singular subject and verb)
The restaurants serve delicious food. (plural subject and verb)

The plane lands on the runway. (singular subject and verb)
The planes land on the runway. (plural subject and verb)

The child plays with the toy. (singular subject and verb)
The children play with the toy. (plural subject and verb)

The doctor examines the patient. (singular subject and verb)
The doctors examine the patient. (plural subject and verb)

The computer runs slowly. (singular subject and verb)
The computers run slowly. (plural subject and verb)

The bird chirps in the tree. (singular subject and verb)
The birds chirp in the tree. (plural subject and verb)

The swimmer swims in the pool. (singular subject and verb)
The swimmers swim in the pool. (plural subject and verb)

The phone rings on the table. (singular subject and verb)
The phones ring on the table. (plural subject and verb)

The pen writes on the paper. (singular subject and verb)
The pens write on the paper. (plural subject and verb)

The child laughs with joy. (singular subject and verb)
The children laugh with joy. (plural subject and verb)

The athlete runs in the race. (singular subject and verb)
The athletes run in the race. (plural subject and verb)

The tree sways in the wind. (singular subject and verb)
The trees sway in the wind. (plural subject and verb)

By following these tips and practicing subject-verb agreement in your writing, you can ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct and easy to understand for your audience.

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