SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

In order for a sentence to be correct, the subject and the verb must be in
agreement.

USAGE
A singular subject takes a
1 2.
singular verb.
A plural subject takes a
2 2.
plural verb.
‘I’ and ‘you’ must be
3 2.
followed by a plural verb.
Uncountable nouns must
4 be followed by singular
verbs.
Collective nouns that
refer to a group as a
5
whole must be followed
by a singular verb.
Collective nouns that
refer to individuals
6 2. The battalion of soldiers were lost in the
within the group must be
followed by a plural verb.
Words like ‘each’, ‘every’,
‘one of’, ‘much’, etc. must
7 2. One of the boys has lost his wallet.
be followed by singular
verbs.
Words like ‘all’, ‘several’,
‘a few, ‘many’, etc. must
8
be followed by plural
verbs.
‘Either’ and ‘neither’
must be followed by
9 singular verbs if they
refer to a singular
subject.
‘Either’ and ‘neither’
must be followed by
10 plural verbs when the
second subject is in the
plural.
EXAMPLES
1. Ali is a good boy.
He rides a bicycle to work every morning.
3. Father plays golf every day.
1. They play the drums well.
The chefs cook delicious meals.
3. My brothers are lazy boys.
1. I love going on holidays.
You are not going out.
3. I like collecting stamps.
1. The sky is blue.
2. Petrol is a colourless liquid.
3. Water is essential to man.
1. The mob has dispersed.
2. A litter of puppies is under the bed.
3. The choir sings beautifully.
1. The police were at the scene of the
accident.
jungle.
3. The spectators are shouting at the players.
1. Each of the children was given a free T-
shirt.
3. Every student was asked to donate some
money to charity.
1. Several houses were destroyed during the
earthquake.
2. Both employees have been dismissed by
the manager.
3. A few of the teachers have been
transferred.
1. Neither Jack nor Harry is going out.
2. Either mom or dad has taken the key.
3. Neither girl is playing the piano.
1. Either Mrs. Jacob or the girls are going to
visit Mary.
2. Neither the captain nor the players have
agreed to play in the game.
3. Neither the union nor its members are
staging the protest.
Exercise 1.
Fill in the blanks with ‘do’, ‘does’, ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘has’ or ‘have’.

1. These bags _____________ not belong to us. They _____________ Jeremy’s.

2. My maid _____________ the washing up in the house but she _____________ not do
the gardening.

3. The villagers _____________ no money to buy food. However, the government

_____________ given them loans.

4. The postman _____________ his job well. He _____________ to work rain or shine.

5. There _____________n’t any food left. The children _____________ eaten it all.

6. My brother _____________ just gone out. He _____________ meeting his friends at

the part.

7. My teacher _____________ marked the test papers. We _____________ to wait for the
marks.

8. Each of us _____________ two book but Jerry _____________ only one.

9. Puan Rosmah _____________ our new headmistress. She _____________ a lot of

experience.

10. These rooms _____________ not been painted. The painter _____________ not
bought the paint.

Exercise 2.
Rewrite the sentences changing the words in bold into the singular form. Make
other necessary changes.
Example: There are books in the bags.
There is a book in the bag.

1. The lions in the cages are very fierce.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. These keys are kept in the drawer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Those boys are playing with kites.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
4. My sisters play with dolls.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Those children write very well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Do they smoke?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. The gardeners have left their brooms here.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
8. The teachers left their books on the tables.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Giraffes are tall animals.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
10. These baskets contain oranges from Australia.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3.
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Example: Birds come (come, comes) in all shapers and sizes. They are (is, are)
very beautiful creatures.

1. My grandmother _____________ (is, are) a very strong woman. She _____________

(cooks, cook) every day and _____________ (look, looks) after our needs. She
_____________ (has, have) a huge house in the country.

2. None of the prisoners _____________ (is, are) allowed in the compound of the
prison. They _____________ (have, has) to stay behind bars. They only
_____________ (come, comes) out once to do some exercise. Each of them
_____________ (is, are) given a set of clothes.
3. The audience _____________ (is, are) waiting anxiously for the appearance of the
famous singer. She _____________ (has, have) sung many popular songs. They
_____________ (clap, claps) their hands when she (enter, enters) the stage.

4. What _____________ (is, are) wrong with Kadir these days? He _____________ (was,
were) so good in his studies and extra curricular activities. Now he
_____________ (is, are) so grumpy and quiet. (Do, Does) _____________ he have any
problems or _____________ (is, are) he suffering from depression?

5. Abdullah is a farmer who _____________ (live, lives) in the north of Malaysia. He

_____________ (grow, grows) paddy and also _____________ (rear, rears) chickens
in his back yard. Besides that, he _____________ (grow, grows) vegetables and
_____________ (has, have) many fruit trees. Abdullah _____________ (is, are) a
generous man. During the durian season, he _____________ (allow, allows) his
neighbours to come and _____________ (pick, picks) the durian.