Definition:

• Subject-verb agreement means that the subject of a sentence and the verb must agree in number (singular or plural).

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Basic Rules:

• Singular subjects take singular verbs:
  • Example: The dog barks. (not bark)
• Plural subjects take plural verbs:
  • Example: The dogs bark.

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Compound Subjects:

When two or more singular subjects are joined by “and,” they require a plural verb:

• Example: Tom and Jerry are friends.

If the subjects are joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closer to it:

• Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were late.

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Indefinite Pronouns:

• Some indefinite pronouns (e.g., everyone, anyone, each, neither) are always singular and take singular verbs:
  • Example: Everyone loves pizza.
• Others (e.g., few, many, several) are plural and take plural verbs:
  • Example: Many were chosen for the team.

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Collective Nouns:

• Collective nouns (e.g., team, group, committee) may be singular or plural depending on the context:
  • Singular: The team wins its games.
  • Plural: The team are wearing their new jerseys.

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Titles and Amounts:

• Titles of books, movies, or organizations take singular verbs:
  • Example: The Great Gatsby is a classic.
• Amounts of money, time, or distance are considered singular:
  • Example: Five dollars is too much.

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Correcting Errors:

• To identify errors, look for mismatched subjects and verbs in sentences.
• Rewrite the sentence to ensure subject and verb agreement.

Practice Exercises:

• Provide sentences with intentional subject-verb agreement errors for students to correct.
• Example: The list of items are on the table. (Correct: The list of items is on the table.)