MOD - Subject-Verb Agreement Lesson
Subject-Verb Agreement Lesson
Every verb must agree with its subject in person and in number. Most verbs have a different form only in the present tense; when the subject is third-person singular, an -s or -es is added to the base verb. The linking verb be is an exception. It changes forms in both the present and past tenses.
| SINGLULAR | PLURAL |
|---|---|
| He takes. | They take. |
| She is friendly. | They are friendly. |
| It was ripe. | They were ripe. |
The auxiliary verbs be, have, and do change form in verb phrases to show agreement with third-person subjects.
| SINGLULAR | PLURAL |
|---|---|
| He is running home. | They are running home. |
| She has arrived. | They have arrived. |
| Does she have a ride? | Do they have a ride? |
Special Cases
While it may seem easy to determine when a verb agrees with its subject, there are several special cases that make subject-verb agreement difficult. Please work through the following presentation to examine these tricky situations.
If you need additional review and practice, please view the resources, linked below.
Khan Academy: Subject-Verb Agreement Links to an external site.
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