(TUC) Thematic Unit: Choices - Subject/Verb Agreement Lesson

What does it mean for the subject and verb to agree? Subjects and verbs should agree in number, meaning that if the subject of the sentence is singular then the verb should be singular. We can easily understand what it means that a subject is singular - there is only one subject. A plural subject is more than one. "Boy" is a singular subject while "boys" is a plural one. There is no problem with that. What if the boys are on a team? Is team singular or plural? Does it matter if the team is from America or England? What does it mean for a verb to be singular or plural? To explain the meaning of number as it applies to verbs is not so easy or obvious. Verbs are neither singular nor plural, but they do change form depending on the subject. So we can call them singular or plural if we want to, and why not? Most verbs change form from singular to plural by removing the "s" to the end. That is a little confusing already, but "plays" becomes "play," (as in "They play" compared to "He plays"), "He walks" and "They walk", etc.

** A helpful tip - if the subject is singular and falls into the category of he, she, or it, an "s" is added to the verb.

Take a look at the following presentation to learn more about subject and verb agreement.

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