skkn tiếng anh ; a CLOSER LOOK AT SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Hà Thị Thơm - THPT Dương Quảng Hàm: A CLOSER LOOK
AT SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC............................................3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................4
2.1. Definition....................................................................................................4
2.2. Mother tongue influence on learning English as a foreign language..........4
2.3. Steps in identifying the subject-verb agreement.........................................6
2.4. Rules in identifying the subject-verb agreement ........................................8
CHAPTER 3: APPLICATION- PRACTICE EXERCISES........................................16
3.1. Practice exercises on subject-verb agreement...........................................16
3.2. Answer keys for the practice exercises on subject-verb agreement .........22
CHPATER 4: RESULTS AND CONCLUSION ........................................................27
4.1.Results........................................................................................................27
4.2. Conclusion.................................................................................................28
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................29


Chapter 1: Reason for choosing the topic
For a number of teachers in our profession, error (grammatical and
mechanical correctness) is a complicated issue. Some of us declare that it
is the composition teachers that take full responsibility for the error
correction while others refuse to count themselves as agents of the
“grammar gestapo” and “punctuation police”. In any case, the frequency
and type of error that occur in students’ writing often determine whether
or not they are defined as “basic writers.” (Cherenka 5).
Since the 1970’s, research has claimed that formal classroom instruction
in grammar has no impact on students’ writing improvement, and has
discussed how to help students solve grammar problems. Indeed, “the
error analysis of basic writers has received sporadic attention since the

appearance of the Journal of Basic Writing in 1975.” (Robinson 52). An
error that students often make is subject-verb agreement. Many
composition instructors believe that students often make subject-verb
errors in their writing, and therefore, plan time in their syllabus to teach
students how to correct these errors. Is subject-verb agreement important?
Some say it is not because many languages lack the variations in form
that make agreement necessary. Actually, subject-verb agreement in
English is a must, as stated by Hannah (2012), to communicate clearly in
the English language, it is necessary for the learners to match a singular
subject with a singular verb and a plural subject with a plural verb, as
well as to determine what verb to use with a singular or plural subject,
substitute “he” or “they” for the subject. As far as using English is
concerned, agreement might be compared to wearing matching socks.
Unmatched socks will cover the feet but they look silly; while
disagreeing verbs and subjects maybe cover the meaning, they sound
stupid. In Vietnam, there have been various articles about the subject2


verb agreement, however, none of them have brought out a full
understanding of the problem. For teachers of English in general and for
high school students in particular, they are still vague about the problems
of subject-verb agreement. Therefore, hopefully, this writing will bring
home an overview of the problems to the teachers of English as a foreign
language. The purpose of this writing is to provide an overview of
subject-verb agreement, to bring out certain major tips and particular
rules with specific examples and to introduce some interesting practice
tests as a solution to such problems.
Chapter 2: Literature review
In this chapter I intend to review what some researchers and teachers
write about subject-verb agreement errors.

2.1. Definition
Subject-verb agreement is a grammar rule that requires that the subject
should agree in number and person with the verb. So if the subject of a
sentence is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject of a sentence
is plural, the verb must be plural. When a subject is with its correct verb,
we call this subject-verb agreement. (Rosa, Alfred and Paul, E., 2002).
Subject-verb agreement is where the subject and the verb in the sentence
go well with each other and the sentence makes sense.
For example:
Sally kisses her daughter on her head every night.
The subject is Sally and the verb is kiss. They agree with each other.
Subject-verb agreement is necessary for the sentence structure to be
correct. A complete sentence must have a subject and a verb. The subject
is the who or what that performs the action. The verb is the action word
or the feeling word.

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2.2. Mother tongue influence on learning English as a foreign
language
Before a detailed discussion on subject and verb agreement is given, it is
beneficial to look at interlanguage because English is not the learners’
mother tongue, which is Vietnamese. It is interlanguage that shows how
far the interference of mother tongue language is evident in the learners’
writing product. Dorn (2000) states that the sentences created by words
and phrases are the essential blocks of meaning that allow us to
communicate as well as express ideas and thoughts. If these are not
constructed carefully, they can make reading difficult. He further states
that major basic usage and grammar slips in written English are those

associated with verbs. Based on the fact that subject-verb agreement area
is very important to express ideas, opinions especially in writing, where
non-verbal communication is absent, the students really need to master
this rule in order to write effectively. As a result, they can convey their
message clearly and effectively. By writing a piece of work that is error
free, it shows that learners have mastered the English grammar rules and
it will give a good impression to others who read their work.
Subject-verb agreement is one of the structures that is introduced very
early to the students (Nor Arfah, 1988). However, they still face problems
in acquiring the correct form of the structure. Vietnamese learners, who
are learning English as a foreign language (EFL), face problems in
subject-verb agreement because in their first language, there are no such
rules regarding subject-verb agreement. In Vietnamese all subjects either
singular or plural require the same form of verb. Consider the following
examples:
Mai đi ra cửa hàng. Mai -singular subject

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Mai goes to the boutique.
(subject) ( verb) (expansion)
Mai và Tuan đi ra cửa hàng. Mai and Tuan -plural subjects
Mai and Tuan go to the boutique.
(subject) (verb) (expansion)
Vietnamese learners have difficulty in the subject-verb agreement
because Vietnamese does not differentiate between persons and verbs;
therefore, it is not necessary for verbs to agree with the subject. In
English, however, this is a must for English speakers to use subject-verb
agreement in the present tenses. Because of this, it creates confusion

among learners who tend to make errors in their writing. Although the
subject-verb agreement structure is introduced early to students i.e. when
they are in the primary level, they still face problems in acquiring the
correct form of it. Some examples from a high school level Vietnamese
EFL learners are as follows:
It really make me unhappy. Fortunately, my family especially my father
need my help with his business. Recently, my father want to expand his
business by selling LPG gas.
As the example shows, the learner failed to employ the correct rule of
subject-verb agreement where a singular subject requires a singular verb.
The learner’s writing should be:
It really makes me unhappy. Fortunately, my family, especially my father
needs my help with his business. Recently, my father wants to expand his
business by selling LPG gas.

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In addition, the subject-verb agreement (especially the number
agreement) appears to be the most problematic area faced by Vietnamese
learners of English. Some examples are:
Their students is in good health.
Boarding schools is better than day schools.
As the examples show, the learner failed to employ the correct rule of
subject-verb agreement. The learner should always remember that a
singular subject requires a singular form of the verb and a plural subject
requires a plural verb. Thus, the learner should write:
The students are in good health.
Boarding schools are better than day schools.
2.3. Steps in identifying the subject-verb agreement

As mentioned above, subject and verb agreement is a problematic issue,
to deal with these, some major steps should be followed.
Step one: Identify the subject
It is believed this is the most important step because when the subject is
identified wrongly, the verb will be put in wrong form.
In any sentence, the subject is the noun referring to the person or thing
that performs an action.
Example:
The disdainful badger eats spaghetti. (“Badger” is the subject, because it
is the one that performs the action of eating)
Be careful not to confuse the subject with its compliment. A compliment
is a word that renames or describes the subject.
Example:
My biggest fear is spiders. (“Fear” is the subject, so the verb needs to be
singular. The word “spiders” is the compliment.)
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Sometimes the subject comes after the verb. This situation is particularly
common in sentences that start with ‘there is’ or ‘there are’; ‘there has
been’ or ‘there have been’.
Example:
There is a nightingale on the window-sill.
In the case that subject and verb are not near each other, and between
them there is a prepositional phrase. This is called separated subject and
verb. Therefore, do not be misled by the phrase that come between the
subject and the verb. The verb must agree with the main subject.
Example:
The professor, as well as all of her students, is looking forward to
the weekend. (“Professor”, and not “students” is the subject in this

sentence.)
The study of languages is very confusing, but interesting.
(“study”, and not “languages” is the subject in this sentence.)
Several useful theories on this subject have been proposed.
(“theories”, and not “subject” is the subject in this sentence.)
Step two: Identify the subject’s person and number
It is believed this is an important step because when the subject’s person
and number are identified wrongly, the verb will also be put in wrong
form. First of all, determine the subject’s person.
First person- I am (also first person plural: We are), I was, we were, I
have, we have,...
Second person – You are, you were, you have,...
Third person – She/ He/ It (or anything other than “I” or “you”) is
(also third person plural: They are): she/he/it is, she/he/it was,
she/he/it has,...
Then, determine if the subject is singular or plural.
Singular:

There is a hair in your soup.
7


Plural:

There are two blonde hairs on his T-shirt collar.

Step three: Make the number and person of the verb match those of
the subject.
Once the Subject has been identified and the Verb has been put, make
sure that they agree in Number.

2.4. Rules in identifying the subject-verb agreement
Besides the steps, it is advisable for students to be introduced 11
following rules so that they will say goodbye to the “sore thumb of
grammar”.
Rule 1
The indefinite pronouns anyone, anybody, everyone, someone, no one,
nobody, anything, something, everything, nothing, one

are always

singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.
•
•
•
•

Everyone needs to be loved.
Everyone has done his or her homework.
Somebody has left her purse.
No news is good news.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural
depending on what they're referring to. The noun is considered to be
countable or uncountable. Be careful when choosing a verb to accompany
such pronouns.
•
•

Some of the beads are missing.
Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be
either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular
or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its
number. Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will

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choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but when
something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we want a
singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh."
None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
•
None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
•
None of the students have done their homework. (In this last
example, the word “their” precludes the use of the singular verb.)
•

Rule 2
Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome everyone and
everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person
and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with
them. They are always singular, though. each is often followed by a
prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus
confuses the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a
singular verb.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.
You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is

singular and nothing will change that.
Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the
library.
Do never let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and
each is always singular.

Each is responsible.

Rule 3
Phrases such as together with, with, in, of, as well as, including,
accompanied by, in addition to, along with, etc. are not the same as and.
The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier

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word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the
word and would do).These expressions do not change the number of the
subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.
•
•
•

The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
The President, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to

India.
•

All of the books, including yours, are in that box.

Generally, compound subjects connected by “and” take the plural form of
the verb. However, when the compound subject refers only to one person,
thing, or idea, the verb is singular.
Examples:
• The secretary and treasurer of this class is absent.
• A bow and arrow makes for a primitive weapon.
Rule 4
The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs
even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.
•
•
•

Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when
these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of.
This is particularly true in interrogative constructions: "Have either of
you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking this
seriously?", which is called "a clash between notional and actual
agreement."
Rule 5

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Different from the conjunction ‘and’, when ‘nor’ or ‘or’ is used, the
subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the
subject comes before or after the verb, it doesn't matter; the proximity
determines the number.
•
•
•
•

Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to
sell the house" sounds peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural
subject closer to the verb whenever possible.
Rule 6
Sentences in the inverted order where the subject is not in the beginning
position, but comes after the verb, must be properly identified. The words
there and here are never subjects.
•
•
•
•
•

There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
There is no reason for this.
Here are two apples.

Here comes the bride.
There are always great and kind people around us.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject
follows the verb but still determines the number of the verb.
Rule 7
Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it
and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do
not add s-endings.
He loves and she loves and they love and . . .
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Rule 8
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these
modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its
verb.
The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers
on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to
have several political lives, is finally going to jail.
Rule 9
Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're
plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Words such as
refreshments, glasses (dark glasses, short-sighted glasses, long-sighted
glasses, reading glasses, long distance glasses, sunglasses), pants,
trousers, underpants, shorts, jeans, tongs, pliers, scissors , shears
(gardening shears, pinking shears), are regarded as plural (and require
plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase a pair of (in which case
the word pair becomes the subject).
•

•
•

My glasses were on the bed.
My pants were torn.
A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

When regarded as a unit, collective nouns as well as noun phrases are
words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular
and take singular verbs, such as group, team, committee, class, army,
family, Congress, club, government, jury, majority, minority, crowd,
organization, and public.
•
•
•

The team runs during practice.
The committee decides how to proceed.
The committee has to consider the matter again with more

care.
12


•

My family has a long history.

In some cases in American English, a sentence may call for the use of a
plural verb when using a collective noun.

The crew are preparing to dock the ship. (This sentence is referring
to the individual efforts of each crew member.)
Rule 10: Nouns with a plural form and a singular meaning
A number of words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really
singular and require singular verbs.
* Diseases or infections: arthritis, measles, neuritis, colitis, mumps,
phlebitis,

diabetes,

rickets,

rabies,

osteoporosis,

paralysis,

conjunctivitis, gingivitis, cystitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis, herpes, shingles,
etc.
•

The news from the front is bad.

•

Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
Shingles is caused by the same virus as chicken pox.

•

* Miscellaneous: billiards, gallows, checkers, molasses, news,
shambles, series, darts, etc.
Billiards is a game which connects mathematics and football.
* Countries, organizations, or companies: the Philippines, Honduras,
the Himalayas, the Visayas (an island in the United States), the United
States, the Manila Times (a Philippines newspaper) , the Saigon Times
(a Vietnam newspaper), Wales, the United Nations, Delta Motors, etc.
* Field of study or knowledge: There are many words ending in “-ics”
that may be either singular or plural such as physics, ethics, aeronautics,
13


phonetics, politics, optics, economics, mathematics, statistics, civics,
mechanics, tactics, athletics, hysterics. Nouns ending in “-ics” can either
take a singular verb (if they are considered as the name of a science) or a
plural verb (if they express a specific application of the science. The
“his/her”, “some”, “all” and singular modifiers do not precede them when
they are in singular in meaning.
•
•
•
•

Politics has become a way of life to them. (singular)
His politics are well-known. (plural)
Mathematics is a challenging subject.
The teacher told James that his mathematics were well below the
standard. (his understanding of mathematics or his results)

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are
nonetheless plural and require a plural verb.
•
•
•

My assets were wiped out in the depression.
The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

Rule 11
Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a
majority of, a large percentage of, etc. are sometimes singular and
sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of
course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and
products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require
singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a
singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."
•
•

Some of the voters are still angry.
A large percentage of the older population is voting against

her.
•
•

Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.

14


Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the
policy.
•
Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the
policy.
•

Singular verbs are used with mathematical abstractions.
•
•
•
•

Two and two is four.
Four times four divided by two is eight.
Four times eight is thirty two.
Five plus three is eight.

Rule 12
If the sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is
plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.
In the case of relative clauses, when who, which, or that starts a clause,
the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun to who, which, or that it refers
(its antecedent)
The department members but not the chair have decided not
to teach on Valentine's Day.

•
It is not the faculty members but the president who decides
this issue.
•
It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the
students to riot.
•

Rule 13
The expression the number of takes the singular verb and the expression a
number of takes the plural.
•

The number of cars in the city is increasing so fast that caused a
traffic.

•

A number of demos tempt good people to do bad things.

Rule 14

15


The words listed below are mass nouns. They are always singular and
cannot be preceded by a, an or a number. They refer to things difficult to
count: information, homework, jewelry, personnel, baggage, scenery,
graft, clothing, poetry, chalk, blood, help, advice, money, soap, mail
(letters)

•

Much help is needed.

•

Poetry is difficult to understand.

•

The scenery is awesome.

However, when a noun listed above is preceded by pieces of, kinds of,
collections of, etc., it is followed by a plural verb.
•

Many pieces of chalk are in the box.

•

Rare collections of jewelry are kept in the vault.

Rule 15
Nouns are always singular in form but either singular or plural in
meaning, the verb agrees with the intended meaning: deer, salmon,
sheep, trout, cattle, swine.
•

Fifty sheep are grazing in the meadow.

•

One deer, the largest, was saved.

Rule 16
Nouns that express abstract ideas are usually singular in form. They
require singular verbs.
•

Pity comes naturally from the forgiving heart.

•

Courage makes us survive difficult ordeals.

16


Rule 17
A singular verb is used when the subject is a title of a book, play, story,
or musical composition.
•

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy.

•

Trees is a simple, charming poem.

In short, this chapter provides an overview of the subject-verb agreement

and its problems. From these theories, I have had my students practice
exercises on subject-verb agreement. Practice makes perfect. My
students’ knowledge of subject-verb agreement has been improved
remarkably. They have been more confident when they speak English.
Most importantly, my students are not afraid of doing writing lessons any
longer.

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Chapter 3: APPLICATION- PRACTICE EXERCISES
Doing something over and over again is the only way to learn to do it
well. Our students were not trying to study English anymore. They
always make many mistakes. It is advisable for teachers to encourage
them not to give up. Practice makes perfect. This chapter will be useful
for our students to tackle subject-verb agreement problems by providing a
variety of exercises to do. These exercises are retrieved from Towson
University (Towson.edu). To help the readers easily follow, I would
mention the answer keys .
3.1. Practice exercises on subject-verb agreement
To see how well the students have learned the rules for subject-verb
agreement, have them do the exercises below.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 1
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains a choice for correct
subject-verb agreement. Circle your answers.
1. At Yellowstone Park grizzly bears (doesn’t, don’t) have names; they
have numbers.
2. In the meeting between human and bear, a wild-card factor (throws,
throw) all calculations and studies to the wind.

3. The Yellowstone authorities should (has/have) kept thorough records
on each bear.
4. When some bears (encounters, encounter) people, it is the bear that
runs.
5. The great national parks (holds, hold) about 200 grizzlies, with
possibly 30 of them being breeding females.
Part II

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Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read each sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, change the number of the verb to
make the two agree. Write the correction beside the sentence.
6. Behind an experimental fenced yard protecting campers in Glacier
National Park, six visitors has been fatally mauled by grizzlies in the past
19 years.
7. Meandering downriver toward a deer, three grizzly cubs comes within
15 yards of it.
8. To a grizzly almost anything are food except rocks.
9. Lingering snow patches often become playgrounds for grizzlies
observed making snowballs.
10. Female grizzlies mates every third year in summer, without their
fertilized eggs implanting in the womb until fall.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 2
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains a compound subject.
Choose the correct verb from the parentheses to agree with the

compound subject. Circle your answers.
1.Both Democrats and Republicans (is, are) electing a new leader.
2. Neither threats not hostile action (scares, scare) the enemy.
3. The actors and the director (understands, understand) the lighting
problems.
4. The surfer or the swimmers (is, are) responsible for the littered beach.
5. A good diet and a realistic exercise plan (combines, combine) to help
one lose weight.
Part II

19


Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read each sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, change the number of the verb to
make the two agree. Write the correction beside the sentence.
6. A sweet potato and some carrots provides Vitamin A, important for
healthy eyes.
7. The eyes and the skin is often adversely affected by a lack of Vitamin
A.
8. Neither bleach nor dyes really helps unhealthy hair look better.
9. Ripe tomatoes, leafy Brussels sprouts, and a handy orange is rich in
Vitamin C.
10.Unfortunately for the sedentary, neither diet nor vitamins alone
provide sufficient fuel for good health.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 3
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains a group of subjects. After

locating the subject, choose the correct verb from the parentheses to
agree with it. Circle your answers.
1. In the Peace Corps, an American group (goes, go) into an
underprivileged country to help people develop skills.
2. The family members (learns, learn) a variety of different skills that are
valuable in the market.
3. The U.S. Senate (has, have) made several individual proposals for
starting the Peace Corps.
4. On October 4, 1960, at the University of Michigan, a young crowd
(listens, listen) to John Kennedy propose the Peace Corps.
5. The tribe members (is, are) expressing their individual thanks to
members of the Peace Corps.
20


Part II
Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read the sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence. Write the
correction beside the sentence.
6. The volunteer group is teaching forestry in Ecuador, pipe repair in
Pachanillay, and sewing in Puembo.
7. A prestigious club has contributed funds, materials, and ideas to Peace
Corps volunteers.
8. The Peace Corps team members often gets together to talk over old
times.
9. In the towns visited by the Peace Corps, the government repay the
work of the volunteers with gratitude.
10. A new crew are now volunteering to join the modern Peace Corps.

Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 4
Part I
Directions – Decide whether a singular or a plural verb is correct for
each subject given. In some cases, the rule given in this section will
determine the answer immediately. With –ics nouns, first determine
the singular or plural meaning of the subject. Choose the correct
verb from each parenthesis. Circle your answers.
1.Students are excited that economics (is, are) being taught this semester.
2. Unfortunately, dishonest politics (was, were) used to win the election.
3.Athletics (provides, provide) important opportunities for physical
development.
4. Good news usually (travels, travel) fast.
5. Because of the mood in the Senate, statistics (was, were) compiled
quickly for the report.
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Part II
Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read the sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence. Write the
correction beside the sentence.
6. For some time now civics have been a required course in the
curriculum.
7. Ceramics takes a great deal of practice for proficiency.
8. In this particular situation, the economics are hard to determine.
9. Because of constantly changing public opinion, politics offer a
challenging career to both men and women.
10. Indeed, mumps is a painful illness.

Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 5
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains an indefinite pronoun
subject. Choose the correct verb from each parenthesis to agree with
the subject. Circle your answers.
1. Among the animals, turtles cling to their basic structural design, while
many others (is, are) experimenting their way to extinction.
2. Turtles are unique; each (has, have) eight cervical vertebrae, compared
with seven of most mammals.
3. Turtles are honored in many countries; in China, for example, everyone
(worships, worship) the legendary turtle named Dwei who created the
universe.
4. Turtles have specific characteristics; all (displays, display) two plated
decks: the upper, called the carapace, and the lower, known as the
plastron.

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5. Of the female turtles, some (has, have) been found to be twice the size
of the males.
Part II
Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read the sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence. Write the
correction beside the sentence.
6. Among the fascinating facts about turtles, another are their patterns of
dots, splashes, and hieroglyphs.
7. Aquatic turtles are different from land turtles: most is unable to close

their shells.
8. Everyone knows Ogden Nash’s celebrated poem about turtles.
9. No one is going to bother snappers, eaters of anything from snakes and
wooden canoe chunks to baby alligators.
10. However, of the early tribes, several uses turtles for food.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 6
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains an indefinite pronoun
subject. Choose the correct verb from each parenthesis to agree with
the subject. Circle your answers.
1.One of the many cultures studied by anthropologists (is, are) the
Kwakiutl Indians.
2.This group of Indians (lives, live) on the Canadian Coast.
3. Often the leader of the Kwakiutl dances, (foams, foam) at the mouth
and (tosses, toss) burning ashes into the crowd.
4. Wealth, like cedar bark blankets, canoes, and large sculptured copper
pieces, (is, are) important to the Kwakiult.
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5. To the Kwakiutl, one of the copper pieces (equals, equal) a thousand
cedar bark blankets.
Part II
Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read the sentence carefully. If
the subject and verb agree, write “correct” beside the sentence. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence. Write the
correction beside the sentence.
6. Kwakiutl ceremonies for showing one’s wealth is called “potlatches”.
7. The host of a potlatch tries to shame his rival by displaying his wealth.

8. The host with all these goods sometimes even throw them into a giant
bonfire.
9. The rival without equal amounts of riches feel greatly ashamed.
10. In our culture, some behaviors of the Kwakiutl Indian is not
acceptable.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 7
Part I
Directions – Each sentence below contains a choice for correct
subject-verb agreement. Locate the subject of each sentence and
choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Circle your answers.
1. Quilting bees, which have always provided warmth and sociability for
the women participating in them, (is, are) now becoming quite profitable
as well.
2. American women, who were quite restricted during the Victorian Age,
(has, have) always quilted as a means of keeping sane under such trying
conditions.
3. The quilts that these women made of scraps of silk (was, were) called
crazy quilts.

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4. The Bicentennial, which Americans celebrated in 1976, (has, have)
inspired a revival in the art of quilting.
5. The quilting renaissance that has swept across the country (appear,
appears) to have been encouraged by feminism’s pride in women’s art.
Part II
Directions- This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations, separated by who/that/which
clauses. Read each sentence carefully. If the subject and verb agree,

write “correct” beside the sentence. If the subject and verb do not
agree, correct the sentence. Write the correction beside the sentence.
6. The American International Quilt Association, which began with 45
members, now have 1,680 members.
7. David Pottinger, who collects quilts, runs a general store in Indiana so
that he can live amongst the shy Amish and their quilts.
8. Quilts that contain boldly-colored geometric and abstract designs was
celebrated in the 1970’s as precursors of abstract art.
9. The Whitney Museum of Art, which is located in New York, was the
first to officially recognize the painterly qualities of quilts.
10. The author of several articles on quilts that were published in
Smithsonian magazine were for many years a roving editor for the
Reader’s Digest in Europe.
Subject-Verb agreement- Exercise 8
Part I
Directions – In each sentence below, the verb comes before the
subject. Circle the best answer.
1.There (is, are) two classes of pure matter: elements and compounds.
2. What (does, do) scientist know today about elements?

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