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Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule that states that the subject of a sentence must agree with the verb in number (singular or plural). This means that singular subjects require singular verbs, and plural subjects require plural verbs.

In this blog post, we’ll go over the basics of subject-verb agreement and provide examples to help you understand this grammar rule.

Examples of subject-verb agreement:

1. Singular subjects require singular verbs: The cat is sleeping. In this sentence, “cat” is a singular subject and “is” is a singular verb, so they agree.
2. Plural subjects require plural verbs: The cats are sleeping. In this sentence, “cats” is a plural subject and “are” is a plural verb, so they agree.
3. When the subject is compound (two or more subjects joined by “and”), the verb should be plural: The cat and the dog are sleeping. In this sentence, “cat” and “dog” are both subjects, and they are joined by “and”, so the verb should be plural to agree with the plural subjects.

Subject-Verb Agreement | Key points to remember

It’s important to note that some words, such as “each” or “every”, can take singular verbs even though they seem plural. For example: “Every cat has its own bed.” In this sentence, “every cat” is the subject, and although it seems plural, it takes a singular verb because each cat is being considered separately.

Subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of grammar. Understanding this rule and using it correctly in your writing can help improve your communication and make your writing clearer and more effective. Make sure to practice with these examples and pay close attention to subject-verb agreement in your own writing.

30 examples with explanation

1. The boy is running. (Singular subject “boy” takes singular verb “is running”)
2. The boys are playing. (Plural subject “boys” takes plural verb “are playing”)
3. Neither the cake nor the cookies are stale. (Compound subject “cake” and “cookies” take plural verb “are”)
4. Either the cake or the cookies is stale. (Compound subject “cake” and “cookies” take singular verb “is”)
5. The book on the shelf is dusty. (Singular subject “book” takes singular verb “is”)
6. The books on the shelf are dusty. (Plural subject “books” takes plural verb “are”)
7. The team is ready to play. (Singular subject “team” takes singular verb “is”)
8. The teams are ready to play. (Plural subject “teams” takes plural verb “are”)
9. The dog barks at the mailman. (Singular subject “dog” takes singular verb “barks”)
10. The dogs bark at the mailman. (Plural subject “dogs” takes plural verb “bark”)
11. The movie is two hours long. (Singular subject “movie” takes singular verb “is”)
12. The movies are two hours long. (Plural subject “movies” takes plural verb “are”)
13. The sandwich tastes delicious. (Singular subject “sandwich” takes singular verb “tastes”)
14. The sandwiches taste delicious. (Plural subject “sandwiches” takes plural verb “taste”)
15. The chair in the corner is broken. (Singular subject “chair” takes singular verb “is”)
16. The chairs in the corner are broken. (Plural subject “chairs” takes plural verb “are”)
17. The baby is crying. (Singular subject “baby” takes singular verb “is”)
18. The babies are crying. (Plural subject “babies” takes plural verb “are”)
19. The flower in the vase is wilted. (Singular subject “flower” takes singular verb “is”)
20. The flowers in the vase are wilted. (Plural subject “flowers” takes plural verb “are”)
21. The apple on the table is red. (Singular subject “apple” takes singular verb “is”)
22. The apples on the table are red. (Plural subject “apples” takes plural verb “are”)
23. The car in the driveway is mine. (Singular subject “car” takes singular verb “is”)
24. The cars in the driveway are mine. (Plural subject “cars” takes plural verb “are”)
25. The tree in the yard is tall. (Singular subject “tree” takes singular verb “is”)
26. The trees in the yard are tall. (Plural subject “trees” takes plural verb “are”)
27. The puppy is adorable. (Singular subject “puppy” takes singular verb “is”)
28. The puppies are adorable. (Plural subject “puppies” takes plural verb “are”)
29. The music in the background is soothing. (Singular subject “music” takes singular verb “is”)
30. The songs in the background are soothing. (Plural subject “songs” takes plural verb “