Rule
#1:
The
verb must agree with its
subject.
|
The rule is simple, but you should
be careful in identifying the subject
and the verb in a sentence.
| Singular
subject |
Singular
verb |
Plural
subject |
Plural
verb |
| I |
jog. |
We |
jog. |
| You |
sing. |
You |
sing. |
| She |
walks. |
They |
walk. |
| It |
is. |
They |
are. |
If
the subject is singular, the
verb should be singular;
if the subject is plural, the
verb should be plural.
|
Examples:
David plays football.
David (singular
subject) ---- plays (singular
verb).
- Singular verb plays ends in
"s".
The Jackson girls
play football.
girls (plural subject)
---- play (plural verb).
- Plural subject
girls ends in
"s". Plural verb play
does not end in
"s".
When
the subject ends with an "s", it is almost always
plural.
When
the verb ends with an "s", it is almost always singular.
Examples:
- Smoking and drinking are
[not is] not good for your health.
- Zinc and Vitamin C play
[not plays] an active and crucial role in the fight
against colds.
- The debate continues
(not continue) to create division between all sectors
of society.
- Never before has
(not have) there been such widespread interest
in the existence of UFOs as there is now.
- Debt, unemployment and angst are
(not is) what today's post-secondary graduate can
expect to face upon finishing his or her degree.
Next to Subject-Verb Agreement 1:
Test Yourself
Back to Parallelism 3: Test Yourself
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