Subject–Verb Agreement
The subject and verb in a sentence must match — singular subjects use singular verbs, and plural subjects use plural verbs.
Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Subject–verb agreement as an interactive lesson.
Try the lessonDefinition
Subject–verb agreement means the action word (verb) in a sentence has to match its naming word (subject). If the subject is just one person or thing, the verb must show that. If the subject is more than one person or thing, the verb must show that too. They have to agree, or work together, like a matching pair of socks.
Remember the rule
One subject → add -s to the verb (she runs). More than one subject → drop the -s (they run). Think: the -s travels from the noun to the verb when there is only one!
Key words
- Subject
- The person, place, animal, or thing a sentence is about. It tells us WHO or WHAT is doing the action.
- Verb
- The action word in a sentence. It tells us what the subject is doing, like run, jumps, or eats.
- Singular
- Just one — one dog, one teacher, one apple.
- Plural
- More than one — two dogs, three teachers, many apples.
- Agreement
- When the subject and verb match each other correctly and the sentence sounds right.
- Does not agree
- When the subject and verb do NOT match, making the sentence sound wrong, like 'The dog run home.'
- Helping verb
- A small verb like is, are, was, or were that works with the main verb, such as 'is running' or 'are playing.'
- Irregular verb
- A verb that does not follow the normal rules, like the verb 'to be,' which becomes am, is, or are depending on the subject.
Worked examples
Choose the correct verb: The cat ___ on the rug. (sit / sits)
→ The cat sits on the rug. · 'Cat' is singular (one cat), so we use 'sits' with the -s ending.
Choose the correct verb: The dogs ___ in the yard. (play / plays)
→ The dogs play in the yard. · 'Dogs' is plural (more than one), so we use 'play' without the -s.
Choose the correct verb: She ___ her homework every night. (do / does)
→ She does her homework every night. · 'She' is a singular pronoun, so it needs 'does,' the singular form.
Choose the correct verb: My friends and I ___ soccer after school. (play / plays)
→ My friends and I play soccer after school. · 'My friends and I' means more than one person, so we use the plural verb 'play.'
Fix this sentence: The bird fly over the house.
→ The bird flies over the house. · 'Bird' is singular, so the verb needs to be 'flies,' not 'fly.'
Fix this sentence: They runs to the park every morning.
→ They run to the park every morning. · 'They' is plural, so the verb should be 'run' without the -s.
Common mistakes
- Adding -s to the verb when the subject is plural — writing 'The kids plays' instead of 'The kids play.'
- Forgetting to add -s to the verb when the subject is singular — writing 'She run' instead of 'She runs.'
- Getting confused when the subject and verb are separated by other words, like 'The box of crayons are on the desk' — 'box' is the real subject, so it should be 'is.'
- Mixing up is and are — using 'is' with a plural subject, like 'The puppies is cute' instead of 'The puppies are cute.'
- Getting tripped up by the verb 'to be' — forgetting that I use 'am,' he/she/it uses 'is,' and we/you/they use 'are.'
FAQs
How do I find the subject so I know which verb to use?
Ask yourself: WHO or WHAT is the sentence about? That word is your subject. Once you find it, decide if it is one thing (singular) or more than one thing (plural), and then pick the matching verb.
Why does the singular verb get the -s but the plural noun also ends in -s? That is confusing!
You are right, it feels backwards! When a noun is plural, it usually gets the -s (dogs, cats). But then the verb does NOT get the -s. When a noun is singular, it has no -s, and the verb DOES get the -s. Think of it as the -s jumping back and forth between them.
What if the subject is 'I'? Do I say 'I runs'?
No! 'I' is a special subject. We always say 'I run,' 'I play,' 'I eat' — never add -s after 'I.' The only exception is the verb 'to be' — we say 'I am,' not 'I is.'
What about sentences with 'and,' like 'Tom and Sara'? Is that singular or plural?
When two subjects are joined by 'and,' treat them as plural — more than one. So you would say 'Tom and Sara run to the store,' not 'runs.'
Does this rule work for past tense verbs too?
Most past tense verbs look the same for singular and plural, like 'She walked' and 'They walked.' But the verb 'to be' is still tricky in the past — use 'was' for singular (she was) and 'were' for plural (they were).
How can my child practice subject–verb agreement at home?
Try reading sentences aloud together — wrong ones often sound funny! You can also play a game where you say a subject and your child calls out the right verb. Reading books and listening for how sentences sound is one of the best ways to build this skill naturally.
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