Across the Disciplines
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Every sentence has a subject and a verb. The subject is who or what the sentence is about. A verb describes the action or state of being of the subject. Nearly all present tense verbs have two forms: one that ends in -s and one that does not. The end of a verb has an -s or no -s, depending on whether its subject is singular or plural. A singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb.
A present-tense verb that describes the action of a subject that is a singular noun usually ends in -s.
For
example:
Jim studies at Valley College.
The dog barks when the children ride by on bicycles.
She lives in Los Angeles.
A plural noun usually ends with an -s. In a sentence with a plural noun as a subject, the verb will usually not end in -s.
For
example:
Several students wait in the classroom for their teacher.
Forty cows graze in the pasture.
The professors teach many different subjects.
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Verbs in the Present Tense Sample Verb: To leap |
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Singular
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Plural
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If the subject is
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The verb is
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If the subject is
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The verb is
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1st Person: I
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leap
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1st Person:We
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leap
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2nd Person: You
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leap
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2nd Person:You
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leap
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3rd Person: He She It |
leaps
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3rd Person: They |
leap
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*Use an -s or -es ending on the verb only when the subject is he, she or it. (fawcett346) |
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The Rule of One -s for Nouns and Verbs
Singular: Noun without -s = verb with -s
(The student studies in the library.)
Plural: Noun with -s = verb without -s
(The students study in the library)
(Myers 146)
Exercise:
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In the winter, bears (hibernate) for several weeks.
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When she goes to school, she (learn) .
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In Bali, the locals (practice) their own variation of Hinduism.
- In order to stay underwater for a long time, a scuba-diver (breathe) oxygen from a tank.
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When the weather is bad, students (play) cards indoors.
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A lemur usually (live) most of its life in a tree.
This handout is based on the following texts:
Fawcett, Susan, and Alan Sandburg. Evergreen: A Guide to Writing. 4th
ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. 346-56.
Meyers, Alan. Writing with Confidence. 5th ed. New York: Harper
Collins, 1994. 144-78.
For furthur reference, see also:
Beason, Larry, and Mark Lester. ACommon Sense Guide to Grammar
and Usage. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 70-
95.
Fawcett, Susan, and Alan Sandburg. Grassroots with Readings: The
Writer's Workbook. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton and
Mifflin,1998. 96-119.
All of the above texts are available in the Writing Center.
