Subject/Verb Agreement
(1)
Name __________________________________ Date ________________ Period _____

A verb agrees with its subject in ____________________.
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The number of a subject is not changed by a
_____________________________________ following the subject.
Examples:
a. The descriptions [in the poem] [about Paul Revere] almost (makes / make) you
forget where you are.
b. Every student [in Miss Griffin’s classes] (memorizes / memorize) a few lines of a
poem.
Exercise A ~ Circle the form of the verb in parentheses that agrees with the subject.
1. The capacious houses on my block (has / have) two stories.
2. My favorite collection of poems (is / are) Where the Sidewalk Ends.
3. People in some states (observe / observes) the fourth Friday in September as
Native American Day.
4. The impoverished children of the world (need / needs) food and medicine.
5. The cucumbers in my garden (grow / grows) very quickly.
6. The arbitrary decision of the umpires (was / were) overruled.
7. The depth of some of these lakes (has / have) never been measured.
8. His answers to our question (change / changes) everything.
9. Clarity in writing and speaking (are / is) paramount to success.
10. Those birds in the tree (is / are) finches.
11. The book on ancient legends (was / were) interesting.
Exercise B ~ Place an S above the subject in each sentence. Then circle the form of the
verb in parentheses that agrees with the subject.
1. Koalas in the wild and in captivity (eat / eats) only eucalyptus leaves.
2. Millions of people (live / lives) in large cities.
3. Some lighthouses on the coast (has / have) not been occupied for years.
4. The mean cockroaches in the ramshackle building (laugh / laughs) at Raid!
5. Nell, with her three dogs close behind, (run / runs) through the park every day.
6. The seams in my new coat (has split / have split) after only two days.
7. A cheeseburger with pickles and tomatoes (is / are) my usual lunch.
8. One of my son’s worst habits (is / are) leaving an assortment of dirty plates on
the kitchen counter every morning.
9. The rust spots on the back of Maria’s car (require / requires) cleaning with a
special kind of polish.
10. The collection of medicine bottles in my bathroom (overflow / overflows) the
cabinet shelves.
11. The weather (is / are) hot and humid.
12. The water (drip / drips) from the rain spout.
13. The competitive sprinters (dash / dashes) across the finish line.
14. Charlie (was / were) spending the afternoon rowing on the river.
15. We (water / waters) all of our plants each week.
16. The new carpets (cover / covers) the floors in the whole house.
17. Margie’s idea (seem / seems) frivolous to me.
18. My parents (have / has) been thinking about moving to a new house.
19. Every Saturday I (clean / cleans) my room.
20. The dexterous ballet dancers (float / floats) across the stage like angels.
_________________________ INDEPENDENT PRACTICE _________________________
Circle the form of the verb in parentheses that agrees with the subject. On the line
before each sentence, classify each italicized word by writing S for singular or P for
plural.
_____ 1. It is amazing that oysters (create / creates) such beautiful pearls.
_____ 2. In the spring, trees (sprout / sprouts) leaves quickly when it rains.
_____ 3. Children from all over the neighborhood (want / wants) to attend the birthday
party.
_____ 4. Tomorrow’s championship game (has / have) been rescheduled.
_____ 5. The gentleman with the red bow tie (look / looks) like my grandfather.
_____ 6. Our local library (offer / offers) a huge selection of best-sellers.
_____ 7. The winner of the grand prize (is / are) the spaniel.
_____ 8. Musicians from our high school (perform / performs) at the end of the show.
_____ 9. Concerned parents (is / are) encouraging their children to wear sunscreen.
_____ 10. Mars, an unusual planet, (have / has) two moons.