Subject/Verb Agreement
(4)
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________ Period _____
Collective Nouns may be either singular or plural. The noun is singular when it
refers to the group as ____________________. The noun is plural when it refers to the
individuals in the group acting _____________________.
Examples:
a. The jury was presenting the verdict to the judge.
b. The jury were discussing the case in the jury room.
Exercise: Identify the correct verb in each sentence.
1. The obstreperous crowd (was / were) fighting for their lives.
2. The crowd (was / were) a quiet one.
3. The tenacious team (is / are) talking over some new plays.
4. The team (is / are) the best in the country.
5. The audience (applaud / applauds) the young soloist.
6. The audience (is / are) divided in their response.
7. The herd of elephants (was / were) fighting for position by the river.
8. The club (sponsor / sponsors) a carwash each September.
Nouns ending in ‘s’ look plural but are actually singular.
Examples:
a. Measles is a common ailment.
b. World economics has a direct bearing on world peace.
Exercise:
1. Physics (require / requires) a good imagination.
2. Pediatrics (is / are) a branch of medicine dealing with infants and children.
3. Mathematics (is / are) John’s favorite subject.
4. Politics (is / are) an interesting career choice.
Titles of works of art, literature, and music are singular.
Examples:
a. The Outsiders is a popular young adult novel.
b. Great Expectations is a novel you will read in ninth grade.
c. Blue Lines is an early painting by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Words and phrases that express weights, measures, numbers,
and lengths of time are often treated as singular.
Examples:
a. Three pounds is the approximate weight of an adult human’s brain.
b. Five hours was a long time to wait for lunch.
Exercise:
1. Fifteen dollars (is / are) too much to spend on a movie ticket!
2. Three teaspoons of sugar (is / are) too much for me.
3. Ten grams (is / are) a decagram.
4. Fifty cents (is / are) not much money today.
5. Two hours sometimes (seem / seems) like a very long time.
6. Six feet (is / are) the average length of our tables.
7. Four years (is / are) a long time to spend away from your friends and family.
8. Two ounces of the spice (cost / costs) more than I want to spend.
Sentences beginning with here and there
When the subject follows the verb as in sentences beginning with __________________ and
____________________ and in questions, find the subject and make sure the verb agrees
with it in number.
Examples:
a. Here is my seat.
b. There are exciting rides at the fair.
Exercise: Which sentences are correct? Why? (hint: Find the subject first.)
1. There’s more cookies in the cookie jar. _________________________________________
2. There are fourteen thousand people in my town. ________________________________
3. Here’s my umbrella. _________________________________________________________
4. Where are my boots? ________________________________________________________
5. Here are the CDs I borrowed. _________________________________________________
6. There’s no easy answer to that question. ________________________________________