Subject-Verb Agreement

Look AgainLesson 3

Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Every sentence has a subject and a verb. These two must agree, or “sound right.”If a subject is singular, then the verb is also

considered singular.If a subject is plural, then the verb is also

considered plural.To tell if subject/verb is singular or plural,

look at the noun in the subject.

Examples:• A plant needs air, water and

sunlight. (plant is singular, so both the subject and verb are singular)

• Plants need warmth to grow. (plants is plural, so both the subject and verb are plural).

What happens when they are wrong? Tell your partner

how you would fix it:• The boy eat pizza.

(“eat” should be “eats.”)

• Dogs plays in the yard.

(“plays” should be “play.”)

Comprehension and Language Arts BookPage 70

Try It!Write S if the sentence has a singular subject and verb and P

if the sentence has a plural subject and verb.

1. A house plant grows indoors. _______

2. Herbs are plants used in cooking. _____________

3. Wildflowers grow by themselves outside. _________

4. An evergreen tree keeps its leaves all year

long. _____________

S

P

P

S

PracticeWrite am, is, or are to agree with the subject in each

sentence.

5. We ______ learning about plants and trees.

6. A tree ______ is a wooded plant.

Write have or has to agree with the subject in each sentence.

7. Evergreens ________ leaves or needles.

8. The desert _____ many plants.

are

is

have

has

ProofreadRead the following sentences. Choose the verb in

parentheses that correctly completes each sentence.

9. Leaves ______________ color in the fall.

(change, changes)

10. A cactus plant ________ spines, but no

leaves. (has, have)

change

has