Subject-verb agreement rules dictate that: 1. Singular subjects require a singular verb form while plural subjects require a plural verb form. 2. When subjects are joined by "and", they take a plural verb form unless the subjects themselves are already plural. 3. Irregular plural nouns like "children" and "oxen" still follow subject-verb agreement rules. Expressions of time, money, weight or volume take singular verb forms even though they are plural in form. Proper identification of the subject is needed when sentences begin with "there" or "here".

1. Subject – Verb
Agreement
Why do subjects and verbs have to
agree? After all, they are only words!

2. Rules in Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Every verb must agree with its subject.
Singular Plural
Subject Subject
Singular Plural
Verb Verb

3. To be correct, subjects and verbs must agree…
Do not be confused. 
To make a noun plural, we add –s
Singular: girl
Plural: girls
To make a verb plural, we take away the –s.
Singular: he talks
Plural: they talk

4. Watch the verb endings!
Singular Plural
• I walk • We walk
• You walk • You walk
• He/She/It walk s • They walk
– Joe walks. – Joe and Maria walk.
– The girl walks. – The girls walk.

5. Rule Number 1
1. Generally, if the subject doesn’t end in –S,
the verb will.
If the subject does end in –S, the verb won’t.

6. No –S on
subject
-S on
verb
The girl dances

7. –S on
subject
No -S
on verb
The girls dance

8. Let’s Practice:
1. He (talk, talks) quietly.
2. They (read, reads) their assigned
books.
3. Kim (go, goes) to the coffee shop
every weekend.
4. We (write, writes) letters for our friend
abroad.
5. Ian (sing, sings) well.

9. Rule Number 2: Compound subjects joined by “and”
If there are two or more subjects joined by and, the subject must be
plural, so the verb will not get an “s”.
No –S on
For example: verb
The boy and the girl dance.

10. Let’s Practice:
1. A car and a bike (is, are) my means of transportation.
2. The dog and the cat (run, runs) around the house.
3. Kim and I (spend, spends) our free time reading books.
4. The teacher and the students (was, were) able to present
something last MUFTI Day.
5. The Math book and the notebook (provide, provides)
information about the lesson.

11. 3. Do not forget that some common English words
have irregular plurals.
The child is doing the assignment.
The children are doing the assignment.
The ox is important to the farmers.
The oxen are important to the farmers.

12. Let’s Practice
1. The cacti (is, are) important for the travelers
in the desert.
2. Bacterium (affect, affects) our immune
system.
3. Parentheses (tell, tells) the readers something.
4. The criteria for judging (show, shows) that the
contest is a tough one.
5. The alumnus of the school usually (visit,
visits) during summer vacation.

13. Rule Number 4: “There” and “Here”
When sentences start with “there” or “here,”
the subject will always be placed after the
verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it
correctly.
• There is a problem with the balance sheet.
• There are problems with the balance sheet.

14. Let’s Practice
1. There (is, are) four coins on top of the fridge.
2. Here (is, are) the bag that you want to
borrow.
3. Here (is, are) your things needed for your
field trip.
4. There (is, are) three problems that he cannot
solve right now.
5. Here (is, are) your Math book.

15. Rule Number 5: Expressions about
time, money, weight and volume
Expressions stating amount of time, money,
weight, volume are plural in form but take a
singular verb as in:
• Three weeks is a long time.
• Two hundred dollars is a lot of money.

16. Let’s Practice