1. UNIT 1 SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT
Verbs must agree with subjects in number and person
UNIT 1 SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

2. Find the elements of ‘subject-verb’!
A very strange thing happened on the way to work.
That very popular tourist hotel will soon open for the summer season.
The 6:40 express train from Newtown at long last arrived at the crowded station.
The securely wrapped package of spare parts for the tractor came yesterday by registered mail.

3. ‘PERSON’ SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
EXAMPLES
1st person singular
1st person plural
2nd person singular
2nd person plural
3rd person singular
3rd person plural
All persons in past tense
All persons with modals I WE
YOU
HE, SHE, IT
THEY
All persons
(ordinary verbs)
I speak Japanese
We speak Japanese
You speak Japanese
He/ she speaks Japanese
They speak Japanese
She spoke Japanese
I spoke Japanese
They should speak Japanese
He will speak Japanese

4. ‘NUMBER’ SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
SINGULAR VERB
PLURAL VERB
EXPLANATION
My friend lives in Boston.
That book on political parties is interesting.
My friends and I live in Boston.
The ideas in that book are interesting.
Verb + -s/-es: verb which belongs to third person singular subject (in the simple present tense).
Noun + -s/-es: plural form of noun.
Two (or more) subjects take a plural verb.
The prepositional phrase that comes between a subject and a verb does not affect the verb.

5. ‘NUMBER’ SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
SINGULAR VERB
PLURAL VERB
EXPLANATION
Each book and magazine is listed in the catalog.
Growing flowers is her hobby
Some books and magazines are not listed in the catalog.
Every/each are always followed by singular subjects. Even when there are two (or more) nouns connected by ‘and’, the verb is singular.
Some or other plural determiners are always followed by plural subjects and the verb is plural.
A gerund used as the subject of a sentence takes a singular verb.

6. ‘NUMBER’ SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
SINGULAR VERB
PLURAL VERB
EXPLANATION
My family has a villa in Bogor.
Economics is one of his favorite subject.
The book came yesterday.
There are more than ten families in that neighborhood.
The books came yesterday.
We use collective nouns in the singular when we consider them as a group rather than individuals and vice versa.
Some irregular nouns take a singular verb (areas of study, country name, etc.)
The simple past form of the ordinary verb does not change when the person or number of the subject changes.

7. EXERCISES

8. UNDERLINE THE CORRECT VERB!
The students in the Economics Faculty (has, have) a very heavy workload.
The problem with Patrick is that he seldom (relax, relaxes) after work.
Despite the awful weather, the hockey match (was, were) not postponed.
My friend, Kim Bum, (has, have) not written a letter to me for a long time.
Many students (start, starts) to sum short of money towards the end of the term.

9. UNDERLINE THE CORRECT VERB!
The lecturer sometimes (doesn’t, don’t) give us enough time to take down his notes.
The main aim of this course (are, is) to help you improve your English.
It (is, are) sometimes very difficult to identify errors a student (make, makes).
I agree with what he (say, says) about the problem of getting a job after graduating.
She will (trust, trusts) you totally if you (has, have) enough proof.

10. FIND THE INCORRECT PARTS THEN CORRECT THEM!
The books that I read was interesting
A B C D
Scientists at the medical center is trying A
to determine if there is a relationship
B C
between saccharine and cancer D

11. FIND THE INCORRECT PARTS THEN CORRECT THEM!
There is twenty-six bones in human foot,
A B
fourteen of them are in the toes
C D
Each number in a binary system are
A B
formed from only two symbols
C D

12. FIND THE INCORRECT PARTS THEN CORRECT THEM!
I enjoy life very much as a student. Although my life are very occupied with studying and writing papers and projects, this do not mean that I do not have time for other things. I play for the soccer team. Our team are one of the best in the league and we has only lost one match so far this season. Our captain play an important part in our team’s performance.

13. FIND THE INCORRECT PARTS THEN CORRECT THEM!
Last week we was playing in Kepong and we almost lost that match – our captain were carried off with a broken leg. He is now in hospital. The players visit him everyday and he is recovering quickly. We all hopes he will be fit for the big inter – varsity tournament which take place next month. Our players might not be on his top form for this time.