1. Subject-Verb Agreement
Editing Invitation
Subject-Verb Agreement
Testing the Ice,
A True Story About Jackie Robinson
By Sharon Robinson
Day 1

2. Invitation to Notice Subject Verb Day 1
Our new house sat in the middle of six acres on a narrow, twisted road named for the waterfall at the end of it.
Day 1
Excerpt from Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson

3. Invitation to Notice Subject Verb Day 1
The lake provided us with the most fun through every season of the year. In the spring, we watched frog eggs hatch into tadpoles.
Day 1
Excerpt from Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson

4. Invitation to Notice Subject Verb Day 1
“Major League Baseball was for whites only. Black- and brown-skinned players had to play in the Negro Leagues. Some of the greatest baseball players were not white. They were denied entry into the major leagues – just because of the color of their skin.
Day 1
Excerpt from Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson

5. Subject-Verb Agreement
the person, place, thing, or idea that is sentence is about.
Subject
Verb
tells what the subject does or is.
If the subject in a sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular.
Subject
Verb
boy
jokes
boys
joke
The boy
jokes.
If the subject in a sentence is plural, the verb must also be plural.
The boys
joke.
Day 1

6. Subject-Verb Agreement:
Base Form Verb
In present tenses, nouns and verbs form plurals in opposite ways.
Nouns ADD an s to the singular form:
Singular Plural
book books
BUT
Verbs REMOVE an s from the singular form:
dances dance
Day 1

7. Subject-Verb Agreement:
Base Form Verb
Present Tense “Right Now”:
In the “right now” or present tense, we add –s or –es to the verbs only when matching to a he, she, or it voice and any nouns that can be replaced by the he, she, or it (Arturo, Alicia, the book).
All other “right now” or present tense verbs are left as they are, the base verb.
Past Tense: When dealing with things that have already happened or the past tense, we simply add an –ed ending to the base verb.
Number
Subject
Present Tense Verb
Past Tense Verb
Singular I
joke
joked
You
He/She/It
jokes
Plural We
They
Day 1

8. Subject-Verb Agreement:
BONUS
Past Tense
Subject-Verb Agreement:
Be, Do, Have
Number
Subject Be Do
Have
Singular I
was
did
had
You
were
He/She/It
Plural We
They
Day 1

9. Subject-Verb Agreement:
Be,Do,Have
Present Tense “Right Now”:
Notice the changes in the “to be” verbs in the I and the he/she/it voice. We say I am and he is. All other cases use are.
Use do with every present tense form except for the he/she/it voice. We say I do, but we never say she do. Instead we say she does (think of does as the –s form of do)
Have verbs follow the same pattern. Think of has as the –s form of have.
Number
Subject Be Do
Have
Singular I am do
have
You
are
He/She/It is
does
has
Plural We
They
Day 1

10. Day 1 Invitation to Imitate
Imitate a sentence using correct subject/verb agreement:
My hair wakes up stupid.
My _____ wake(s) up _________.
body part adjective
Day 1

11. Invitation to Imitate Day 2
Imitate a sentence using correct subject/verb agreement:
The player reacts quickly to the pass.
The _____ reacts _______ to the _____.
noun adverb noun
Day 2

12. Subject Verb Day 2 Invitation to Write
Write a sentence using correct subject/verb agreement:
Subject
Verb
Day 2

13. How are the sentences different from the original?
Invitation to Compare
How are the sentences different from the original?
My parents hate that I am Arthur.
My parents hates that I am Arthur.
My parents hate that I were Arthur.
My parent hate that I am Arthur.
Day 2

14. Day 3 Test Talk: We Try It Together!
(1) Joel wants to buy a guitar. (2) He knows that guitars are very expensive. (3) He hope to find a good used one. (4) Although he likes the sound of an electric guitar, he would have to buy an amp (5) Many rock stars plays electric guitars. (6) Joel’s best friend, who has been taking lessons for about two years, say Joel should buy an acoustic guitar. (7) Even if there is no electricity, he can still play and create great music.
1. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 3?
A. Change He to Him
B. Change hope to hoped
C. Change hope to hopes
D. Change hope to want
Day 3

15. Day 3 Test Talk: We Try It Together!
(1) Joel wants to buy a guitar. (2) He knows that guitars are very expensive. (3) He hope to find a good used one. (4) Although he likes the sound of an electric guitar, he would have to buy an amp (5) Many rock stars plays electric guitars. (6) Joel’s best friend, who has been taking lessons for about two years, say Joel should buy an acoustic guitar. (7) Even if there is no electricity, he can still play and create great music.
2. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 5?
A. Change rock stars to Rock Stars
B. Change stars to stars’
C. Change plays to play
D. Change electric to electrics
Day 3

16. Day 3 Test Talk: We Try It Together!
(1) Joel wants to buy a guitar. (2) He knows that guitars are very expensive. (3) He hope to find a good used one. (4) Although he likes the sound of an electric guitar, he would have to buy an amp (5) Many rock stars plays electric guitars. (6) Joel’s best friend, who has been taking lessons for about two years, say Joel should buy an acoustic guitar. (7) Even if there is no electricity, he can still play and create great music.
3. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 6?
A. Change Joel’s to Joels
B. Delete the comma after friend
C. Change taking to takes
D. Change say to says
Day 3

17. Test Talk: I Try It!
(1) If he wants, Joel can buy an electric pickup for his acoustic guitar. (2) Salespeople tells Joel that some top performers have acoustic guitars. (3) A music store only six blocks from his house have three good used guitars. (4) Joel has asked his father to help him pick out the right guitar. (5) His father plays guitar and is excited that Joel wants to learn how to play. (6) Joel have saved half the cost of the guitar that he wants to buy. (7) If his father agrees to pay the rest of the cost, Joel will repay his parents.
1. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 2?
A. Change salespeople to salespersons
B. Change tells to tell
C. Add a comma after performers
D. Change have to has
Day 4

18. Test Talk: I Try It!
(1) If he wants, Joel can buy an electric pickup for his acoustic guitar. (2) Salespeople tells Joel that some top performers have acoustic guitars. (3) A music store only six blocks from his house have three good used guitars. (4) Joel has asked his father to help him pick out the right guitar. (5) His father plays guitar and is excited that Joel wants to learn how to play. (6) Joel have saved half the cost of the guitar that he wants to buy. (7) If his father agrees to pay the rest of the cost, Joel will repay his parents.
2. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 3?
A. Change store to stores
B. Add a comma after house
C. Change have to had
D. Change have to has
Day 4

19. Test Talk: I Try It!
(1) If he wants, Joel can buy an electric pickup for his acoustic guitar. (2) Salespeople tells Joel that some top performers have acoustic guitars. (3) A music store only six blocks from his house have three good used guitars. (4) Joel has asked his father to help him pick out the right guitar. (5) His father plays guitar and is excited that Joel wants to learn how to play. (6) Joel have saved half the cost of the guitar that he wants to buy. (7) If his father agrees to pay the rest of the cost, Joel will repay his parents.
3. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 6?
A. Change have to had
B. Change have to has
C. Add a comma after guitar
D. Change wants to want
Day 4