Lesson 4 Subject-verb agreement

 Lesson 4 Subject-verb agreement



Explanation 

examples

Use the base form of the verb for I, you, or plural words or pronouns. 


The third person singular verb is formed by adding -s or -es to the end of the verb. 

I write                                they write

You write                          the students write

We write


He writes                     the teacher writes

She writes                   Edgar writes  

It writes 

Remember to match the verb to the subject, not to other words in the sentence. 


Tip: a prepositional phrase consists of a preposition (at, for, by, with, without, in, of) and an object (a noun). The object of a preposition is not the subject of the sentence. 

The main product of Brazil and Colombia is coffee. 


The main product of Brazil is coffee. 

Tip. collective nouns in American English are often singular. Use the third person singular. 

The team wins every game. 

The couple works in the city. 

Tip: the noun after there is or there are is the subject of that sentence. 

There is a dictionary on the table. 

There are three reasons for my decision. 

Pronouns with every-, some-, or any- are always singular. Nouns with each or every are also singular. 

Everyone has an accent of some kind.

Every student needs a book and a workbook. 

Spelling notes for the third person singular: when a verb ends in a consonant + y, change the -y to -i and add -es. 

When a verb ends in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, or -zz add -es. 

I try               he tries

I watch         she watches

I wash           she washes

You miss      it misses

They tex       the city taxes

You buzz        it buzzes 


Exercise

Find the mistake. 

  1. In my country, most people lives near the coast because the interior is too dry. 

  2. When making a decision about what to do, the morals of a person is very important. 

  3. Sometimes parents and a child does not agree on what is best for the child’s future. 

  4. People say that the airline industry is in trouble and airlines face many economic problems, but all of the flights on my recent vacation trip was full. 

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