Subject-verb agreement for simple present tense

Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the verb in a sentence must match the subject in number (singular or plural) with a few exceptions. Here are some rules of basic subject-verb agreement.

1. Singular and Plural Subjects:

   • Singular subjects take singular verbs.
   • Plural subjects take plural verbs.
   • "I" and "You" always take plural verbs.

   Examples:

   • Singular: "The cat runs fast."
   • Plural: "The cats run fast."
   • I run in the morning.
   • You run in the morning.
   • He runs in the morning.

2. Subjects Joined by "And":

   • When two subjects are joined by "and," they typically take a plural verb.

   Examples:

   • "The dog and the cat play together."
   • "My brother and sister are coming to the party."

3. Subjects Joined by "Or" or "Nor":

   • When subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.

   Examples:

   • "Neither the teacher nor the students are happy."
   • "Either the students or the teacher is coming."

4. Indefinite Pronouns:

   • Some indefinite pronouns are singular and take a singular verb (e.g., everyone, someone, nobody).
   • Others are plural and take a plural verb (e.g., few, many, several).
   • Some can be singular or plural depending on the context (e.g., all, some).

   Examples:

   • Singular: "Everyone loves a good story."
   • Plural: "Few are chosen."
   • Singular or Plural: "All of the cake is gone." / "All of the cookies are gone."

5. Collective Nouns:

   • Collective nouns (e.g., team, group, family) can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group is being considered as a single unit or as individuals.

   Examples:

   • Single unit: "The team exercises together."
   • Individuals: "The team argue among themselves."

6. Titles and Names:

   • Titles of books, movies, and other works are singular and take a singular verb, even if the title seems plural.

   Examples:

   • "The Chronicles of Narnia is a popular book series."

7. Amounts and Quantities:

   • When referring to an amount of money, time, or measurement, use a singular verb.

   Examples:

   • "Five dollars is enough."
   • "Ten miles is a long distance."

Verb to be

For simple present tense, there are 3 forms of verb to be: is, am, are.

• Am is only used with the subject "I". Examples:
  • I am a student.
  • I am at the hospital.
• Are is used with plural subjects and "You". Examples:
  • They are students.
  • Cats are adorable.
  • You are smart.
• Is is used with singular subjects. Examples:
  • He is a nice person.
  • My cat is very cute.

Verb to have

There are two forms for verb to have in the simple present tense, which are have as a plural verb, and has for a singular verb. The rules are simple:

• For plural subjects, I, and You, use "have".
  • They have a nice house.
  • I have a car.
  • You have a hat.
  • The teachers are very kind.
• For singular subjects, use "has".
  • My mother has a pink purse.
  • The company has a new employee.

Before we move on to the next lesson, let's try some practice questions.