Honors Subject-Verb Agreement

Bell Work Underline the subject(s) of each sentence below. Box the verb(s) in each sentence below. 1. Dan and Carly ride their bikes to work every day. 2. Spencer builds award-winning machines for his school’s Robotics Team. 3. Gianna voted for Tyler for Senior Class President. 4. Roger asked Phil for a slice of his famous apple pie.

Subject vs. Verb Define both terms with someone around you. subject verb

Subject vs. Verb Subject: The person or think that is doing or being something in a sentence. Ex. The Auburn football team played really well on Sunday night. Verb: An action or state of being; what the subject is doing. Ex. My aunt Milly laughs like a witch. Ex. My aunt Milly is crazy.

A verb MUST agree with its subject in number. This is called Subject-Verb Agreement! If a subject is singular, the verb must be singular. Brazil (is/are) the largest country in South America. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. Most beaches in Brazil (has/have) beautiful white sand.

But what if your subject is mysterious? Almost everyone in Brazil (live/lives) near the Atlantic coast. Many of Brazil’s people (speak/speaks) Portuguese. No one (travel/travels) to the rainforest alone.

Let’s practice! Individually: ONLY THE FIRST SEVEN QUESTIONS! On the worksheet handed to you, correctly write the verb to agree with the subject. If the verb or verbs are correct, write “C.” Do so for #s 1-7

Swap your paper with someone near you. Let’s correct it together. Correct your partner’s sheet as we go over it as a class.

But what if it gets a little more complicated? Compound subjects: a subject that contains more than one nouns. Can be connected with “and,” “or,” or “nor.” Each has its own agreement rule. AND: Ecuador and Chile (are/is) the only South American countries that do not touch Brazil’s border. OR or NOR Either concerned citizens or the World Bank (manage/s) a new rain forest conservation program.

Rules of Thumb And: usually needs a plural verb Or, Nor: the verb should agree with the subject nearest the verb.

BUT…WHAT IF…Your sentences are worded unusually? When the subject is separated from the verb by words or phrases, be sure that the verb agrees with the subject. The Amazon River basin, which extends for more than 4,000 miles, (are/is) the largest river basin in the world. What’s the subject?

Con’t When the subject comes AFTER the verb in a sentence, be sure that the verb agrees with the “true subject.” There is more water carried by the Amazon than by the world’s ten next largest rivers combined. Feeding this great river are more than 1,000 tributaries.

Let’s practice! INDIVIDUALLY! Answer the last 5 questions on your worksheet. Choose the correct verb for each of those sentences.

Swap your paper Let’s correct it together

Homework Due tomorrow! 28 question worksheet identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement.

Final Check-in What is subject-verb agreement? What types of sentences did we discuss in today’s lessons?