Subject Verb Agreement

Rule  A verb must agree with it’s subject in number Singular subjects should have singular verbs Plural subjects – plural verbs

Hints  Use “he” and “they” as substitutes for a subject to find a correct verb He is always singular (only one guy) They is always plural (two people, at least)  He runs/ they run  He walks/ they walk  Singular verbs usually end in “s” Runs, walks, plays

Examples  Early detectives (is/are) Sherlock Holmes and his assistant.  This book (describes/describe) ways to find evidence.  In the play, a neighbor (reports/report) a murder.  The officers (have/has) been looking for a clue.

Be careful!  The subject of a verb is never in a prepositional phrase or an appositive phrase.  Don’t be fooled by words that come in between the subject and the verb

Examples  The files of any computer (is/are) vulnerable to electronic-age thieves.  A computer thief with the right codes (control/controls) all the data files.  These thieves, people like Kevin Mitniek, (steal/steals) many files.  Mitnick, the most cunning of thieves, (was/were) caught by one of his victims.

Any Questions?  Turn to page 159