1. Presented by the UTA English Writing Center
Verb Usage
Presented by the UTA English Writing Center
Updated 11/20/2014 TW

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3. Workshop Leaders The Writing Center Executive Staff Presented by:

4. The Problem
My neighbor’s dog have a bad habit of chasing its own tail.
The Texas Rangers is traveling to Seattle for a three game series.
Her grandmother make the best pecan pie in the world.

5. Subject/Verb Agreement
As you probably noticed in the previous examples, mistakes in subject/verb agreement are some of the most likely mistakes for readers to notice.
In standard English, the subject of a sentence needs to agree in number with the verb of a sentence. If the subject is singular, the verb needs to also be singular. If it’s plural, then the verb is plural. Etc.

7. Common Mistakes
While most S/V agreement choices are straightforward, there are some tricky examples that commonly cause errors:
Indefinite Pronouns
Collective Nouns
Hard-to-identity subjects

8. Indefinite Pronouns
Perhaps the most common S/V agreement mistakes occur because of indefinite pronouns. Here’s a list of common examples, categorized by the number:
Singular
anybody
anyone
anything
each
everybody
everyone
everything
nobody
no one
nothing
somebody
someone
something
Singular or Plural
all
any
either
more
most
neither
none
some
Plural
few
many
several

9. Collective Nouns
“Collective nouns are singular in form but name a group: team, band, jury, committee, family, audience, government. Such nouns can be either singular or plural.”
“To make the best verb choice, decide whether a collective noun used as a subject acts as a single unit (the audience) or as separate individuals or parts (the members of the audience).”
Ex. The audience is appreciative. (Singular)
Ex. The audience are clapping their hands. (Plural)

10. Hard-to-Identify Subjects
“Subject-verb agreement errors may occur when subjects are separated from their verbs by modifying words or phrases. When you are editing for subject-verb agreement, first identify the subject; then you can put the right verb with it.”
Ex. Each of the whales makes a unique sound. (Singular because “each” is the subject, not “the whales”)
Ex. Both elements of the case are hard to decide. (Plural because “both elements” is the subject, not “the case”)

11. Practice
Take a few minutes to correct or revise the following sentences:
The National Weather Service, as well as many police officers, wish amateurs wouldn’t chase severe storms in their cars.
Peace and quite are rare on the Texas plains this spring.
The choir expect to choose a variety of hymns.
The jury is deadlocked, but they are determined to finish before day’s end.
Hemingway is one of those authors who is not much read today.

12. The Problem
When I was a young child, I always ride my bike to my friend’s house.
Someday soon, that building was bought by someone else.
The dog usually chased his tail while he will go to the park.

13. Verb Tense
As you probably noticed with the previous examples, mistakes in verb tense are often quite easy to notice.
In standard English, the tense of a sentence needs to remain consistent. Changes in tense need to be clear, and if they are not they cause serious issues for a sentence.
Basic tenses: Past; Present; and Future

15. Verb Tenses Present: They walk. Past: They walked.
Future: They will walk.
Perfect tenses indicate ordering of events in the past, present, or future.
Present Perfect: They have walked.
Past Perfect: They had walked.
Future Perfect: They will have walked.

16. Common Irregular Verbs
Common Mistakes
Perhaps the most common verb tense mistakes occur because of the PERFECT tenses and also because of long, complex sentences that make writers unsure of what tense to use. Also, many verb tense mistakes are made because of irregular verbs.
Common Irregular Verbs
Feel: He feels. He felt. He will feel.
Think: He thinks. He thought. He will think.
Drive: He drives. He drove. He will drive.
Catch: He catches. He caught. He will catch.
IRREGULAR VERBS are verbs that do not follow the basic verb tense forms, such as –ed for simple past. Many of these are easy to catch because they are quite common; others are tricky, especially when using the PERFECT tense (ex. Drink; Buy; etc.).

17. Rules of Thumb
This is not a question tat you would typically want asked due to inconsistency in verb tenses. So…
BE CONSISTENT. One of the most common mistakes when it comes to verb tense in academic writing is inconsistent tense. What this means is that you want to always remain consistent in your tense within sections of writing. Although there are exceptions, tense should remain consistent within sentences and paragraphs.

18. More Rules of Thumb
IN MOST ACADEMIC WRITING, use present tense when talking about research or scholarly work. For example, we say that Shakespeare writes, not that he wrote (even though this clearly happened in the past).
When working with PERFECT tenses and participles, the key is to pay close attention to the AUXILIARY verbs you are using. If you aren’t sure if you are correct, LOOK IT UP!

19. Practice Take a few minutes to correct revise the following sentences:
Before practice started, the pitcher will stretch his arm.
Last summer it rains all that time.
The choir leader had unlocked the door when the students show up for class.
In the future, cars will have no wheels.
Henrietta’s cousin always rode in the backseat of the car because, as she says, she never does like to be the person closest to the driver.

20. The Problem
Some groups who are in opposition to the death penalty believe that there are questions about its morality.
This sentence is in need of an active verb.
American society has long had a fascination with celebrities.

21. Verb Choice Make sure verbs convey real actions.
When possible, express that action in a single lively verb.
Identify the action and the real agent in a sentence.

23. Common Mistakes
Faulty Predication: As sentences grow longer, you can sometimes lose the logical connection between subjects and predicates—a problem called faulty predication. Remember that verbs must describe actions that their subjects can in fact perform. Faulty Predication: Green Day’s punk opera American Idiot begins as an alienated loner wandering the bleak streets of urban America. Revised: Green Day’s punk opera American Idiot follows the life of a loner wandering the bleak streets of urban America.

24. Rules of Thumb
Replace to be verbs whenever possible. Although to be verbs (be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being)are important, they’re duller than verbs that illustrate activity. When you have a choice, go with an action verb.
Reduce the number of passive verbs. Though not every passive verb can or should be made active, passive verb constructions can make readers word hard to figure our who is doing what to whom. To identify passive verbs that may need revision, look for sentences in which the action is done to the subject.
Sometimes a string of prepositional phrases indicates that a dull verb serves as the predicate.

25. Practice Take a few minutes to correct/revise the following sentences:
The chairperson must give consideration to the advice that we give.
It is the tendency of adolescents to be more concerned about the opinion of others in their age group than they are about the values parents are trying to instill in them.
Madison was selected by Representative Barton for an appointment to the Air Force Academy.
In response to the issue of equality for educational and occupational mobility, it is my belief that a system of inequality exists in the school system.

26. Writing Center Tutoring
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We can help you at any stage of the writing process. However, we do not “fix” your paper; instead, we provide thoughtful feedback and facilitate discussions to help you grow and improve as a writer.

27. Upcoming Workshops GrammarShops Searchable Resources
We will also be offering weekly grammar workshops this semester covering various grammatical concepts. Check our schedule ( or our calendar at the UTA OWL website ( for days and times.
Searchable Resources
You can also find help for a variety of issues through our A-Z searchable resources on our website. Go to

28. Resources
The quotes and examples in this PowerPoint come from the following sources:
The Scott, Foresman Writer (Custom UTA Edition); pgs ,
Revising Prose, 5th edition (Richard Lanham, )
U of Houston-Victoria (Student Success Center,
“Making Subject and Verbs Agree”;
“Self Teaching Unit: Subject-Verb Agreement”;