Verb Agreement

A subject and present tense verb must agree:

The monitor blinks. (singular subject, singular verb)

The monitors blink. (plural subject, plural verb)

Only third person singular subjects (he, she, it take verbs ending in s or es)

She jumps rope.

He drives cars.

It seems that the answer is correct.

Three troublesome present tense verbs are to be, to have, and to do.

To be:

I am
You are
He is
She is
It is
We are
You are
They are

To have:

I have
You have
We have
They have
He has
She has
It has

To do:

I do
You do
We do
They do
He does
She does
It does

To Do + Not

do + not = don't

do + not = doesn't

He does
He doesn't
We do
We don't
I do
I don't
They do
They don't
She does
She doesn't
They do
They don't
It does
It doesn't
You do
You don't

To be sure that your verb agrees with your subject, mentally change the subject into a pronoun, and then select the correct from of the verb.

If the subject is	it can be changed to the pronoun
the speaker himself or herself	I
masculine and singular (Sam, one man)	he
feminine and singular (Brittany, a woman)	she
neither masculine nor feminine and singular (a thing or an action) (this clock, hate, racing)	it
a group the includes the speaker (the family and I)	we
a group of persons or things not including the speaker (Jason and Megan, several computers)	they
the person or persons spoken to	you

When a prepositional phrase comes between a subject and verb, the verb must agree with the subject.

The salt shakers on the table are glass.

The cup on the table is ceramic.

The subjects either, neither, each, one, and every one are always singular.

Neither of the boys likes ice cream.

In a sentence beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb.

There are six ducks in the yard.

In questions, the subject usually follows the verb.

Where are my scissors?

Relative pronouns (who, which, and that) refer to the word with which the verb must agree.

When you use a relative pronoun (who, which, and that) to introduce a dependent idea, make sure you choose the correct verb.

I know a girl who plays the violin. -- Use the singular verb plays because who refers to a girl (singular).

Cloth shoes, which stain easily, should not be worn in the rain. -- Use the plural verb stain because which relates to the subject cloth shoes. (plural)

Computers that talk make me nervous. -- Use the plural verb talk because that relates to computers. (plural)

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Date this page was last edited: 07/15/2004

Resources:

Fawcett, Susan and Alvin Sandberg. Grassroots: The Writer's Workbook Fourth Edition.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.