UNIT
15
Subject-Verb
Agreement
Lesson
15.1
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Lesson
15.2
Problems with Locating the Subject 441
Lesson
15.3
Agreement with Compound Subjects 443
439
Grammar Review
445
Writing Application
453
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Making Subjects
and Verbs Agree
A subject and its verb are the basic parts of a sentence. The subject and
its verb must agree in number. A singular noun subject takes a singular
form of the verb. A plural noun subject takes a plural form of the verb.
In the present tense, the singular form of the verb usually ends in -s or -es.
Read the sentences in the chart below. You can see that the subjects
and verbs agree in number.
Subject Noun and Verb Agreement
Singular
Plural
A mountain rises sharply to the sky.
A naturalist teaches us about nature.
Mountains rise sharply to the sky.
Naturalists teach us about nature.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verbs and subject pronouns must also agree in number. In the present
tense, the -s ending is used with the subject pronouns it, he, and she.
Subject Pronoun and Verb Agreement
Singular
Plural
He, she, or it travels.
You travel.
I travel.
We travel.
You travel.
They travel.
The irregular verbs be, do, and have can be main verbs or helping
verbs. They must agree with the subject, whether they are main verbs
or helping verbs.
I am fine. He is ready. [main verb]
They are questioning a ranger. [helping verb]
She does well. [main verb]
She does work hard. They do sing. [helping verb]
He has a boat. [main verb]
He has visited Utah. They have eaten. [helping verb]
15.1 Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
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Exercise 1
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Using Subject and Verb Agreement
For each sentence, write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Subject-Verb Agreement
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Acadia National Park (lies, lie) along Maine’s coast.
Several islands (is, are) in the park.
Acadia (features, feature) a rocky coastline.
Mount Desert Island (is, are) very beautiful.
Many people (travels, travel) to Acadia every year.
They (photographs, photograph) the wildlife.
Mammoth Cave (is, are) in Kentucky.
The passageways (winds, wind) for nearly two hundred miles.
An underground river (flows, flow) through the caves.
Tour guides (leads, lead) people through the chambers.
Many visitors (enjoys, enjoy) the sense of adventure.
For example, my mother (does, do).
Yellowstone National Park (has, have) some of the few surviving grizzly
bears.
Campers (does, do) enjoy the wilderness.
Large bears sometimes (approaches, approach).
Park visitors (does, do) require protection.
A camper (carries, carry) bedding and supplies.
Yellowstone (has, have) a beautiful waterfall.
Our national parks (contains, contain) natural wonders.
Wind Cave (has, have) unusual crystals.
Tiny white crystals (lines, line) the cave walls and ceiling.
Ancient animal fossils (lies, lie) in the Agate Fossil Beds.
The park (includes, include) the remains of two-horned rhinoceroses.
Unusual rock formations (fills, fill) Death Valley.
The National Park Service (protects, protect) Death Valley and other
national monuments.
Exercise 2
Writing Sentences with Subject and Verb Agreement
Write ten original sentences. Use singular subjects in some sentences and
plural subjects in others. Be sure each verb agrees with its subject. In each
sentence, underline the subject once and the verb twice. Write whether the
subject is singular or plural.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
440
My friends are packing for a camping trip. (plural)
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Problems with
Locating the Subject
You know how to make a subject and a verb agree when the verb
directly follows the subject. However, sometimes a prepositional
phrase comes between the subject and the verb. When that happens,
make sure that the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence and
not with the object of the preposition.
A park in the islands contains a volcano.
The parks of Hawaii contain volcanoes.
Subject-Verb Agreement
In the first sentence, in the islands is a prepositional phrase. The
singular verb contains agrees with the subject of the sentence,
park, not with the plural noun islands, which is the object of the
preposition.
In the second sentence, of Hawaii is a prepositional phrase. The
plural verb contain agrees with the plural subject parks, not with the
singular noun Hawaii, which is the object of the preposition.
Some sentences begin with here or there. Here or there is never the
subject of a sentence. Look for the subject after the verb in this type of
sentence.
There is a park on Maui.
Here in the park are tropical forests.
To make it easier to find the subject, try rearranging these
sentences and placing the subject and verb in their usual positions.
This rearrangement makes clear how the subject and the verb agree in
number.
A park is there on Maui.
Tropical forests are here in the park.
15.2 Problems with Locating the Subject
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Choosing the Correct Verb Form
For each sentence, write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The island of Oahu (has, have) a mild climate.
Islands of volcanic origin (rises, rise) in the Pacific.
Travelers to Haleakala (sees, see) a huge crater.
A hike along the cliffs (is, are) exciting.
There (is, are) lush green trees everywhere.
Our trip to the islands (delights, delight) us.
A busload of tourists (arrives, arrive) in the park.
Parts of Kauai (has, have) served as movie locations.
The rain forests of Hawaii (needs, need) protection.
There (is, are) many visitors to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Exercise 4
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Write each sentence. Underline the simple subject once and its verb twice. If
they agree, write correct. If they do not agree, correct the verb.
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Protection of rare plants are vital.
2. Our system of parks include forests.
3. The islands of Hawaii contain two national parks.
4. A student of volcanoes prepare an exhibit.
5. Studies of plant life occurs in the parks.
6. Protectors of the environment works there.
7. There are many opportunities for research.
8. Here is a list of the national parks.
9. Our system of national parks have protected natural wonders.
10. The oldest park in the system is Yellowstone.
11. The National Park Service oversees our parks and monuments.
12. There are many activities throughout the park system.
13. Tour guides from the service describes points of interest to guests.
14. Visitors to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail hike from Maine to
Georgia.
15. There is rafting adventures at the Delaware Scenic River Park.
Exercise 5
Using Subject-Verb Agreement in Sentences
Write five original sentences. Begin each sentence with Here is, Here are,
There is, or There are. Underline the subject of each sentence.
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Agreement with
Compound Subjects
Two hawks soar.
PLURAL SUBJECT
Subject-Verb Agreement
A subject and its verb
must agree in number. A singular noun subject takes a
singular form of the verb. A
plural noun subject takes a
plural form of the verb. In
the present tense, the singular
A hawk soars.
form of the verb usually ends
SINGULAR SUBJECT
in -s or -es.
A compound subject contains two or
more subjects that have the same verb. You
can tell whether the compound subject takes
a singular or a plural verb form by looking at
the way the subjects are joined. When two or more
subjects are joined by and or by both . . . and, the verb is plural.
Both a grizzly bear and a bobcat live near here.
This sentence refers to more than one thing, so the form of the
verb is plural. When two or more subjects are joined by or, nor, or
either . . . or or neither . . . nor, the verb must agree in number with the
subject that is closest to it.
An eagle or a hawk soars in the sky.
Either the loon or its chicks swim nearby.
Neither the bears nor the bobcat crosses our path.
In the first sentence, the verb soars agrees in number with hawk,
which is the subject closer to the verb. The verb is singular in form
because hawk is a singular subject. In the second sentence, the verb
swim agrees with chicks, which is the closer subject. The verb is plural in
form because chicks is a plural subject. In the third sentence, the verb
crosses agrees with bobcat, which is the closer subject. The verb is singular in form because bobcat is a singular subject.
15.3 Agreement with Compound Subjects
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Exercise 6
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Identifying the Correct Verb Form
For each sentence, write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A deer and a heron (wades, wade) in the lake.
Both a coyote and an antelope (outruns, outrun) a bear.
Neither hunting nor mining (is, are) allowed in protected areas.
An alligator and an egret (hunts, hunt) for food in the swamp.
Both Bryce Canyon Park and Yellowstone Park (has, have) wonderful hiking
trails.
Birds and insect life (thrives, thrive) in the swamp.
Either experienced campers or the ranger (leads, lead) the evening talks.
Neither heat nor mosquitoes (disturbs, disturb) us.
Dams and pollution (is, are) destroying the swamp.
Newspapers and television (reports, report) on this problem.
Exercise 7
Making Verbs Agree with Compound Sentences
Subject-Verb Agreement
Write each sentence, correcting the verb if necessary. Underline the subject
once and its verb twice. Remember to underline the complete compound
subjects.
Either the factories or the swamp are in danger.
Both bears and frogs hibernate in winter.
Neither alligators nor crocodiles likes the cold.
The blue heron and the egret lives in the Everglades.
Our national seashores and parks are a great resource.
The grizzly bear and the polar bear is carnivorous.
Both Florida and Hawaii have underwater parks.
There is breeding sea lions and nesting birds at Channel Islands National
Park in California.
9. A rare orchid or brilliantly colored birds attracts many photographers.
10. Wolves and a large moose herd roams the Isle Royale National Park.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Exercise 8
Using Compound Subjects in Sentences
Write five original sentences with compound subjects. Join the subjects in
each sentence by using the word or words indicated.
1. and
2. or
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Unit 15 Subject-Verb Agreement
3. both . . . and
4. either . . . or
5. neither . . . nor
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Grammar Review
S U B J E C T- V E R B A G R E E M E N T
John Muir by Eden Force is a biography of the naturalist and explorer whose
efforts influenced Congress to pass the Yosemite National Park Bill in 1890. The
bill established both Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Both of these parks
are justly famous for their variety of breathtaking natural wonders. In the following excerpt from the book, the writer describes the beautiful scenery of Yosemite
Valley, which Muir explored for six years. The passage has been annotated to
show some examples of subject-verb agreement covered in this unit.
Literature Model
osemite Valley includes some of the world’s most
awe-inspiring natural wonders. El Capitan, a block
of stone more than 600 times Muir’s height, faces
Bridalveil Fall. Bridalveil tumbles 620 feet from high
rocks into the valley. Farther up the Merced River is
Yosemite Falls, rushing down in two sections to Yosemite
Valley. North of the river is North Dome, a domeshaped peak about as high as El Capitan. It towers above
the landscape. South of North Dome and east of Tenaga
Creek stands a strange peak even taller than North
Dome. It is Half Dome. As the name suggests, Half
Dome looks like a dome that a giant has sliced down the
middle from top to bottom. Only one half of the rock
dome remains.
Y
Subject-Verb Agreement
from John Muir
by Eden Force
Agreement
between a
singular noun
subject and a
singular verb
Agreement
between a
singular
pronoun
subject and a
singular verb
Agreement
between a
singular
subject and
verb that
have a
prepositional
phrase
between them
Grammar Review
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 1
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
SAMPLE
ANSWER
Subject-Verb Agreement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Merced River (forms, form) a white ribbon through the valley.
forms
Sometimes a family of bears (stops, stop) to swim and play in the river.
El Capitan (rises, rise) high above Yosemite Valley.
In shape it (resembles, resemble) a boot.
Yosemite’s natural wonders (is, are) awe-inspiring.
They (attracts, attract) thousands of visitors.
The visitors (hike, hikes) seven hundred miles of trails.
The most spectacular scenery (is, are) in Yosemite Valley.
The peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada (is, are) millions of years old.
Deep gorges (creates, create) beautiful views.
The National Park Service (has, have) begun a public transportation system
to reduce traffic in the park.
Review: Exercise 2
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Write each sentence, correcting the verb if necessary. Write whether the
subject is singular or plural.
1. Yosemite National Park lies in the mountains two hundred miles east of
San Francisco.
2. Giant sequoias graces three groves in the park.
3. The Grizzly Giant Tree measure thirty-four feet in diameter, more than most
roads.
4. This huge tree stands in the famous Mariposa Grove.
5. The sequoias are some of the oldest living things on earth.
6. The wood of the sequoias resists fire.
7. Sequoia National Park feature some giant trees with the names of Civil War
generals.
8. Redwoods are related to giant sequoias.
9. The redwood grow even taller than the giant sequoia.
10. These enormous trees grows from tiny seeds.
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 3
Identifying Subjects and Making Verbs Agree
Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
SAMPLE
ANSWER
There (is, are) books written by John Muir.
are
Review: Exercise 4
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. The Sierra Club, with branches throughout the United States, (owes, owe) its
existence to Muir.
2. Muir’s campaign for preserving forests (continues, continue) to inspire
environmentalists.
3. In California there (is, are) a redwood forest called Muir Woods.
4. The forest near San Francisco (honors, honor) the achievements of John Muir.
5. A glacier in Alaska also (bears, bear) his name.
6. The Yosemite by John Muir (is, are) a classic.
7. Copies (is, are) available at my local library.
8. Muir, in his journals, (describes, describe) the natural wonders of Yosemite.
9. The governor of California (declares, declare) each April 21 “John Muir Day.”
10. Admirers of Muir and his causes (celebrates, celebrate) at the John Muir
National Historic Site.
Locating Subjects and Making Verbs Agree
Locate and write the subject of each sentence. If the verb in the sentence is
correct, write correct. If the verb is not correct, rewrite the sentence,
correcting the verb.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
There is the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.
There are rough terrain in some Yosemite wilderness areas.
There is lovely landscapes in the valley.
Here in Yosemite Valley are effects of volcanoes and glaciers.
There is a book about Muir’s glacial theory.
Grammar Review
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 5
Making Verbs Agree with Compound Subjects
For each sentence, write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Both Glacier Point and Taft Point (provides, provide) a great view.
2. Neither Half Dome nor El Capitan (is, are) the highest point in the valley.
3. Both Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls (pours, pour) over giant rocks formed by
glaciers.
4. Neither cold weather nor drenching rains (discourages, discourage)
backpackers.
5. Bears or other animals sometimes (steals, steal) the backpackers’ food.
6. A student and a backpacker (walks, walk) toward the glacier.
7. A van and a camper (waits, wait) at the entrance to the park.
8. Snow or ice (lies, lie) in many of the ravines of the Sierra Nevada.
9. Both a robin and a yellow warbler (sings, sing) near the campsite.
10. Either a dome or spires (crowns, crown) the granite mountains forming the
valley.
Review: Exercise 6
Writing the Correct Verb Form
for Compound Subjects
For each sentence, write the correct present-tense form of the verb in parentheses. Make sure your verb agrees with the subject of the sentence.
SAMPLE
ANSWER
Parks and other areas (be) part of the National Park System.
are
1. A noteworthy landscape or a historic site (form) the basis of most national
parks.
2. Both Indiana and Wisconsin (boast) national lakeshores.
3. The Blue Ridge and the Natchez Trace (be) national parkways.
4. National battlefields and a national scenic trail (be) part of the National Park
System.
5. Air and water pollution and overcrowding (pose) threats to the most
popular parks.
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 7
Choosing Verbs
Write the subject of each sentence and the correct present tense of the verb
in parentheses.
Grammar Review
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Geysers (attract) visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
2. We (photograph) the geysers and hot springs at the park.
3. Yellowstone, in the northwest corner of Wyoming, (be) the oldest national
park in the United States.
4. Pools of hot mud (bubble) in the Lower Geyser Basin section of the park.
5. Steam (change) the hard surrounding rock into soft clay.
6. Yellowstone Lake, with geysers and hot springs along its shores, (be) the
largest high-altitude lake in North America.
7. Evergreen forests of fir, spruce, and pine (cover) much of the park.
8. The feeding of bears within the park’s boundaries (defy) park regulations.
9. Park regulations about fishing in the lakes and rivers (be) also strict.
10. The variety of landscapes in the region (surprise) new visitors to the park.
11. Memorials to past events (exist) in every state.
12. Some of these memorials (become) national historical parks.
13. The junction of two rivers (form) one such park.
14. The Potomac River (meet) the Shenandoah River at Harpers Ferry,
West Virginia.
15. The park by the rivers (be) Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
16. Students of the Civil War (visit) this park.
17. They (learn) about John Brown’s attack on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in
1859.
18. A museum at the park (record) how John Brown worked for the end of
slavery.
19. John Brown’s actions at his trial for treason (become) an inspiration to some
writers.
20. John Brown (be) the subject of an epic poem by Stephen Vincent Benét.
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 8
Making Verbs Agree
For each sentence, write the correct present-tense form of the verb in
parentheses.
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Acts of Congress (designate) areas as part of the National Park System.
2. Unique natural landscapes or historic sites (form) the basis of the majority
of national parks.
3. The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site and the Georgia O’Keeffe
National Historic Site (honor) famous Americans.
4. Prehistoric dwellings (be) preserved at a number of different sites.
5. Some people (be) surprised to learn that the White House is part of the
National Park System.
6. The largest of the national parks (be) the Wrangell-St. Elias system in Alaska.
7. National parks (range) in area from 8 million acres to about 6 thousand
acres.
8. The John F. Kennedy birthplace and some other national historic sites
(occupy) less than an acre.
9. National battlefield parks and national battlefield sites (include) Civil War
and Revolutionary War sites.
10. There (be) other areas primarily for recreational use.
11. There (be) national parklands along rivers in eleven states.
12. The Alganak Wild River Park and New River Gorge Park (have) exciting
stretches of white water.
13. There (exist) national recreation areas in states across the country from New
York to California.
14. Alaska or Texas (contain) most of the national preserves.
15. Blue Ridge and Natchez Trace (be) the only national parkways.
16. The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway (connect) two beautiful
national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
17. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (extend) for two thousand miles from
Maine to Georgia.
18. The Glen Canyon Dam and the Hoover Dam (create) the largest national
recreation areas.
19. Sand dunes in both Colorado and Indiana (form) part of the National Park
System.
20. Arizona (have) many national monuments and two national parks.
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 9
Proofreading
The following passage is about artist Thomas Moran, whose work
appears below. Rewrite the passage, correcting the errors in
spelling, capitalization, grammar, and usage. Add any missing
punctuation. There are eleven errors.
Thomas Moran
When he were an art student, Thomas Moran (1837–1926)
admirred European landscape painters. 2However, Moran wanted to
“paint as an american.” 3His paintings, such as Cliffs of the Upper
Colorado River, Wyoming Territory, captures the beauty of the American
West.
1
Subject-Verb Agreement
Thomas Moran, Cliffs of the Upper Colorado River, Wyoming Territory, 1882
(continued)
Grammar Review
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Grammar Review
The painting on page 451 show a scene in the West. 5Two seperate
rocks appears in the distance. 6The sun bathe the rocks in light and
shadow. 7Tones of rust, brown, tan orange, and sand are used by the
artist. 8The riders and horses pauses near the river to view natures
majesty.
4
Review: Exercise 10
Mixed Review
Rewrite each sentence, correcting the verb if necessary. Write
whether the subject is singular, plural, or compound.
Subject-Verb Agreement
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
452
1. The sculptures and paintings of Frederic Remington records the
changing West of the nineteenth century.
Action and drama characterizes the best of Remington’s art.
Other recorders of the land and life of the Old West includes Albert
Bierstadt, Charles M. Russell, and George Catlin.
Russell’s experience as a cowboy and trapper show in his detailed artwork.
George Catlin’s paintings records the life of Native Americans along the
Missouri River and the Western Plains.
Catlin’s portrait of a Blackfeet chief hangs in The Smithsonian Institution.
Albert Bierstadt is one of the great American Romantic landscape painters.
Drama and grandeur sometimes overtakes realism in his huge canvases.
Both Bierstadt and Thomas Moran has large paintings on display in the U.S.
Capitol.
George Caleb Bingham are remembered for his scenes of frontier life.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery house his
colorful work.
Events from the Wild West springs to life through these works.
What forms of art depict today’s events?
A great twentieth-century photographer of the American West is Ansel
Adams.
The granite domes of Yosemite are the subjects of many of Adams’s photos.
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Writing Application
Subject-Verb Agreement
in Writing
Peggy Thomson uses singular, plural,
and compound subjects in this passage from “Bathing Elephants.”
Examine the passage, noting how subjects and verbs agree in number.
Try to use singular, plural, and
compound subjects when you
write and revise your own work. Be
sure your subjects and their verbs
agree in number. Look at these examples from “Bathing Elephants.”
1
With a singular subject, be sure you
use the singular form of the verb.
With a plural subject, be sure you
use the plural form of the verb.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Bath and foot-care time now
flows into demonstration time
directed by the keeper team of
Kathy and Morna out in the yard.
Here people clap to see the
elephants maneuver on command,
present a foot, balance on tiny
stools, and move huge logs with
their trunks. By the time Ambika
and Shanthi take their bows, the
keepers are beginning to wilt.
There’s an element of tension in the
playful-looking baths they give and
in the training shows—in just dealing
with animals who could so easily
pulverize them if they chose to.
Techniques with
Subjects and Their
Verbs
For more about
the importance
of using verbs
correctly, see TIME
Facing the Blank
Page, page 98.
THOMSON’S EXAMPLES
Bath and
foot-care time now flows; people clap;
keepers are
2
With a compound subject using
and, be sure to use the plural
form of the verb.
THOMSON’S EXAMPLES
Kathy and
Morna speak; Ambika and Shanthi
take
Practice
Revise the following passage. Be sure all the subjects and their verbs
agree in number.
My family and I am going on a car trip through Colorado and Wyoming this
summer. 2We plan stops at a number of different national parks and historic sites.
3
The first stop on our journey are Yellowstone, the oldest park in the national park
system. 4We have reservations at Old Faithful Inn. 5The beautiful open lobby of the inn
rise more than ninety feet.
1
Writing Online
For more grammar practice, go to glencoe.com
and enter QuickPass code WC67666p2.
Writing Application
453