Subject Verb Agreement Exercise for Class 9: Clear Explanation and Examples

What are Subject Verb Agreement?

Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree with its verb in number and person. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Examples

• Singular: The cat runs quickly.

• Plural: The cats run quickly.

The illustration below provides a detailed explanation of the Subject Verb Agreement:

Common Confusions:

• Indefinite Pronouns: Words like "everyone" and "nobody" are singular, even though they refer to multiple people.

• Compound Subjects: When subjects are joined by "and," they usually take a plural verb. But if they refer to a single thing, use a singular verb (e.g., "Bread and butter is my favorite breakfast").

• Subjects after the Verb: Even if the subject comes after the verb (e.g., "There are many challenges"), the verb must still agree with the subject.

Tips for Mastery:

Test Your Understanding of the Topic by Completing the following Tasks:

1. A sentence where the subject is singular and the verb must be singular.

2. A sentence where the subject is plural and the verb must be plural.

3. A sentence starting with "There is" or "There are" followed by the correct subject and verb agreement.

Check Your Answers 

1. Singular Subject: The dog barks loudly.

2. Plural Subject: The children play in the park.

3. There is/There are: There are many books on the shelf.

Solve the Worksheet!

Complete the following exercises to practice subject-verb agreement. Ensure that each verb agrees with its subject in number and person.

Part 1: Fill in the Blanks

Choose the correct verb form to complete each sentence.

1. The cat (run/runs) across the yard every morning.

2. The students (is/are) excited about the upcoming trip.

3. There (is/are) several options to choose from.

4. The news (was/were) broadcasted last night.

5. Neither the teacher nor the students (has/have) completed the assignment.

Part 2: Correct the Errors

Identify and correct the subject-verb agreement errors in the following sentences.

1. The group of dancers are performing at the event.

2. Each of the books have been placed on the shelf.

3. Either John or his friends is coming to the party.

4. The committee have decided to postpone the meeting.

5. There is many reasons to be happy today.

Part 3: Create Sentences

Write sentences according to the following guidelines:

1. A sentence with a singular subject and a singular verb.

2. A sentence with a plural subject and a plural verb.

3. A sentence using "There is" or "There are" with correct subject-verb agreement.

Part 4: Select the Correct Verb form for Each Sentence.

1. The bouquet of flowers (is/are) on the table.

2. Either my brother or my parents (is/are) going to pick me up.

3. The team (wins/win) the championship every year.

4. The dogs (barks/bark) loudly when someone approaches the house.

5. Mathematics (is/are) difficult for some students.

Part 5: Identify the Correct Sentence

Circle the sentence that has correct subject-verb agreement.

1. a) The list of items are on the desk.
   b) The list of items is on the desk.

2. a) The children was playing in the garden.
   b) The children were playing in the garden.

3. a) Either the teacher or the students has finished their work.
   b) Either the teacher or the students have finished their work.

4. a) The information provided by the documents are correct.
   b) The information provided by the documents is correct.

5. a) There is many challenges to overcome.
   b) There are many challenges to overcome.

Part 6: Sentence Correction

Rewrite the following sentences with the correct subject-verb agreement.

1. The books on the shelf needs to be arranged properly.

2. Neither of the options are appealing to me.

3. The staff has decided to take a holiday next week.

4. One of the students have forgotten their assignment.

5. The weather in the mountains are unpredictable.

Answer Key

Part 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. The cat runs across the yard every morning.

2. The students are excited about the upcoming trip.

3. There are several options to choose from.

4. The news was broadcasted last night.

5. Neither the teacher nor the students have completed the assignment.

Part 2: Correct the Errors

1. The group of dancers is performing at the event.

2. Each of the books has been placed on the shelf.

3. Either John or his friends are coming to the party.

4. The committee has decided to postpone the meeting.

5. There are many reasons to be happy today.

Part 3: Create Sentences

1. The bird sings every morning.

2. The children play outside after school.

3. There is a cat under the table.

Part 4: Multiple Choice

1. The bouquet of flowers is on the table.

2. Either my brother or my parents are going to pick me up.

3. The team wins the championship every year.

4. The dogs bark loudly when someone approaches the house.

5. Mathematics is difficult for some students.

Part 5: Identify the Correct Sentence

1. b) The list of items is on the desk.

2. b) The children were playing in the garden.

3. b) Either the teacher or the students have finished their work.

4. b) The information provided by the documents is correct.

5. b) There are many challenges to overcome.

Part 6: Sentence Correction

1. The books on the shelf need to be arranged properly.

2. Neither of the options is appealing to me.

3. The staff have decided to take a holiday next week.

4. One of the students has forgotten their assignment.

5. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable.

Takeaways from the Topic “Subject Verbs Agreement”

• Understanding and mastering subject-verb agreement is crucial for clear and effective communication in English. 

• By practicing regularly and being mindful of common pitfalls, you can ensure that your writing and speech are grammatically sound.

• Keep these rules in mind, and with consistent practice, you'll find subject-verb agreement becomes second nature.