Writer's Choice Grade 6

Unit 15: Subject-Verb Agreement

Overview

If you agree with someone, you both have the same opinion. If you disagree, you do not share the same opinion. Unlike people, subjects and verbs must always agree. When subjects and verbs agree, it means that a singular noun or pronoun, like villain, is accompanied by a singular verb, like cackles. Or, a plural noun or pronoun, like heroes, is accompanied by a plural verb, like rescue. So, subjects and verbs must always agree in number.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if a subject is singular or plural. Look at the following sentence: "The hideout in the gardens contains a volcano." In this case, a prepositional phrase, in the gardens, comes between the subject and the verb. Hideout is the actual subject, not gardens. Hideout is a singular subject, and so, it takes a singular verb form, contains.

Sometimes sentences have compound subjects. Compound subjects contain two or more subjects that have the same verb. Use the plural form of a verb when compound subjects are joined by and or by both/and. For example: "Michelle and Aaron fought the villain."

However, if either/or or neither/nor is used to join the subjects, the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Consider the following sentence: "Neither Michelle nor Aaron was afraid." The linking verb, was, is singular in this example because it must agree with the subject closest to it, Aaron. What about this sentence? "Neither Michelle nor Aaron nor the other heroes were afraid." The subjects are Michelle, Aaron, and heroes. The subject heroes is closest to the verb, and is plural. Therefore, the plural form of the verb, were, is used in the sentence.

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