Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement means the verb in a sentence must match the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

What You'll Learn

How to handle subjects joined by "and" and find the real subject in longer sentences
How to find the correct verb when extra words come between the subject and the verb
How to use the correct verb in questions and negative sentences

When to Use

Sentences with prepositional phrases: "The bag of apples is on the table."
Compound subjects with "and": "Tom and Jerry are best friends."
Questions: "Does your brother like swimming?"
Negative sentences: "The children do not play in the rain."

How to Form

Quick Recap: The Basic Rule

You already know that singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. Here is a quick reminder:

Subject Type	Verb Form	Example
He / She / It / singular noun	verb + s/es	The bird flies high.
I	base form (special)	I like durian.
You / We / They / plural noun	base form	The birds fly high.

Pattern 1: Compound Subjects with "And"

When two or more subjects are joined by "and", the subject becomes plural. Use a plural verb.

Subject	Verb	Example
Ravi and Mei Ling	are	Ravi and Mei Ling are in the same class.
The cat and the dog	play	The cat and the dog play in the garden.
Rice and curry	taste	Rice and curry taste delicious.

Pattern 2: Subjects with Prepositional Phrases

Sometimes extra words come between the subject and the verb. These words do not change the verb. You must find the real subject.

Sentence	Real Subject	Verb
The box of crayons is on the desk.	box (singular)	is
The flowers in the vase are beautiful.	flowers (plural)	are
A group of students is waiting outside.	group (singular)	is
The pages of the book are torn.	pages (plural)	are

Pattern 3: Questions (Do / Does)

In questions, we use "does" with he, she, it and singular nouns, and "do" with I, you, we, they and plural nouns. The main verb stays in its base form.

Subject	Helping Verb	Example
He / She / It / singular noun	does	Does she walk to school?
I / You / We / They / plural noun	do	Do they walk to school?

Pattern 4: Negative Sentences (Do not / Does not)

In negative sentences, we use "does not" (doesn't) with he, she, it and singular nouns, and "do not" (don't) with I, you, we, they and plural nouns. The main verb stays in its base form.

Subject	Negative Form	Example
He / She / It / singular noun	does not (doesn't)	He does not like spicy food.
I / You / We / They / plural noun	do not (don't)	They do not like spicy food.

Key Rules

"And" makes it plural: When two subjects are joined by "and", the subject is plural. Use a plural verb. "My brother and my sister walk to school together."
Find the real subject: Ignore the words between the subject and the verb. "The basket of oranges is heavy." The subject is "basket", not "oranges".
"Does" for he/she/it, "Do" for I/you/we/they: In questions and negative sentences, use "does" with singular subjects (he, she, it, a name) and "do" with I, you, and plural subjects. "Does Ali eat rice?" / "Do they eat rice?"
The main verb stays in base form after do/does: When you use "do" or "does", the main verb does not change. "She does not play" (not "does not plays").
"Is/Am/Are" must match the subject: Use "is" for singular, "are" for plural, and "am" for "I". "The puppy is cute." / "The puppies are cute." / "I am happy."

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
The boys in my class likes football.	The boys in my class like football.	The subject is "boys" (plural), not "class"
My mother and father is at home.	My mother and father are at home.	Two subjects joined by "and" need a plural verb
Does they play basketball?	Do they play basketball?	"They" is plural, so use "do"
She does not plays the piano.	She does not play the piano.	After "does not", use the base form of the verb
The colour of the flowers are bright.	The colour of the flowers is bright.	The subject is "colour" (singular), not "flowers"

Clue Words

Singular clues (use singular verb):

he, she, it, each, every, one, a, an, the (+ singular noun)

Plural clues (use plural verb):

they, we, both, many, several, few, the (+ plural noun)

Compound subject clue:

and (joining two subjects = plural)

Question and negative clues:

does / does not = he, she, it (singular); do / do not = I, you, we, they (plural)

Tip: When you see extra words between the subject and the verb, cross them out in your mind. Read the subject and verb together -- "The box ~~of crayons~~ is on the desk." This makes it easier to pick the right verb!

Practice Tips

Cross-out trick: When a sentence has a prepositional phrase (like "of apples", "in the garden", "on the shelf"), mentally cross it out. Then check if the subject and verb agree.
Two-subject check: If you see "and" joining two subjects, the answer is almost always a plural verb. Say the sentence aloud -- "Tom and Jerry runs" sounds wrong, but "Tom and Jerry run" sounds right.
Question flip: Turn questions into statements to check agreement. "Does she like ice cream?" becomes "She does like ice cream" -- "she" matches "does". If it sounds right as a statement, the question form is correct too.
Read aloud: Read the sentence out loud slowly. Your ear can often catch mistakes that your eyes miss, especially with "do" and "does".

Quick Reference

Sentence Pattern	Example	Rule
Singular subject	The cat sleeps.	verb + s/es
Plural subject	The cats sleep.	base verb
Two subjects with "and"	Ali and Siti are friends.	plural verb
Subject + prepositional phrase	The bowl of noodles is hot.	match verb to real subject
Singular question	Does he swim?	does + base verb
Plural question	Do they swim?	do + base verb
Singular negative	She does not eat meat.	does not + base verb
Plural negative	We do not eat meat.	do not + base verb

Subject-Verb Agreement (P3) (Primary 3)