Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement
Essential Question
How do we make sure the subjects of our sentences are clear?
Grammar in the World
What Do I Know?
What do you already know about making sure subjects and verbs work together correctly in sentences? Use this interactive to find out.
Building Blocks
Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time, but it’s often helpful to see how a skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:
- Subject-Verb Agreement (Singular and Plural Nouns)
- Subject-Verb Agreement (Auxiliary Verbs and Linking Verbs)
- Subject-Verb Agreement (Auxiliary Verbs and Questions)
- Nouns
- Collective Nouns
- Indefinite Pronouns
- Verbs
- Verb Tenses
Learn About Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement
As you begin this topic, be sure to refer to our SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT IN SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS module in Group 5. This will help you identify incorrect sentences so that you can then learn to edit to correct them.
Editing to use correct subject-verb agreement is one of the best ways to show your readers that you are a confident, skilled writer. Subject-verb agreement errors make our writing sound weak. Fortunately, there are some steps we can take to correct these pesky errors.
Look for Singular and Plural Subjects
When editing a paper, go through it and mark the subject of each sentence. Remember, there may be more than one subject in a sentence.
- Compound subjects: Harry and Hermione are wizards.
- Compound or complex sentences: Harry is a wizard, and his friend Hermione is, too.
For each subject, ask yourself whether it is singular or plural. Then, check to be sure that your verb matches the subject—either singular or plural.
|
Sentence |
Subject |
Verb |
|
Harry Potter lives with muggles (ordinary people) who are cruel and unfair to him. |
Harry Potter (singular) muggles (plural) |
lives are |
|
Hagrid, a giant wizard, picks Harry up on a magical motorcycle and whisk him away to the wizarding world. |
Hagrid (singular) |
picks, whisks |
|
Harry and his friends are ecstatic to be placed in Gryffindor House, known for bravery. |
Harry and his friends (plural) |
are |
|
They all know that there are more dangers to come. |
they (plural) dangers (plural) |
know are |
Look for Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or idea. Instead, they refer to a common or proper noun.
- Singular Indefinite Pronouns: another, each, much, neither, one, other, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something
- Plural Indefinite Pronouns: both, few, many, others, several
- Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns (can function as either depending on the context): all, any, more, most, none, some
|
Sentence |
Subject |
Verb |
|
It’s not long before everyone realizes that a powerful evil is at work in their school. |
everyone (singular) |
realizes |
|
Voldemort, a murderous wizard who most think is dead, is coming back to power. |
most (plural) |
think |
|
Several suspect Professor Snape to be plotting against Harry. |
several (plural) |
suspect |
|
None realizes until later that Snape is trying to help them. |
none (singular) |
realizes |
Look for Collective Nouns
Some nouns seem plural but can function as singular. Collective nouns refer to a group of nouns.
→ If the collective noun is referring to one subject functioning as a whole, then the noun is singular:
- Harry’s family agrees that Harry is a troublesome annoyance.
- The class claps when Harry defeats Voldemort.
→ If the group is referring to one subject functioning in individual parts, then the noun is plural:
- Harry’s family have different ways of making his life miserable.
- The class yell, clap, and stomp their feet when Harry defeats Voldemort.
Look for Questions
To decide if a subject and verb agree in number in a question, you can flip the question to turn it into a sentence. That makes it easier to locate the subject and verb and then check their agreement.
|
Question |
Sentence |
Subject |
Verb |
|
Have you read all seven Harry Potter novels? |
You have read all seven Harry Potter novels. |
you (singular) *In this case, “you” could be plural as well (if you are talking to a group). The verb still takes the same form of “have.” |
have |
|
Did they know that J. K. Rowling has the same birthday as her character, Harry Potter? |
They know that J. K. Rowling has the same birthday as her character, Harry Potter. |
they (plural) |
know |
|
How many different owls portray Harry’s pet in the movies? |
Four different owls portray Harry’s pet in the movies. |
owls (plural) |
portray |
|
What type of pet does Ron have? |
Ron has a pet rat named Scabbard. |
Ron (singular) |
has |
More Tips for Finding and Correcting Errors
As you can see, there is a lot to keep in mind when making subjects and verbs agree in number. Don’t let the rules intimidate you. The most important thing is that you be on the lookout for subject-verb agreement when you edit; that alone will help you catch many errors. Here are a few more tips to help edit:
- Read your paper out loud. Often, you will hear when a subject and verb do not agree.
- Read your paper backward. When we read a paper from top to bottom, we know what we have written and what we expect to see. If you start from the bottom and read to the top, you will read each sentence in isolation, which helps catch errors.
- Find a grammar buddy. When you have edited all that you can, ask a grammar-savvy friend to take a final look at your paper. They can help you locate any errors you may have missed.
Do I Get It?
What have you learned about subject-verb agreement? Check your understanding in the following interactive.