Subject-Verb Agreement — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Choose the correct verb: "Sam and his brother ___ the lawn every weekend."
A) mows
B) mow
C) is mowing
D) has mowed
"Sam and his brother" is a compound subject joined by "and," which makes it plural. Plural subjects take the base form of the verb, so "mow" is correct without the -s.
2. Which sentence uses is or are correctly?
A) The pencils is on the desk.
B) The water are cold today.
C) The cookies are ready to eat.
D) The milk are in the fridge.
"The cookies" is plural because it means more than one cookie. Plural subjects use "are" instead of "is," so "the cookies are" is correct.
3. Choose the correct verb: "Everyone in the class ___ a turn to read aloud."
A) get
B) are getting
C) gets
D) were getting
"Everyone" is an indefinite pronoun that is always singular, even though it refers to many people. Singular subjects take the -s verb form, so "gets" is correct.
4. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?
A) The children plays in the sandbox.
B) My mother drive to work every day.
C) The clock on the wall tick loudly.
D) The fish in the tank swim in circles.
"The fish" here refers to multiple fish, making it plural. The plural subject matches the base-form verb "swim" without -s, so the agreement is correct.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The basket of apples is sitting on the kitchen table.
The subject is "the basket," not "apples." Since "basket" is singular, the verb must be "is" even though the basket holds many apples.
2. My sister and I ride our bikes to school when it is sunny.
"My sister and I" is a compound subject joined by "and," which makes it plural. Plural subjects use the base form of the verb, so "ride" is correct.
3. Neither the cat nor the dog is allowed on the couch.
With "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. "The dog" is singular, so the singular verb "is" is the correct choice.
4. The students in the hallway are waiting for the bell.
"The students" is the subject and it is plural. The phrase "in the hallway" just tells where they are, so the verb still matches the plural subject with "are."
5. Every morning, the rooster crows before the sun comes up.
"The rooster" is singular because it refers to one rooster. Singular subjects take the -s verb form, so "crows" is the correct match.