Subject-Verb Agreement — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The team has practice every Tuesday afternoon at the gym.
Team is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it pairs with the singular verb 'has'.
2. The family eats dinner together every Sunday evening.
Family is a collective noun acting together, so the singular verb 'eats' agrees with it.
3. Maria and her brother go to the same elementary school.
When two subjects are joined by 'and', they form a plural subject and take a plural verb: go.
4. The flock of geese flies across the cloudy autumn sky.
Flock is singular when acting as a unit, so it takes the singular verb 'flies'.
5. Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite kind of sandwich.
Peanut butter and jelly together name one type of sandwich, so the verb is singular: 'is'.
6. The choir sang beautifully during the spring concert last night.
Choir is a collective noun acting as one group, so it takes a singular verb: sang.
7. Tom and Lisa are partners on the science fair project.
Compound subjects with 'and' are plural and pair with the plural verb 'are'.
8. Our class has a field trip to the planetarium next month.
Class acts as a single unit, so it takes the singular verb 'has'.
9. Reading and writing are important skills for fifth graders.
Compound subjects joined by 'and' are plural, so the verb is 'are'.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
The committee ___ the proposal carefully.
→ reviews
reviews
Tomatoes and lettuce ___ in our garden.
→ grow
grow
The herd of cattle ___ slowly across the field.
→ moves
moves
Bread and butter ___ a simple breakfast.
→ is
is
Committee and herd are collective nouns acting as one unit (singular verbs). Tomatoes and lettuce is a true compound (plural verb 'grow'). Bread and butter names one familiar combination (singular verb 'is').