Subject-Verb Agreement — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. When the team of robotics students is ready, they will demonstrate their newest invention.
Collective nouns like team take singular verbs when members act together as a single, unified group.
2. Neither the principal nor the teachers have approved the new bell schedule for fifth graders yet.
When subjects are joined by 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the noun nearer to it, so plural 'teachers' takes 'have.'
3. Either the captain or the goalies are responsible for collecting equipment after practice ends.
With 'either...or,' the verb matches the nearest subject, and 'goalies' is plural, so the verb is plural too.
4. Mathematics, along with science, is a required subject in our fifth-grade curriculum every year.
Phrases like 'along with,' 'as well as,' and 'together with' do not affect agreement; the verb matches the main subject.
5. There are several reasons why drinking water improves focus during long classroom lessons.
In sentences starting with 'there,' the verb agrees with the noun that follows it, so plural 'reasons' takes 'are.'
6. My favorite pair of jeans got ripped at the knee while I climbed the rope swing.
'A pair of' is singular because the two halves act as one object, so it takes a singular past-tense verb.
7. The list of vocabulary words for next Friday's spelling bee has been posted online today.
Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb do not change agreement; 'list' is singular and takes 'has.'
8. Each of the contestants gets a chance to spin the wheel and answer one bonus question.
'Each' is always singular, even when followed by a plural prepositional phrase, so the verb takes the -s ending.
9. Twenty dollars is a fair price for the handmade beaded bracelet at the craft fair.
When measurements, distances, or amounts of money are considered as one unit, they take singular verbs.
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 list of names
→ has been posted
has been posted
There are reasons
→ to celebrate today
to celebrate today
Either the coach or players
→ lead the warm-up
lead the warm-up
Twenty dollars
→ is enough money
is enough money
Distractor phrases, 'either/or' constructions, expletive 'there,' and amounts of money each follow specific agreement rules.