{"id":493,"date":"2025-04-11T17:09:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T21:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/grammarbasics\/?post_type=chapter&p=493"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:22:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:22:41","slug":"subject-verb-agreement","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/grammarbasics\/chapter\/subject-verb-agreement\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction","rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"raw":"
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BEFORE YOU START THIS CHAPTER<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nThis chapter deals with two components of complete sentences: subjects and verbs. You might want to review previous chapters on finding subjects<\/a> and verbs<\/a> before starting this one.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\nLet's start the discussion of subject-verb agreement by examining a sentence. I think you'll find this sentence a little weird -- a little \"off.\"\r\n

My new shirt have red stripes on it.<\/em><\/p>\r\nRead that sentence again, carefully and out loud. I bet you think it sounds \"wrong\" or \"strange,\" and if you have a close look at the sentence, I bet you'll identify one word in particular that is causing the problem.\r\n

My new shirt have<\/span> red stripes on it.<\/em><\/p>\r\nIt's that verb!\u00a0Have<\/em> doesn't seem to fit in this sentence, and here's why.\r\n\r\nThe subject of the sentence (shirt<\/em>) is singular. The verb, however, is in its plural form (have<\/em>).[footnote]Verbs have different forms, including singular forms and plural forms. For regular verbs, the plural is simply the base form (eg., play<\/em>), and the singular form ends in an \"s\" (eg., plays<\/em>)[\/footnote] One is singular, and the other is plural.\u00a0 In a discussion of grammar, we'd say that there's a problem here because the subject and verb do not agree<\/span>.\r\n

What does \"agree\" mean?<\/h4>\r\nWhen we say that a verb doesn't agree<\/span> with its subject, we're usually saying that they aren't the same in terms of number: one of them is singular and the other is plural. To\u00a0agree<\/span> with one another, the subject and verb both need to be singular, or they both need to be plural, as in the following sentences.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"Two\r\n
\r\n\r\nNOTE: This topic of subject-verb agreement is very complex, but for the most part, it will only come up in sentences written in present tense, and in [pb_glossary id=\"377\"]third person[\/pb_glossary].\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n
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PRACTICE: Choose the verb that agrees with the subject.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"32\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ","rendered":"
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BEFORE YOU START THIS CHAPTER<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n

This chapter deals with two components of complete sentences: subjects and verbs. You might want to review previous chapters on finding subjects<\/a> and verbs<\/a> before starting this one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s start the discussion of subject-verb agreement by examining a sentence. I think you’ll find this sentence a little weird — a little “off.”<\/p>\n

My new shirt have red stripes on it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read that sentence again, carefully and out loud. I bet you think it sounds “wrong” or “strange,” and if you have a close look at the sentence, I bet you’ll identify one word in particular that is causing the problem.<\/p>\n

My new shirt have<\/span> red stripes on it.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s that verb!\u00a0Have<\/em> doesn’t seem to fit in this sentence, and here’s why.<\/p>\n

The subject of the sentence (shirt<\/em>) is singular. The verb, however, is in its plural form (have<\/em>).[1]<\/sup><\/a> One is singular, and the other is plural.\u00a0 In a discussion of grammar, we’d say that there’s a problem here because the subject and verb do not agree<\/span>.<\/p>\n

What does “agree” mean?<\/h4>\n

When we say that a verb doesn’t agree<\/span> with its subject, we’re usually saying that they aren’t the same in terms of number: one of them is singular and the other is plural. To\u00a0agree<\/span> with one another, the subject and verb both need to be singular, or they both need to be plural, as in the following sentences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

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NOTE: This topic of subject-verb agreement is very complex, but for the most part, it will only come up in sentences written in present tense, and in third person<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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PRACTICE: Choose the verb that agrees with the subject.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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