9. SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT




 9. SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT


                                                 

The appropriate form of the verb is to be used according to the subject. In the simple present tense, -s/-es will be added to the verb, only when the subject is he/she/it. (When you use a verb, you have to say who or what is doing the action. This‘who or what’ is the subject of the verb. The subject and the verb match each other. You say that the subject and the verb agree when they match each other.)
Read the following:
I/me/you/they want a pen.
He/she wants a pen.                                             
He/she goes home in time
Similarly, the form of the auxiliary verb will have to be used according to the subject, in present progressive, past progressive, present perfect, etc.
Read the following :
I am writing an essay.                      We are writing an essay.
He/she is writing an essay.                         I have written an essay.
He/she has written an essay.          I was writing an essay.
We were writing an essay
¨Use a singular verb if the subject is a singular noun.
For example,
1)     He always drinks milk when he’s hot.
2)     She eats bananas for breakfast.
3)     Mom walks to work every day
¨The third person singular form of some verbs is made by adding es at the
end. Some examples are verbs that end in sh, ch, ss, x, zz and o.
    e.g. brushes watches kisses fixes
rushes reaches
¨Here are some sentences with verbs in their third person singular form.
The subjects are in bold and the verbs are in color.
1)     She always brushes her teeth at bedtime.
2)     Dad polishes his shoes until they shine.
3)     My brother watches television after school.
¨How do you make the third person singular form of most verbs that end in y?
Usually, you just change the y to an i and then add es.
carry – carries hurry – hurries copy – copies
cry – cries fly – flies marry – marries
study – studies worry – worries bully – bullies
1)     A cat rricaes its kitten with its mouth.
2)     Mr.Patil hurries to work every morning.
3)     The baby cries a lot at night.

¨      Some verbs that end in y have a vowel before the y. Just add  s at the end
of these words to make the third person singular form.
buy – buys     say – says     pray – prays
pay – pays     annoy – annoys       stay – stays
Mom buys bread at the supermarket.
My friend says he has a salt-water aquarium.
¨If the subject of a verb is a plural noun.
1)     Mom and Dad love us.        2) My sisters listen to music a lot.
3)The stars shine brightly on a clear night.  4) Some people drink
¨ Suppose the subject of a noun refers to a group of people. Depending on the
meaning of the sentence, you may use either a singular or a plural verb.
The audience was enjoying the play.
The class has thirty students.
The class are handing in their papers.

FOR PRACICE

Que.1) Read the following sentences. Underline the verb in each sentence.
1. Some children learn very fast.
2. I like my new bike.
3. Babies sometimes sleep during the day.
4. My dad buys a newspaper every morning.
5. These dolls belong to Kathleen.
Exercise 2
Que.2) Fill in the blank spaces with the third person singular form of the verbs in parentheses.
Example: Adi_looks__ (look) sad today.
1. Vinayak________ (speak) English very well.
2. Mr. Bhangare________ (come) to school on his motorbike.
3. My neighbor’s dog______ (bark) very loudly.
4. Our dog ______(catch) the ball in its teeth.
5. Dad ______(buy) his newspaper from the store on the corner.

Que.3) Underline the verbs in the following sentences.
1. The cat jumped over the wall.
2. My sister likes her new jeans.
3. Grandad walks the dog every evening.
4. Will you come with me to the shop?
5. The boys are skating in the park.
6. Dad is making sandwiches.
7. The children went to bed.

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