Hello, little word friend maker! Do you have a best friend? You like to do things together. In a sentence, two words are best friends. They are the subject and the verb. They must agree. This is called Subject-Verb Agreement. It means they match. Your guides are Sam the Subject and Vicky the Verb. They are best friends. They always agree. Let's see them agree at home, the playground, school, and in nature.
What is Subject-Verb Agreement? Subject-Verb Agreement is a friendship rule. The subject and the verb must match. Think of Sam and Vicky dancing. If Sam is one person, Vicky dances one way. If Sam and his brother are two people, Vicky dances another way. "The dog barks." One dog barks. "The dogs bark." Many dogs bark. The verb changed to match the subject. Sam and Vicky must be in step. This is Subject-Verb Agreement.
Why is Subject-Verb Agreement Your Friendship Rule? Using Subject-Verb Agreement makes you a clear talker. It helps your ears listen. Your brain hears the match. It sounds right. It helps your mouth speak. People understand you fast. "She runs" is clear. "They run" is clear. It helps your eyes read. Your reading is smooth. It helps your hand write. Your writing looks smart. Subject-Verb Agreement is a secret handshake. It makes your sentence friendship strong.
How Do Sam and Vicky Agree? Sam and Vicky have simple rules. They have a magic number. Is the subject one? Or is it more than one?
Rule One: One Friend, Special Verb. When Sam is one, Vicky often wears an 's'. This is for he, she, it, or one thing's name. At home: "My mom cooks." At school: "The teacher reads." On the playground: "The swing moves." In nature: "A bird sings."
Rule Two: Many Friends, Simple Verb. When Sam is more than one, Vicky is simple. No 's' for they, we, you, or many things. At home: "My parents cook." At school: "The teachers read." On the playground: "The swings move." In nature: "Birds sing."
Rule Three: Special Friends I and You. "I" and "You" are special. They use the simple verb, like many friends. "I like you." "You like me." They never use the 's' verb. "He likes me." But "I like him."
Rule Four: The "To Be" Friends. The verbs "am", "is", "are" are special. They must match perfectly. I am. He/She/It is. You/We/They are. "I am happy." "She is here." "They are my friends."
How Can You Spot the Agreement? Let's play detective with Sam and Vicky. Look for these clues.
Find the Two Friends. First, find Sam the Subject. Ask: "Who or what is doing something?" Then, find Vicky the Verb. Ask: "What are they doing?" Look at them together.
Ask the Number Question. Point to the subject. Ask: "Is it one or more than one?" If it's one (he, she, it, a name), the verb often gets an 's'. If it's more, the verb is simple.
Listen for the Sound. Say the sentence out loud. "The cat play." Does that sound right? No. "The cat plays." Sounds right! Your ear can help you. "The cats plays." Sounds wrong. "The cats play." Sounds right.
Check the Special "Be" Verbs. For "am/is/are", match them exactly. I go with am. He/She/It goes with is. You/We/They go with are.
How Do We Make Them Agree? Let's make Sam and Vicky dance together. Here is your guide.
The Main Rule. One Subject + Verb with 's'. Many Subjects + Verb without 's'. "My dog runs." (One dog) "My dogs run." (Many dogs) "A car goes." (One car) "Cars go." (Many cars)
Using "Am/Is/Are". This is a must-match rule. I + am. He/She/It + is. You/We/They + are. "I am big." "It is small." "You are kind."
With "Has/Have". "Has" is for one. "Have" is for more than one, and for I and You. He has a ball. They have a ball. I have a ball. You have a ball.
When Words Come Between. Sometimes other words come between Sam and Vicky. Ignore them. Find the real subject. "The box of toys is heavy." The subject is "box" (one), not "toys". "The boys in the park play." The subject is "boys" (many).
Let’s Fix Some Friendship Problems! Sometimes Sam and Vicky disagree. Let's help them be friends again.
The Missing 's'. Wrong: "My sister play with me." "Sister" is one. The verb needs an 's'. Right: "My sister plays with me."
The Extra 's'. Wrong: "The girls sings a song." "Girls" are many. The verb should not have an 's'. Right: "The girls sing a song."
The Wrong "Be" Verb. Wrong: "I is happy." "I" must go with "am". Right: "I am happy." Wrong: "They is here." "They" must go with "are". Right: "They are here."
The Tricky Middle Words. Wrong: "The book on the shelf are red." The subject is "book" (one). Ignore "on the shelf". Right: "The book on the shelf is red."
Can You Be a Friendship Helper? Let's play. I will say a sentence. You make Sam and Vicky agree. "The cat (sleep/sleeps)." The cat is one. So, "The cat sleeps." "My friends (run/runs)." Friends are many. So, "My friends run." "I (am/is) tall." I goes with am. So, "I am tall." Great job, helper!
Sam and Vicky's 100 Agreement Friendships. Here are one hundred friendly matches. They are common Subject-Verb Agreement rules you can use.
One Friend, Verb with 's' (He/She/It/Name): Mom cooks dinner. Dad drives the car. The baby cries. The dog barks. The cat sleeps. My brother runs fast. The sun shines. A bird flies. The flower blooms. The phone rings. The door opens. The clock ticks. The teacher talks. The bus comes. The water flows. The wind blows. The cake tastes good. She eats an apple. He reads a book. It looks fun.
Many Friends, Simple Verb (They/We/You/Names): My parents cook dinner. The dogs bark. The cats sleep. My brothers run fast. Birds fly. Flowers bloom. Phones ring. Doors open. Clocks tick. Teachers talk. Buses come. The children play. We sing a song. You have a toy. They see a bird. Dogs and cats play. Mom and Dad laugh. The boy and girl jump. Apples and oranges are fruits. Pencils and crayons draw.
Special Friend "I": I am here. I like it. I have a ball. I see you. I want milk. I can jump. I do my work. I go to school. I make a cake. I say hello.
Special Friend "You": You are my friend. You like it. You have a ball. You see me. You want milk. You can jump. You do your work. You go to school. You make a cake. You say hello.
Using "Has" and "Have": He has a hat. She has a doll. It has a tail. The dog has a bone. My sister has a bike. I have a hat. You have a doll. We have a ball. They have bones. The dogs have food.
Using "Does" and "Do": He does his work. She does a dance. It does a trick. Mom does the laundry. The cat does not like that. I do my work. You do a dance. We do a trick. They do the laundry. The cats do not like that.
Using "Go/Goes" and "Play/Plays": He goes to the park. She goes home. The car goes fast. I go to the park. You go home. They go fast. He plays ball. She plays music. The child plays alone. I play ball. You play music. The children play together.
Be Verbs (Am, Is, Are): I am six. You are nice. He is tall. She is kind. It is big. We are here. They are friends. The dog is happy. The dogs are loud. My mom is here. My friends are cool.
You Are a Friendship Expert Now! You did it! You know that Subject-Verb Agreement is a friendship rule. Sam and Vicky give you a shiny friendship badge. You have learned one hundred common Subject-Verb Agreement matches. You can make subjects and verbs agree. Your sentences will sound just right.
Here is what you learned from our friendship adventure. You know the subject and verb must match. You know if the subject is one (he, she, it, a name), the verb often gets an 's'. You know if the subject is more than one (they, we, you, many names), the verb is simple. You know "I" and "You" are special and use simple verbs. You know "am/is/are" must match exactly: I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are. You can find the two friends. You can ask if the subject is one or many. You can fix common mistakes.
Now, let’s do some life practice! Your mission is today. Be a Agreement Detective. Watch your family. Make sentences about what they do. Say: "My dad reads a book." or "My sisters watch TV." Listen to yourself. Do Sam and Vicky agree? You are a wonderful sentence friend maker.