In Simple Subject and Verb you learned to find the subject and the verb of a sentence, and in Is, Are, Was and Were you used is for one and are for more than one. Now we make every verb match its subject. This is called subject–verb agreement.
A singular subject (one) takes a singular verb. A plural subject (more than one) takes a plural verb. In the present tense, the singular verb for he, she, it or one thing usually ends in -s: “The dog barks.” The plural verb doesn’t: “The dogs bark.”
| Singular subject | Plural subject |
|---|---|
| The dog barks. | The dogs bark. |
| She walks. | They walk. |
| The child is here. | The children are here. |
| He has a map. | We have a map. |
| It was cold. | They were cold. |
Key idea
A verb agrees with its subject in number: one dog barks, two dogs bark. Find the subject first, then choose the verb.
Why it works
Agreement is a signal. The -s on barks tells the reader the subject is one thing, so the reader links the right words even in a long sentence. When a subject and verb disagree, the reader stumbles.
Worked example: A plural without an -s
The children (play / plays) tag at recess.
- Find the subject: children.
- Children means more than one child, so it is plural, even with no -s.
- A plural subject takes the verb without -s: play.
Answer: The children play tag at recess.
Worked example: Pronoun subjects
I (walk / walks) to school. She (walk / walks) with me.
- I and you take the plain form: I walk, you walk.
- He, she and it take the -s form: she walks.
Answer: I walk to school. She walks with me.
Common mistake
Putting an -s on both words: “The dogs barks.” On a noun, -s usually means more than one. On a present-tense verb, -s goes with one. So the -s usually lands on one word or the other: “The dog barks” or “The dogs bark.” To check, say the sentence with it or they in place of the subject: “They bark.”