SUBJECT – VERB

AGREEMENT

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Preface
Created for students in the absence of a class teacher, Grammar Bits and Bytes is a comprehensive
classroom guide for students in the lower secondary classes who wish to practise grammar to improve
accuracy in speech and writing. Each of the exercises is ready-to-use and reproducible and begins with
helpful teaching pages that define, explain and illustrate the various aspects of grammar and its usage.
These lessons include many review activities that will help in consolidating English language skills.

How to use the module

You can use the units in a number of ways. You might study the explanation and examples first and then
continue to the exercises, check your answers in the answer key and then look again at the explanation if
you have made any mistakes.

Coordinators
1. Pn. Noorhana bt Hashim Penolong Pengarah Kanan Bahasa Inggeris
Sektor Pengurusan Akademik
Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Wilayah Persekutuan

2. Pn. Vasantha Mallar Narendran Guru Cemerlang Gred Khas Jusa C

Victoria Institution
3. Pn. Gurdarshan Kaur Guru Cemerlang (DG54)
SMK Padang Tembak
4. Pn. Norashikin bt. Zainuddin Guru Cemerlang (DG52)
SMK Desa Tun Hussein Onn

Panel of Writers
1. Pn. Hyacinth Foo Mook Keow Guru Cemerlang
SMK Seri Sentosa
2. Pn. Shirley Monica George Guru Cemerlang
SMK Datok Lokman
3. Cik Cecilia Chn’ng Eng Lian Guru Cemerlang
Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil
4. Pn. Vijayaletchumi a/p Nagalingam Guru Cemerlang
SMK Kiaramas
5. Cik Daphne Rosaline Henry Thomas Guru Cemerlang
SMK (P) Methodist Kuala Lumpur
6. Pn. Nur Azrin Abdullah Guru Cemerlang
SMK Taman Maluri
7. Cik Khatijah bt. Yaakob Guru Cemerlang
SMK Jalan Cochrane

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 SUBJECT – VERB
AGREEMENT

1. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

~Every sentence (statement) must :

- have a subject
- have a verb
- begin with a capital letter
- end with a full stop

~The subject and the verb must always agree.

Examples : Ahmad is at home.

singular singular verb

subject

Mariam plays badminton.

Examples : The boys are watching television.

plural plural verb

subject

The students cycle to school.

~The table below shows how we use the primary verbs.

Verb to be Verb to have Verb to do

Subject Present. Past Present Past Present Past
Tense Tense Tense Tense Tense Tense
I am was have had do did
You are were have had do did
We are were have had do did
They are were have had do did
He is was has had does did
She is was has had does did
It is was has had does did

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The Rules in Subject-Verb Agreement :

I. SUBJECTS WHICH TAKE SINGULAR VERBS

RULE EXAMPLE
1. A singular subject takes a singular verb 1. This desk costs RM 120.
2. Ali is going to the concert now.
3. Mrs. Ho has two children.
4. She does her homework every
evening.
2. An uncountable noun takes a singular 1. The ice is melting.
verb. 2. This furniture is new.
e.g. water, air, sand, sugar, salt, milk, fish, 3. Too much salt is bad for health.
furniture,
news, information, luggage
3. Each, every, everyone, everybody, 1. Each girl gets a Barbie doll.
someone, somebody, no one, nobody, 2. Every boy has to keep his room
anyone, anybody, everything, anything, tidy.
something, nothing take singular verbs 3. Nobody is in the garden.
4. Someone has eaten my cake.
5. Does anybody like durian?

II. SUBJECTS WHICH TAKE PLURAL VERBS

RULE EXAMPLE
1. A plural subject takes a plural verb 1. These novels are rather expensive.
2. The athletes run 8km every morning.
3. The boys are playing football.
4. My cousins enjoy listening to music.

2. Use plural verb with these nouns – 1. The scissors cost RM 25.
scissors, pliers, trousers, spectacles, 2. The trousers are too tight.
binoculars unless the phrase ‘ a pair of BUT
…..’ is used before the nouns A pair of scissors costs RM 25.

3. Use a plural verb when two or more 1. Kamal and Abdul are going fishing.
subjects are joined by ‘and’ 2. Mr. and Mrs. Lee like watching movies.
3. Rambutans, durians and mangosteens
have seeds.

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 III. SUBJECTS WHICH CAN TAKE EITHER A SINGULAR OR PLURAL VERB

RULE EXAMPLE
1. Subjects joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ 1. Either Sally or her sisters are going to
the exhibition.
2. Neither the boys nor their father likes
ice-cream.

2. Subjects joined by ‘with’, ’together 1. The king, as well as his soldiers, is

with’, ‘as well as’. To decide which preparing to go to war.
verb to use, look at the subject placed 2.The students, with their teacher, have
before the phrases mentioned. arrived.

Exercise 1: Underline the correct verb in each sentence.

1. Suresh ( are, is ) the fastest runner in his class.

2. Someone ( has, have ) taken my pencil case.
3. ( Were, Was ) Rahim and Ali your classmates?
4. The crocodile ( has, have ) a long hard-skinned body.
5. The children ( does, do ) their homework every night.
6. I ( has, have ) three sisters and a brother.
7. Tanah Rata ( is, are ) a small town in Cameron Highlands.
8. They ( have, had ) sandwiches and cakes for tea yesterday.
9. Where ( was, were ) you just now?
10. Sarimah and her sister ( was, were ) absent from school for a week.
11. The girls ( do, did ) not turn up for the choir practice yesterday.
12. My pet cat, Comel, ( have, has ) a furry tail.

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marks

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Exercise 2 : Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in the brackets.

1. Salt and pepper ___________ this curry tasty. ( make )

2. Everyone _______________ a person who tells lies. ( dislike )
3. He usually ____________ when he is free. ( read )
4. My little sister ____________ watching cartoons. ( enjoy )
5. Frogs ____________ their eggs in water. ( lay )
6. One of my brothers ____________ in Petaling Jaya. ( live )
7. This news _____________ us very sad. ( make )
8. Puan Rosnah usually ____________ her children to school before she goes to
work. ( drive )
9. Ahmad, Muthu and Ah Seng ______________ basketball every weekend.( play )
10. The teacher and his students ________________ to travel by train. ( prefer )
11. The old furniture _____________ to be repaired. ( need )
12. No one ______________ the old woman’s story. ( believe )
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marks
Exercise 3.1 :
Complete the paragraph below with the correct form of the words in brackets.

Mahmood loves to ride his bicycle in the evenings. He ______________ ( go )

cycling around his neighbourhood alone. Sometimes, he ______________ ( take ) his
brother along. His brother ______________ ( sit ) on the back seat behind him. His
brother _______________ ( enjoy ) following Mahmood around. Together they
_________________ ( sing ) as they go around the housing area. They sometimes
________________ ( stop ) at the park. They ______________ ( play ) on the swing and
on the see-saw. Other children in the neighbourhood often _______________ ( meet ) at
the park to play games. They _______________ ( like ) to play games like hide-and-seek
and blind man’s buff. Everyone _____________ ( feel ) tired but happy.

Exercise 3.2 :
Complete the paragraph below with the correct form of the words in brackets.

Do you know what a cactus plant looks like? A cactus plant _________________
( have ) a thick, fleshy stem. It ______________ ( do ) not have any leaves. Its stem
______________ ( be ) covered with sharp thorns. The thorns _____________ ( protect )
the plant from animals. The stem ______________ ( store ) water for the plant. There
___________ ( be ) different types of cactus plants. Many of them _________________
( have ) pretty flowers. Cactus plants ______________ ( grow ) in hot, dry places.

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 Exercise 4.
Put a ‘√’ if the underlined words are correct and an ‘X’ if they are wrong. For each wrong
word, write the correct word above it

Meili : There are ( ) so many people in here. Have ( ) Joni arrived?

Suki : Not yet. We is ( ) punctual. She is ( ) late as usual. She loves to make us wait. Arrrgh!
Meili : Why doesn’t ( ) we order our drinks now? You look hungry. How about a
sandwich? Well, she has ( ) good reasons for being late sometimes.
Suki : I have ( ) ordered two cups of ice blended coffee. I am ( ) not hungry. Does ( ) you
want any sandwich? I have been told that the chicken - cheese combo here tastes great.
Meili : No, thanks. So, what is ( ) we going to do for Teachers’ Day this year? We have ( ) to
buy a gift for Miss Josephine. The budget is ( ) RM20.
Suki : A photo frame! I saw one at Cherish Store yesterday. Oh, there are ( ) Joni. Hi. You is (
) late again. Let’s hear your excuse this time.
Joni : Sorry. Sorry. There were ( ) an accident nearby. A girl was knocked down but the
motorcyclist sped off . So I offered to send her to the clinic.
Meili : That was ( ) the right thing to do. We are ( ) proud of you. Many people drive
recklessly nowadays and there is ( ) so many accidents daily.
Joni : They endanger the lives of others. Luckily the girl is ( ) only slightly injured.
Suki : Let us buy you a drink and your favourite sandwich. And for once, I am ( ) not angry
with you for being late.

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Exercise 5
Complete the description below with the correct words.

Batu Ferringhi – A Favourite Destination For A Holiday

Batu Ferringhi is a famous tourist destination on Penang Island, which is also known
as ‘The Pearl Of Orient’. …1… you ever been to Batu Ferringhi? If you haven’t, read on.

To get there, head towards Seberang Prai jetty on the mainland. From there, you can take
a ferry to the island. At the jetty, taxis …2… easily available. If you are driving, use the Penang
Bridge to get to the island. It ...3… about an hours’ drive to Batu Ferringhi.

The beach here …4… usually packed with both local and foreign tourists. The tourists …
5… in the beautiful hotels along the beach or in Batu Ferringhi town. They …6… the beaches
and the variety of local food here. The hotels …7… reasonable and affordable. The food …8…
very cheap and delicious, indeed. And the people here …9… warm and friendly.

The beach …10… usually clean. Children and adults …11… in the water without
worrying about sharks! A toddler …12… his share of fun here, too. Under his parents watch,
he …13… sandcastles and …14… seashells.

There is never a dull moment in Batu Ferringhi. Whatever you…15…, you will never
regret setting foot in this beautiful place. So make Batu Ferringhi your next holiday destination.

__/15
marks

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 ANSWERS

1.SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Exercise 1

1. is
2. has
3. Were
4. has
5. do
6. have
7. is
8. had
9. were
10. were
11. did
12. has

Exercise 2

1. make
2. dislikes
3. reads
4. enjoys
5. lay
6. lives
7. makes
8. drives
9. play
10. prefer
11. needs
12. believes

Exercise 3.1

goes , takes , sits , enjoys , sing , stop , play , meet , like , feels

Exercise 3.2

has , does , is , protect , stores , are , have , grow

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Exercise 4

Meili : There are (/) so many people in here. Have (x) Has Joni arrived?
Suki : Not yet. We is (x) are punctual. She is (/) late as usual. She loves to make us
wait. Arrrgh!
Meili : Why doesn’t (x) don’t we order out drinks now? You look hungry. How about a
sandwich? Well, she has (/) good reasons for being late sometimes.
Suki : I have (/) ordered two cups of ice blended coffee. I am (/) not hungry. Does (x)
Do you want any sandwich? I have been told that the chicken-cheese combo
here tastes great.
Meili : No, thanks. So, what is (x) are going to do for Teachers’ Day this year? We have
(/) to buy a gift for Miss Josephine. The budget is (/) RM20.
Suki : A photo frame! I saw one at Cherish Store yesterday. Oh, there are (x)is Joni. Hi.
You is (x) are late again. Let’s hear your excuse this time.
Joni : Sorry. Sorry. There were (x) was an accident nearby. A girl was knocked down
but the motorcyclist sped off. So I offered to send her to the clinic.
Meili : That was (/) the right thing to do. We are (/) proud of you. Many people drive
recklessly nowadays and there is (x) are so many accidents daily.
Joni : They endanger the lives of others. Luckily the girl is (x) only slightly injured.
Suki : Let us buy you a drink and your favourite sandwich. And for once, I am (/) not
angry with you for being late.

Exercise 5

1 Have
2 are
3 is
4 is
5 stay
6 love
7 are
8 is
9 are
10 is
11 swim
12 has
13 builds
14 collects
15 do

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