Exercises

on

Subject-Verb Agreement
Submitted by: III- Benevolent GROUP 1

Submitted to: Mr. Berwyn Bautista

EXERCISE 1 Underline the correct verb in the parentheses. 1. Almost everybody (has / have) some difficulty with writing. 2. Neither the chipmunk nor the squirrels (is / are) bothering us. 3. Both of us (is / are) voting in the next election. 4. Milo, Phoebe, and I (was / were) offering our help. 5. Neither of you (jump / jumps) to conclusions. 6. Some say the Indians (has / have) been treated unfairly. 7. There (was / were) only two choices on the menu. 8. Rudy as well as his cat (like / likes) milk. 9. He (is / are) my boss and friend. 10. Sunbathing (is / are) my favorite form of exercise. 11. Neither of us (has / have) to pay the fine. 12. The twins and their parents (travel / travels) together. 13. Nobody (believe / believes) your alibi. 14. America and Russia (is / are) the most powerful nations. 15. Safe and out (is / are) two calls in baseball. 16. Neither of them (dance / dances) to disco music. 17. Each (serve / serves) a different purpose. 18. The hammer as well as the saw (make / makes) work easier. 19. Jacques (was / were) working for his uncle last year. 20. Our team (play / plays) hard every night.

EXERCISE 2 Select the correct verb in each sentence. 1. Either the photographer or her companions (was, were) the first to see the gorilla. 2. Jills natural ability and her desire to help others (has, have) led to a career in the ministry. 3. Everybody who signed up for the ski trip (was, were) taking lessons. 4. Some of our luggage (was, were) lost. 5. None of his advice (make, makes) sense. 6. One out of every three sunsets (was, were) covered with clouds. 7. A ship and a plane (has, have) recently disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. 8. The teeth in a crocodiles mouth (is, are) sharp. 9. The leaders of the expedition (was, were) looking for a campsite. 10. The lions and the photographer (was, were) face to face. 11. During the trip macaroni and cheese (was, were) the favorite meal for the two drivers. 12. Measles (is, are) a contagious childhood disease. 13. On the side (is, are) political correspondents hoping for an interview. 14. The trunk of the elephant and the belly of the hippo (make, makes) me laugh. 15. A group of students (was, were) blocking the road. 16. Albert and Harry, members of a racing team, (drives, drive) across America. 17. The samples on the tray in the lab (need, needs) testing. 18. Billy (swim, swims) in the cold water often. 19. The Whale Shark, the largest of all sharks, (grow, grows) up to 38 feet long.

20. The board of trustees (meet, meets) in Denver on the first Tuesday of each month. EXERCISE 3 Determine whether the verb is singular or plural and write your answer on your paper. 1. A tidal wave, despite its name, (is, are) not caused by the tides. 2. A network of warning signals (alert, alerts) people in coastal areas of a tidal wave. 3. Walls of earth and stone (is, are) often too weak to hold back the tide. 4. The height of tidal waves often (remain, remains) low. 5. The scientific name for tidal waves (is, are) tsunamis. 6. No one on either team (was, were) ever in a playoff. 7. Each of our neighbors (have, has) helped us plant trees in the community. 8. Someone with the store owners committee (donates, donate) the big trophy each year. 9. Everyone with an interest in sports (are, is) at the tryouts. 10. Neither of the movies (was, were) especially funny. 11. Many people throughout the world (claims, claim) to have seen objects in the sky. 12. However, no one (know, knows) for sure what they are. 13. Since 1947, they (has, have) been officially called unidentified flying objects. 14. The U.S. Air Force (was, were) responsible for conducting these investigations. 15. Most of the reported sightings (has, have) turned out to be fakes.

EXERCISE 4 Most of the following sentences have errors in subject-verb agreement. If a verb does not agree with its subject, write the correct form of the verb. If a sentence is correct, write C. 1. Located in an ancient lake bed, Mexico City have been built on Aztec ruins. 2. Visitors admire the colorful paintings Diego Rivera at the National Palace. 3. In one of the citys many subway stations, an Aztec pyramid still stand. 4. Sculptures grace the Alameda, which is Mexico Citys main park. 5. Usually, tourists is quite fascinated by the Great Temple of the Aztecs. 6. All of the shells in my collection was displayed. 7. She has shown her paintings throughout the world. 8. Pablo Picasso fill his paintings with color and energy. 9. His paintings is sold for millions of dollars. 10. All of the paintings in the museum is hands-off to observers. EXERCISE 5 Determine whether the subject is singular or plural. Write the correct verb form on the line provided. 1. The bowl of yellow roses (is, are) beautiful. 2. Several members of the team (plan, plans) to see the movie. 3. Most of the dogs in the fence (sleep, sleeps) all day. 4. Some of the papers (blow, blows) away when the door is opened. 5. The stranded walker (have, has) squeezed into my small car.

6. My grandmothers cakes with the chocolate icing (is, are) the best. 7. Neither of the dogwood trees (bloom, blooms) until late in the year. 8. Everybody in the play (plans, plan) to attend the party. 9. No one in the loud hospital (hears, hear) the little boys cry for help. 10. All of the shells in my collection (was, were) displayed. 11. Most of our reading (was, were) done on weekends. 12. This news (was, were) just what Barbara wanted to hear. 13. Either Gordon or Ruben (knows, know) the right answer. 14. Since Mom repaired them, both of the radios (work, works). 15. My brother and my uncles (play, plays) baseball. EXERCISE 6 Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of the indicated verb. 1. The use of vitamin supplements and herbs (be) ___ becoming increasingly popular among Americans. 2. While many studies claim that vitamins and herbs can improve health, there (be) ___ a lot of controversy about their safety. 3. The Food and Drug Administration (do) ___ not regulate vitamins and herbs. 4. Most experts (believe) ___ that herbal supplements are mild and somewhat harmless. 5. Still, anyone who (take) ___ too much of a vitamin or herb could suffer negative side effects. 6. For example, some medical problems (have) ___ been linked to overuse of ephedrine, an herb taken by people to lose weight. 7. Some research (suggest) ___ that Vitamin C may help prevent cancer.

8. People who (take) ___ more than 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily may experience diarrhea or kidney stones. 9. Advertisers say that the herb "kava kava" (reduce) ___ anxiety and insomnia. 10. Using large amounts of kava (be) ___ not wise as muscle, eye or skin problems could result. 11. The danger of long-term use of vitamins and herbs (be) ___ still unknown. 12. There (be) ___ a lot of evidence that vitamin-rich foods are beneficial. 13. However, whether the use of supplements (be) ___ helpful or not is still being debated. 14. Most people (be) ___ able to get all the vitamins they need in the foods they eat. 15. A daily diet that (contain) ___ foods from the 4 groups should supply all the nutrients a person needs. EXERCISE 7 Underline the correct verb to make the subject agree with it. 1. All of us (was, were) ready to leave at five oclock. 2. Either Ester or her cousins (is, are) mistaken. 3. Twelve inches (is, are) equivalent to 1 foot. 4. His pants (is, are) torn. 5. (There is, There are) men who usually smoke. 6. The news (is, are) all about the feast of theImmaculate. 7. He or she (is, are) right. 8. Peter, as well as Myla, (is, are) afraid. 9. Melai and Mitch (is, are) both actresses in a theater. 10. One-fourth of the pizza (was, were) eaten by Mark.

EXERCISE 8 Select the correct form of the verb in the sentence. 1. Some people is/are/am very good at math. 2. Somebody have/has the winning lottery ticket. 3. The doctor who has visited dozens of countries and has helped thousands of patients all around the world is/are/am over there. 4. There is/are/am two sides to every argument. 5. 5,280 feet is/are/am a mile. 6. Jill as well as Jack is/are/am up the hill. 7. Either Heather or I go/goes. 8. There is/are/am a lot of people here. 9. Ten dollars is/are/am a nice raise. I need the extra money. 10. Rice is/are/am a common food all over the world. 11. Either the bus driver or the motorcycle rider is/are/am responsible for the accident. 12. Neither the 23 children in the class nor Tony seem/seems to be upset about failing the spelling bee. 13. A large number of countries is/are/am members of the United Nations. 14. Not only the fans but also the team's head coach was/were shocked to be in the championship game. 15. The number of computer advances is/are/am increasing every year.

EXERCISE 9 Underline the correct verb form. 1. The world (change, changes) so rapidly that we can hardly keep up. 2. People (is, are) often ten or twenty years behind the times in their knowledge of the world. 3. People who (live, lives) in poverty often do not even have television or newspapers. 4. He (doesnt, dont) want to be killed. 5. Life (is, are) very complicated. 6. Traditionally, college students (has, have) been very active in politics. 7. There (is, are) both men and women at the meeting. 8. The students in my class (has, have) very poor work habits. 9. Each of you (has, have) an equal chance to make good grades. 10. All of the children (was, were) hunting Easter eggs in the garden. 11. A notebook and a pen (is, are) lying on the desk in the library. 12. My son, along with two friends, (is, are) coming for the weekend. 13. Sitting on the sofa (was, were) two students from Thailand. 14. Either the workers or the manager (is, are) coming to the conference. 15. Not only the students, but also the teacher (has, have) been unhappy. 16. Everybody (hate, hates) to take tests. 17. Knowledge gained after long study (disappear, disappears) rapidly from our minds. 18. One of my greatest worries in college (was, were) that I would study hard and still flunk important tests. 19. Georgia Southern University (provide, provides) some scholarships for the students.

20. The news about Afghanistan (is, are) shocking, isnt it? EXERCISE 10 Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject of the following sentences. 1. The team and the band _____ on the field. (was / were) 2. You and I _____ supposed to clean the room before Mom gets home.(am / are) 3. Either Patty or Tom _____ asked to lead the meeting. (was / were) 4. Neither Carol nor Ted _____ excluded from the meeting. (is / are) 5. Neither the basket nor the apples _____ expensive. (was / were) 6. Either Maria or you _____ late for class. (was / were) 7. Each of them _____ a good seat. (has / have) 8. Everybody in the class _____ tickets. (has / have) 9. Every silver knife, fork, and spoon _____ to be counted. (has / have) 10. Each cat and each dog _____ its own toy. (has / have)