Fill in the blanks with a verb form that agrees with the subject. This grammar worksheet is designed for students of classes 5 and 6.

What is subject-verb agreement?

The subject has to agree with the verb in number and person. That means you have to use a singular verb with a singular subject and a plural verb with a plural subject.

• He works hard. (Here the singular verb works agrees with the singular subject he.)
• They work hard. (Here the plural verb work agree with the plural subject they.)

When the subject is a pronoun, the verb has to agree with it in person as well.

• I am hungry. (Here we use am because the subject is the first person pronoun I.)
• He is hungry. (Here we use is because the subject is the third person singular pronoun he.)
• They are hungry. (Here we use are because the subject is the third person plural pronoun they.)

Notes

When you connect two nouns with as well as, with or along with, the verb should agree with the noun that goes before these words. That means if the noun that goes before as well as, with or along with is singular, the verb should be singular. Likewise, if the noun that goes before these expressions is plural, the verb should be plural.

When you connect two nouns with or, either/or or neither/nor, the verb should agree with the noun that goes after or or nor.

Worksheet 1

Fill in the blanks with a verb form that agrees with the subject.

1. Sita as well as her sister ……………………….. there. (was / were)

2. The bunch of roses …………………………… beautiful. (look / looks)

3. The poet and singer ………………………….. always very punctual. (is / are)

4. The poet and the singer ……………………………. agreed to come. (has / have)

5. The boy along with his sister …………………………….. (was / were) going to school.

6. Neither Vikram nor his friends ………………………………. interested in the programme. (seem / seems)

7. Mohit as well as his family …………………………… always ready to help. (is / are)

8. Either Jani or Sita …………………………………. (has / have) to go.

9. Both Seema and Nita …………………………….. gone to school. (has / have)

10. There ………………………… five pens in this box. (are / is)

11. There …………………………. No water in the bottle. (is / are)

12. Nobody …………………………….. how hard it is to get the first rank. (know / knows)

13. The lady with six cats ……………………………. In the next house. (live / lives)

14. Either my father or my mother …………………………….. me to school every day. (take / takes)

15. Anita as well as her brother ………………………… the piano very well. (play / plays)

16. Rahim along with his family ………………………. arrived. (has / have)

17. Ten thousand rupees …………………………… not a small sum. (is / are)

18. Each student ………………………… to submit their assignment before Friday. (has / have)

19. A number of issues ………………………….. discussed at the meeting. (was / were)

20. The majority of criminals ……………………….. non-violent. (is / are)

Answers

1. was, 2. looks (Collective nouns are usually followed by a singular verb), 3. is (Here we use a singular verb because both nouns refer to the same person. Note that the article is used only once.), 4. have (Here we use a plural verb because the two nouns refer to two different people.), 5. was, 6. seem, 7. is, 8. has, 9. have (Use a plural verb after both…and..), 10. are (Use a plural verb after there if the following noun is plural.), 11. is, 12. knows (Use a singular verb after nobody), 13. lives, 14. takes, 15. plays, 16. has, 17. is, 18. has, 19. were (A plural verb is used with a number of.), 20. are (A plural verb is preferred after the majority of.)

Worksheet 2

Fill in the blanks with a verb form that agrees with the subject.

1. The quality of apples …………………………. good. (was/ were)

2. A good knowledge of various happenings around the world …………………………. beneficial. (is / are)

3. The state of his financial affairs ………………………….. a cause of concern for his creditors. (was / were)

4. Shiva and Karthik ……………………………. close friends. (is / are)

5. Gold and silver …………………………. precious metals. (is / are)

6. Both my brother and I ………………………….. cricket. (play /plays)

7. The rise and fall of the tide ………………………… due to the attraction of the moon. (is / are)

8. Time and tide …………………………….. for none. (wait / waits)

9. My friend and mentor …………………………… gone. (is / are)

10. Neither he nor his partner ……………………….. able to find a solution. (was / were)

11. Either you or he ………………………………. lying. (is / are)

12. Each of these mangoes ……………………… ripe. (is / are)

13. Politics ………………………… a dirty game. (is / are)

14. Either you or I ………………………… mistaken. (are / is / am)

15. The Pickwick Papers ……………………….. written by Charles Dickens. (was / were)

Answers

1. is (Here the subject is the singular noun quality.), 2. is, 3. is, 4. are, 5. are, 6. play, 7. is, 8. waits (When two nouns together express one idea, the verb is singular.), 9. is (When two nouns together represent one person, the verb should be singular.), 10. was, 11. is, 12. is (Use a singular verb after each.), 13. is, 14. am (In this case, the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.), 15. is (When a plural noun is the name of a book, magazine or organization, the verb is singular.)