Subject Verb Agreement Quiz

Explanation
"Everyone" is always singular, so it takes the singular verb "needs." To review, see Trouble Spot 1. The subject seems plural but is considered singular.

Explanation
"Each is always singular." The correct verb form is "receives" because it agrees with the singular subject "Each." Therefore, the sentence should be: "Each of the winners receives a scholarship and a trophy."

Explanation
The subject "The football team" is a collective noun, and in this context, it is treated as a singular entity. Therefore, the correct verb form is "practices," which agrees with the singular subject.

Explanation
This is because the subject of the sentence is “the counselors’ office,” which is considered as a singular entity located near the center of the campus. Therefore, we use the singular verb “is”. Even though “office” is singular, the entire phrase “the counselors’ office” is treated as a singular noun phrase in this context.
 

Explanation
Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical principle that ensures that the verb in a sentence matches the number (singular or plural) of the subject. In correct sentences, the verb agrees with the subject in terms of number. For example, in the sentence "Neither the teacher nor the student is attending the meeting," the singular subject "neither" is correctly paired with the singular verb "is." It's important to apply this rule to maintain proper grammar in writing and speaking.

Explanation
Two subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb. To review, see Trouble Spot 4. The sentence has more than one subject.

Explanation
The word "dollars" is considered one amount so it's singular. To review, see Trouble Spot 1. The subject seems plural but is considered singular.

Explanation
In English, when we use phrases like “as well as”, “along with”, or “together with”, the verb agrees with the first subject. In this case, “Claudia” is the first subject and it is singular, so we use “speaks” instead of “speak”. If both Claudia and Judy were the subjects without the “as well as”, we would use “speak”. For example, “Claudia and Judy speak American Sign Language.”

Explanation
"There" is never a subject. In this sentence, the verb comes before the subject, which is "reasons." To review, see Trouble Spot 2. The subject comes after the verb. (Remember, to see if subjects and verbs agree, find the verb first and then ask “who or what does it?” to find the subject.)

Explanation
The singular form of the irregular verb HAVE is "has": He has. To review, see Trouble Spot 6. The verb is a tricky form of BE (is, am, are), HAVE (has, have) or DO (does, do).

Explanation
To decide if the subject "some' is singular or plural, as "Some of what?" The answer "fruit" is singular, so the verb will be singular: fruit comes. To review, see Trouble Spot 5. The same subject can be singular or plural depending on how it's used.

Explanation
The subject of the sentence is "grapes," which is a plural noun. When the subject of a sentence is plural, the verb that follows should also be in the plural form to maintain subject-verb agreement. In this case, the verb is "come," which is the plural form of the verb "comes."
So, because "grapes" is plural, you use "come" rather than "comes" to maintain proper subject-verb agreement:
"Some of the grapes in our local market come from Mexico."

Explanation
In a question, the subject comes after the verb: grandmother and grandfather (2 subjects joined by "and"). To review, see Troublespot 2.The subject comes after the verb. (Remember, to see if subjects and verbs agree, find the verb first and then ask “who or what does it?” to find the subject.) See also Trouble Spot 4.The sentence has more than one subject.

Explanation
In English, when the subject of a sentence is plural, we use the base form of the verb. In this case, “the two famous stars” is a plural subject, so we use “come” instead of “comes”. If it were a singular subject, we would use “comes”. For example, “Here comes the famous star from that movie.”

Explanation
The sentence "Mathematics is a required subject for a college degree" is correct because it treats "mathematics" as a singular subject. In this context, "mathematics" refers to the academic discipline or the field of study, and it is considered a singular noun. When discussing requirements for a college degree, we treat the subject as a singular entity, which is why we use "is" (the singular form of the verb "to be") to agree with it.