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Chapter 4

Reaching an Agreement: Pairing Subjects and Verbs

In real life, respectful disagreement can be helpful. In grammar, disagreement is disastrous! The subject — who or what you're talking about — and the verb (the action or state of being) must match, or agree. A singular subject pairs with a singular verb form and a plural subject pairs with a plural verb form. In this chapter, you find the subject and then play matchmaker between subjects and verbs. (If you have trouble identifying the verb, turn to Chapters 1 and 2 for extra help.)

The Questions You’ll Work On

In this chapter, you work on questions that cover the following concepts:

 Finding the subject in statements, questions, and commands

 Identifying compound subjects and pronouns acting as subjects

 Choosing the correct verb for every subject-verb pair

What to Watch Out For

Keep these points in mind when you’re answering the questions in this chapter:

 To find the subject, first locate the verb(s) in the sentence. Ask who? or what? is performing the action or is in the state of being expressed by the verb.

 Don’t be fooled by location. Most subjects appear before the verb, but some follow the verb. Use your reading comprehension skills to answer the who? or what? questions.

 Most subjects and verbs show up with descriptions attached. Ignore distracting words or phrases and concentrate on the real subject-verb pair.

 Verb forms used as descriptions or nouns may resemble verbs without functioning as the verb in the sentence. When you ask who? or what? to find the subject, be sure you’re working from the real verb.

 The subject in a command may be an understood but not stated, you.

 Pronouns acting as subjects can be tricky. Check out Chapter 3 for help distinguishing singular and plural pronouns.

Locating the Subject

196–215 Identify the subject(s) in the sentence.

196. The plastic tip of the shoelace slowly slipped through the hole as Juan marched down the street.

197. Marina and Tom are in the grocery store on the corner of Appleton Avenue and Easy Street.

198. Eight security cameras constantly swiveled in their holders on the ceiling of the jewelry store.

199. In the garden behind the house, the bride and groom solemnly recited their vows.

200. Only one boy in the crowd of 200 fans actually got an autograph.

201. Jumping on the trampoline is fun for Lily and Jane during the long weeks of summer vacation.

202. Stop talking back to the teacher now!

203. Henry distributed sheets of paper to whoever needed some.

204. Does the new brand of peanut butter taste odd to you?

205. There on the shelf sat four large statues of important leaders.

206. Above the clouds and far from the violent storm, the plane flew safely toward its destination.

207. The bus full of delighted tourists slowly circled the famous monument.

208. Each of the coffee cups has a small crack near the rim.

209. Both of the parakeets happily land on my finger for a bit of birdseed and a bite of lettuce.

210. Allison and her former friend Pete parted angrily, snarling at each other and walking in opposite directions.

211. Grandpa, who loves hockey, was the goalie on his college team.

212. Either the apartment with a terrace or the townhouse will surely please that buyer.

213. The dog that I believe should win the contest is over there.

214. Courtney, along with her mother, spoke firmly to the mayor about the need for longer library hours.

215. The fire truck, which is heading to a blaze downtown, speeds through the intersection.

Fine-Tuning Subject-Verb Agreement

216–240 In the context of the sentence, what form of the verb (V) in parentheses is correct, and what is the subject (S) of that verb?

216. Every morning Anna _____ (to open, present tense) the gate and _____ (to allow, present tense) her poodle to play in the yard.

217. On the way to work, Clare and David always _____ (to share, present perfect tense) funny stories about their boss.

218. The large-sized bottle of my favorite shampoo _____ (to be, past tense) on sale last week.

219. Alicia and I _____ (to plan, present progressive tense) a talent show to raise money for a children's charity.

220. The Cub Scouts _____ (to place, past progressive tense) candy apples in small, sticky piles in preparation for the Halloween party.

221. _____ (to be, past tense) Hank pleased when he _____ (to read, past tense) your letter?

222. The best exhibits in the museum _____ (to seem, present tense) more crowded lately.

223. Matthew and I _____ (to sing, past progressive tense) until our voices _____ (to break, past tense) from overuse.

224. _____ (to have, present tense) you any extra icing for my birthday cake?

225. Through the dark, damp tunnel _____ (to crawl, present tense) the chipmunks, eager to reach the picnic tables.

226. Ham and cheese _____ (to be, present tense) my favorite sandwich, but salad _____ (to be, present tense) a more nutritious choice.

227. “Your problem _____ (to be, present tense) 17 unexcused absences,” commented the teacher as she explained why the student was scheduled for detention.

228. Politics _____ (to influence, present tense) much of the debate on that issue, but the senators from that state always _____ (to vote, present tense) according to their consciences.

229. John, not his friends, _____ (to go, present progressive tense) to attend the ceremony.

230. Any of the solutions he _____ (to offer, present tense) to the panel _____ (to be, present tense) acceptable.

231. _____ (to be, present tense) the House of Representatives in session now?

232. Most of the salt in those dishes _____ (to come, present tense) from natural sources.

233. Two or three of the plants with red leaves _____ (to droop, present progressive tense) to the ground because of the drought.

234. The study of economics _____ (to seem, present tense) interesting, but I have never taken any courses about this subject.

235. Two hours of homework _____ (to be, present perfect tense) my usual amount, but I _____ (to expect, present tense) to spend more time on my studies next year.

236. Every student and teacher in the kindergarten _____ (to prefer, present tense) with the plastic blocks, not the wooden ones.

237. That little girl _____ (to be, present tense) the only one of the dancers who _____ (to make, present tense) friends easily.

238. A thousand dollars _____ (to be, present tense) too much to pay for that broken-down car, which _____ (to look, present tense) like a rusty bucket.

239. Neither Ginger nor her aunts _____ (to have, present tense) keys to the house, but the landlord _____ (to be, present tense) able to supply an extra set.

240. Shelby _____ (to sell, present progressive tense) me one of the cars that _____ (to be, present tense) energy efficient.