Skip to content
S

Grammar

Subject-Verb Agreement

Making the verb match the person or thing doing it.

Mastered by
Third-person -s and is/are by about 4
Practice items
36
Sections
3

What this skill is

English verbs change shape depending on who is doing them. One dog barks; two dogs bark. I am, you are, he is. This shows up in four main places: the third-person -s ending ("she runs"), the be verbs (am, is, are, was, were), the have verbs (has, have), and the do verbs (does, do).

What to expect

Third-person -s is one of the later grammatical endings to arrive and one of the first to disappear when a child is tired or working hard on something else. Errors like "he run" and "they was" are typical up to about 4;6. Because these forms are unstressed and quick, they are also frequently affected by hearing loss or fluctuating ear infections - worth ruling out.

Try this at home

Contrast singular and plural right next to each other so the difference is audible: "The bird flies. The birds fly." Kids need to hear the pair back to back; hearing either one alone does not teach the contrast.

When to refer

Persistent agreement errors after age 5, or errors that come and go alongside ear infections.

Print it

Subject-Verb Agreement worksheet36 items across 3 sections, with answer key · PDF

Adding -s to the Verb

12 items

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

  1. 1.The dog ____ at the mailman. (bark)barks
  2. 2.The dogs ____ at the mailman. (bark)bark
  3. 3.My sister ____ to school. (walk)walks
  4. 4.My sisters ____ to school. (walk)walk
  5. 5.The bird ____ in the tree. (sing)sings
  6. 6.The birds ____ in the tree. (sing)sing
  7. 7.He ____ his lunch every day. (eat)eats
  8. 8.They ____ lunch every day. (eat)eat
  9. 9.The baby ____ when she is hungry. (cry)cries
  10. 10.The babies ____ when they are hungry. (cry)cry
  11. 11.A cat ____ on the fence. (jump)jumps
  12. 12.Two cats ____ on the fence. (jump)jump

Is or Are? Was or Were?

12 items

Choose the be verb that matches the subject.

  1. 1.The cookie ____ warm.is
  2. 2.The cookies ____ warm.are
  3. 3.My friend ____ at the door.is
  4. 4.My friends ____ at the door.are
  5. 5.I ____ ready to go.am
  6. 6.You ____ my best friend.are
  7. 7.Yesterday the park ____ crowded.was
  8. 8.Yesterday the stores ____ crowded.were
  9. 9.The puppy ____ sleeping this morning.was
  10. 10.The puppies ____ sleeping this morning.were
  11. 11.She ____ happy about the surprise.was
  12. 12.We ____ happy about the surprise.were

Has or Have? Does or Do?

12 items

Choose the verb that matches the subject.

  1. 1.She ____ a new bike.has
  2. 2.They ____ new bikes.have
  3. 3.The school ____ a big playground.has
  4. 4.The schools ____ big playgrounds.have
  5. 5.I ____ two brothers.have
  6. 6.He ____ one sister.has
  7. 7.____ the dog want a treat?Does
  8. 8.____ the dogs want treats?Do
  9. 9.____ you like ice cream?Do
  10. 10.____ she like ice cream?Does
  11. 11.The store ____ not open on Sunday.does
  12. 12.The stores ____ not open on Sunday.do