APPENDIX A

A LEARNING MODULE IN ENGLISH

Let Us All Learn About

“Subject and Verb Agreement”
Designed by:
Bines D. Balili

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Secondary Education
major in English

Adapted by:
Ruiz G. Danting
Mariz P. Dimarucut
Micaela D. Tugade
Russel S. Gatchalian
Cathlyn Khate B. Bondoc
 Let Us All Learn About
”Subject and Verb Agreement”
A Learning Module in English
Designed by: Bines D. Balili

Introduction

Your knowledge about subject-verb agreement is quite helpful and important for
you become better and effective communicator in English. A Common error usually
committed by some is the inappropriate pairing of the subject and the verb; that is, using
singular verbs to pair with plural subjects or using plural verbs to pair with singular subjects.

This module aims to help you avoid making those errors as you learn and be guided
by the rules of the subject- verb agreement that you are about to explore. Some of the
common and complex rules are presented and explained for you to familiarize with.

An exercise before the proper discussion is provided for you to answer as a sort of
motivation to get you ready of the lesson. This is a setting pace for you as you begin your
journey throughout the module as you explore the world of “Subject- Verb Agreement”.
This exercise also serves as a diagnostic test for you to check your prior knowledge and to
find out if you have some familiarity and back ground about the said topic.

Then you are given the chance to use and apply the rules as you answer some
activities given after every set of rules discussed. Part of the application also is for you to
write an essay observing proper agreement of the subject and the verb and edit or
proofread statements that contain disagreement between the verb and the subject.

Objectives: After going through the pages of this module, you are expected to:

a. decide whether the verb to be used should be singular or plural to agree with the
subject;
b. identify and correct errors regarding subject- verb agreement found in some sentences;
and
c. observe and appreciate correct agreement between the subject and the verb in writing
a composition.
Students…Welcome to the World of Friendship between “Subject” and “Verb” who always
agree with each other All the Time! Now remember these few tips before you plunge into the
vast ocean of rules.

 Generally, noun with S is plural but verb with S is singular.

 Remember, only the subject affects the verb.
 Noun without S is singular but verb without S is plural
 The verb always agrees to the subject.

Take a look at these examples…

1. A. Carlo is a very diligent student. He wakes up early in the morning and prepares
everything before setting up for a six- kilometre walk.

Carlo- singular subject

is- singular verb (agrees to the singular subject Carlo)
he- singular subject
wakes up, prepares- singular verbs (agree to the singular subject he)

B. Carlo and Dina are very diligent students. They wake up early in the morning and prepare
everything before setting up for a six- kilometre walk.

Carlo and Dina- plural subject

are- plural verb (agrees to the plural subject Carlo and Dina)
they- plural subject
wake up, prepare- plural verbs (agree to the plural subject they)

2. A. The dog wags its tail.

dog- singular subject

wags- singular verb (agrees to the singular subject dog)

B. The dogs wag their tails.

dogs- plural subject

 wag- plural verb (agrees to the plural subject dog)

You may now explore the world of “subject and verb” and learn the rules that keep them
agree with each other…

Remember these rules:

1. Singular subjects require singular verbs.

Examples:
a. The teacher explains the lesson.
b. The boy eats.
2. Plural subjects require plural verbs.
Examples:
a. The teachers explain the lesson.
b. The boys eat.
3. Collective nouns such as crew, faculty, class, committee, etc. usually take singular verbs
when the speaker refers to the group as a whole or the group acts as a whole, but take
the plural verbs when the speaker refers to the individual members or the members in
the group act individually or separately.
Examples:
a. The faculty go home after attending the seminar.
(Subjects are acting individually or separately)
b. The faculty attends a seminar- workshop.
(Subject is acting as a whole)
4. Compound subjects joined by and generally require plural verb.
Examples:
a. John and Paul are friends.
b. Cows and goats are grazing on the grass field.
5. Compound subjects joined by and but referring to the same person or thing (or things
regarded as one or complement to each other) requires singular form of verb.
Examples:
 a. My cousin and best friend helps me water the plants.
(This refers to one person only- a cousin and a best friend at the same time)
b. Spoon and fork is used in eating.
(Both are used in eating so they are complement to each other, therefore
regarded as one)
6. Compound subjects joined by or, either…or, or neither…nor generally require verbs
that agree with the subject nearer the verb.
Examples:
a. Either my father or my brothers help me plant vegetables.
b. Neither the teachers nor the principal talks about vacation.
c. Who between the blind or the lame appears helpless?
7. Compound subjects composed of negative and affirmative parts require verbs which
agree with the affirmative.
Examples:
a. The plates, not the glass, are broken.
b. Not the coach but the players need stamina.
8. Compound subjects joined by with, together with, as well as, including, and other
similar words require verb that agrees to the first subject.
Examples:
a. Michael, together with his friends, crosses the river.
b. The duck, including its ducklings, looks for food.
9. Singular indefinite pronouns require singular verb.
Singular indefinite pronouns are: each, every, everybody, everyone, everything,
anybody, anyone, anything, somebody, someone, something, one, no one, nothing,
nobody, either, and neither.
Examples:
a. Everybody enjoys the fiesta celebration.
b. Somebody knocks on the door.
 10. Plural indefinite pronouns require plural verbs.
Plural indefinite pronouns are: many, several, both, few, and others.
Examples:
a. Both are qualified to take the scholarship examination.
b. Several courses are offered by the newly opened college.

Wow, you learn really fast! Here is a challenge for you…

Activity 1: (apply rules 1 to 10)

1. Bread and butter (is, are) a typical snack among Filipinos.

2. The coconut tree in our backyard (grow, grows) higher and higher each year.
3. Snails (move, moves) very slowly.
4. Vegetables (is, are) very abundant in our place.
5. The committee (argue, argues) on certain matters.
6. Each student (is, are) required to do the project.
7. A mother, with a baby on her side, (approach, approaches) the principal.
8. Either the boys or the girls (receive, receives) the award.
9. Not the tomato plant but the grasses ( need , needs ) trimming.
10. Several strategies (has, have) been tried by the teacher in his class.

Fantastic! You are doing really great… another set of rules are ready to be explored…

11. All, some, plenty, lots of require singular or plural verbs depending on the number of
the object of the of- phrase.
Example:
a. All of the bananas are ripe.
b. All of the jewelry is stolen
12. When all means the only thing, the verb required is singular.
Example:
a. All Ana needs is the attention of her parents.
b. All he wants is to sleep.
13. If a fraction is used as subject, it requires singular or plural verbs depending on the
number of of- phrase.
Example:
a. Two- thirds of the students are absent.
b. One- half of the bar soap costs fifteen pesos.
14. The words people (meaning many persons), and peoples (meaning races, tribes,
nations) are always plural and both require plural verbs.
Example:
a. The people want to change the constitution.
b. The peoples of Asia are culturally related.
15. The expression many a when used to precede a subject requires a singular verb.
Examples:
a. Many a student loves studying.
b. Many a man likes basketball.
16. The expression a number when used to precede a subject requires a plural verb.
Examples:
a. A number of rebels surrender their firearms to the government.
b. A number of farmers attend a seminar about agriculture.
17. The expression the number when used to precede a subject requires a singular verb.
Example:
a. The number of street children decreases this year.
18. Demonstrative pronouns this and that require plural verb; while these and those
require plural verbs.
Examples:
a. This plant needs more water than that plant.
b. These books need some cover.
19. The title of a book, magazine, or movie is considered singular and therefore requires
singular verb.
Examples:
 a. The Country Life Book of Fairy Tales is authored by P. Pierce.
b. Men in Black is a science fiction movie
20. The third person pronouns such as he, she, and it require singular form of verb.
Examples:
a. He speaks.
b. She walks.
c. It flies.

It’s time to apply the rules…

Activity 2: (Apply rules 11-20)

1. The Filipino people (deserve, deserves) to have good political leaders.

2. Plenty of water (is, are) needed to make the flowers grow healthy.
3. All of the plants in the farm (was, were) applied with fertilizers.
4. One – fourth of the farmers (practice, practices) crop rotation.
5. All Angelo needs (is, are) to study.
6. The number of drop- outs (decrease, decreases) this year.
7. A number of teacher applicants (arrive, arrives) the school early.
8. Music and Arts (is, are) the title of our book in MAPEH.
9. This (tree, trees) (is, are) taller than that tree.
10. These ( plant , plants )( need , needs ) fertilizer than ( that , those ) plant.

Incredible! Here, learn more…

21. The pronouns I, we, you, they, require plural.

Examples:
a. I speak.
b. We walk.
c. They fly.
22. When there is used as an expletive, it requires either a singular or plural verb
depending on the subjects that follow the verb.
Examples:
 a. There are fruits on the tree.
b. There is a bird on the nest.
23. Expressions of amount or quality preceding plural nouns referring to money, time or
distance are generally considered as singular and therefore require singular verbs.
Examples:
a. Twenty kilometres is far enough.
b. Five hundred pesos is paid for the pair of school shoes
24. The verb agrees with the subject, not the phrase that follows it.
Examples:
a. The children of Mr. De la Cruz are all professionals.
b. The hive of the bees is guarded by a queen bee.
25. When relative pronoun is used as the subject of the dependent clause, a singular or
plural verb is required depending on the number and person of its antecedent.
Examples:
a. Green is a color which makes the painting more beautiful.
b. Dota is one of the computer games that are so popular among the young.
26. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning take singular verbs.
These are: politics, economics, physics, mathematics, news and ethics
Examples:
a. Ethics deals with problem of moral duty.
b. Mathematics is a very interesting subject.
27. When adjectives are used as subjects and precede by the article the, a plural verb is
required. Examples:
a. The poor deserve attention.
b. The young are aggressive.

Fabulous! Here is another challenge…

Activity 3: (Apply rules 21-27)

1. There (is, are) books on the table.

 2. There (is, are) a house on the top of a mountain.
3. Ten thousand pesos (is, are) more than enough to spend for the vacation.
4. Twenty five kilometers (is, are) is the distance between Sudlon and Banawa.
5. The students of Mr. De los Santos (is, are) very participative.
6. The daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (is , are ) very beautiful.
7. Manny Pacquiao is one of the boxers who (has, have) acquired wealth and
fame in the world of boxing.
8. We (travel, travels) five kilometers by foot in going to school everyday.
9. I have met the guy who (is, are) on the program.
10. That guy is one of the participants who (is, are) never on time.

Look how brilliant you are! But be more challenged now. Do these last couple of activities.
This is now the application of all the rules you have learned…

Activity 4: Let the verb agree to the subject!

Do the following:

a. Look for the subjects and the verbs in the following sentences.

b. Underline the subjects and circle the verb

Some sentences below have errors in subject- verb agreement. Find the error in the form of
the verb and write the correct form on the space provided for. Write the word “agree” in
case there is no error.

1. ____________ One hundred pesos are too much to pay for a box of chalk.
2. ____________ The architect who designed this house is my brother.
3. ____________ Some of the fruits is sold to the market.
4. ____________ All of the cake have been eaten by the kids.
5. ____________ Half of the students take the removal test in English.
6. ____________ My first impression to my students is that they will be attentive.
7. ____________ His only reason in going to school are that he can escape from going
to the farm.
 8. ____________ I was surprised because neither the principal nor the supervisors were
aware of the K-12 seminar.
9. ____________ An understanding of the economic problems are necessary to the
conscientious Filipino voter.
10. ____________ The revenue commissioner’s suggestion to increase taxes in order to
raise teachers salaries has met with some opposition.
11. _________ The fact that our best teachers are seeking better paying jobs in the
United States and Canada don’t seem to bother enough people.
12. _________ His original plan to buy a tractor with the proceeds from the sale of his
carabaos has proven impractical.
13. _________ There is always name calling and wild promises during the campaign for
local government positions.
14. _________Posted on the bulletin board were a list of Grade 8 students who failed in
English last grading period.
15. _________ The results of the voting to select a new speaker of the Batasan
Pambansa has never been made public.
16. __________Ritual and magic are common elements in myths.
17. ___________Each man and woman is controlled by a powerful being in many myths.
18. ___________Every deity has magical powers.
19. ___________Every myth and legend have unique features.
20. ___________Somebody is shown as more powerful in creation stories.

You are really incredible! Now take this last challenge…

Write a composition of about 100 words on any one of the following topics. Please observe
rules on subject- verb agreement. Observing those rules in writing is also one way of
appreciating their importance in a composition.

a. The Needs of My Community

b. The Places I Like to Visit
c. The Teacher I Will Always Remember
You are really incredible! Congratulations…You’ve really made it! Now let us see if we have
the same answers. Check the answer key below.

Activity 1

1. Is (agrees to the subject bread and butter- considered singular since they are
complement to each other so they are regarded as one)
2. Grows (agrees to the singular subject coconut tree)
3. Move (agrees to the plural subject snails)
4. Are (agrees to the plural subject vegetables)
5. Argue (agrees to the subject committee- plural since the speaker refers to the
Individual members of the committee)
6. Is (agrees to the singular subject each student)
7. Approaches (agrees to the first subject mother which is singular)
8. Receive (agrees to the plural subject girls- the one closer to the verb)
9. Need (agrees to the posititve part of the statement the grasses- plural
subject)
10. have (agrees to the plural subject several strategies)

Activity 2

1. Deserve (agrees to the plural subject people)

2. Is (agrees to the singular subject water)
3. Were (agrees to the plural subject plants)
4. Practice (agrees to the plural subject farmers)
5. Is (agrees to the subject all which means the only thing, and that is to study)
6. Decreases (agrees to the expression the number- an expression that requires
a singular verb)
7. Arrive (agrees to the expression a number- an expression that requires a
plural verb)
8. Is (agrees to a subject which is a title of a book, therefore singular)
 9. This…is…those (the demonstrative pronoun this is correct to pair with the
singular pronoun tree and the singular verb is agrees to the singular subject
tree, while the demonstrative pronoun those is correct to pair with the plural
noun trees)
10. Plants…need…that (the plural pronoun plants is the answer to agree to the
demonstrative these and the plural verb need agrees to the plural subject
plants and the singular demonstrative that is correct to pair to the singular
pronoun plant)

Activity 3

1. Are (agrees to the subject books)

2. Is (agrees to the singular subject house)
3. Is (agrees to the subject ten thousand pesos-an amount used as a subject
requires singular form of the verb)
4. Is (agrees to the subject twenty five kilometers- a distance used as a subject
requires singular form of the verb)
5. Are (agrees to the plural subject the students)
6. Is (agrees to the singular subject the daughter)
7. Have (agrees to the plural subject boxers)
8. Travel (agrees to the subject we- plural pronoun)
9. Is (agrees to the singular subject guy)
10. Are (agrees to the plural subject participants)

Activity 4

1. ______is______ One hundred pesos are too much to pay for a box of chalk.
2. ______C______ The architect who designed this house is my brother.
3. ______are______ Some of the fruits is sold to the market.
4. ______has______ All of the cake have been eaten by the kids.
5. _____C_______ Half of the students take the removal test in English.
6. _____C_______ My first impression to my students is that they will be
attentive.
7. ______is______ His only reason in going to school are that he can escape from
going to the farm.
8. ______C______ I was surprised because neither the principal nor the
supervisors were aware of the K-12 seminar.
9. ______is______ An understanding of the economic problems are necessary to
the conscientious Filipino voter.
10. ____C_____ The revenue commissioner’s suggestion to increase taxes in
order to raise teachers’ salaries has met with some opposition.
11. 11.___doesn’t___ The fact that our best teachers are seeking better paying
jobs in the United States and Canada don’t seem to bother enough people.
12. 12.___C______ His original plan to buy a tractor with the proceeds from the
sale of his carabaos has proven impractical.
13. ___are______ There is always name calling and wild promises during the
campaign for local government positions.
14. ___was____Posted on the bulletin board were a list of Grade 8 students who
failed in English last grading period.
15. ____have__ The results of the voting to select a new speaker of the Batasan
Pambansa has never been made public.
16. ____C______Ritual and magic are common elements in myths.
17. _____C_____Each man and woman is controlled by a powerful being in many
myths.
18. _____C_____Every deity has magical powers.
19. _____has___Every myth and legend have unique features.
20. _____C_____Somebody is shown as more powerful in creation stories.