Grammatically correct sentences must have proper subject-verb agreement, which is when the subject and verb match. A singular subject must have a singular verb just as a plural subject must have a plural verb.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| The student goes to school. | The students go to school. |
| The student is going to school. | The students are going to school. |
| The student has gone to school. | The students have gone to school. |
| The student went to school. | The students went to school. |
When you are trying to determine if a subject and verb agree, try to follow these steps.
- Locate the subject of the sentence
- Decide if the subject is single or plural
- Locate the verb which goes with the subject
- Decide if the verb form matches the subject
The subject of a sentence is usually a noun or pronoun and when it is a simple subject, one with just one word or short phrase, it is much easier to check for agreement. However, there are many situations that can make it difficult to find the subject or determine its agreement with the verb.
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