Summary: Subject Verb Agreement

• Subject

Subject is the person/people/thing(s) that do the activity.
Example : I, you, they, we, she, he, it, my dad and my mom, Linda and Susi, the bank, the flight schedule, etc.

• Verb

Verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence.

Kinds of verb :

• Action Verb

Also known as MAIN VERB.
Action verbs are words that express action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.). 
Action verbs can be either transitive (with object) or intransitive (without object). 
Example : Laurissa rises slowly from her seat.

• Linking Verb

A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
To be : is, am, are, was, were.

Example : We were there!

Verb: seem, appear, become, grow, remain, get, prove, turn, look, sound, smell, taste, feel.

Example : That sounds great!

• Helping Verb

Helping verbs are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information regarding aspects of possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.) 

Modals always function as Helping Verbs.

Modals = can, could, may, might, shall, will, ought to, should, would.

Example : The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.

• MAIN RULE OF "Subject Verb Agreement"

Exercise: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject!

1.       Annie and her brothers are at school.

2.      Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.

3.      The dog or the cats are outside.

4.      Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.

5.      George and Tamara don’t want to see that movie.

6.      Benito doesn't know the answer.

7.      One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.

8.      The man with all the birds lives on my street.

9.      The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.

10.    The players, as well as the captain, want to win.