Subject-Verb Agreement

What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Singular vs Plural

In English, the verb used must match the number of subjects (the thing "doing" the verb) in the sentence. Most subject-verb agreement is about number, so if the subject is plural, the verb must be, too.

Verb Endings and Present Tense 

If the singular verb ends in -x, –ss, –sh, –ch, –tch, or –z, you add –es to the end to match the singular subject.

The tiger waltzes.

The tiger hisses.

If the verb ends in consonant + y, remove the y and add –ies to match the singular subject. For example, the word carry becomes:

The tiger carries his top hat.

However, with words that end in a vowel + y, just add an –s.

The tiger plays with his friend.

Future Tenses

Add a "will" to the singular verb. Both singular and plural subjects use the same verb.

The cat will give a speech.

The cat will announce his candidacy for mayor.

The cats will listen to the announcement.

Past tense

Both singular and plural subjects use the same. 

The cat gave a speech.

The cat announced his candidacy for mayor.

The cats listened to the announcement.

What About "To Be"?

The "to be" verb is conjugated based on the person and number. Since it's used so often, it's best to memorize this quick chart.