CHAPTER

5
Subject-Verb Agreement

CHAPTER SUMMARY CHART 5-1. Final -s / -es: Use and Spelling.

Page 79. Time: 10 minutes
OBJECTIVE: To review and master the correct usage of
final -s / -es and subject-verb agreement. To assist students
in chipping away at the fossilized errors they have in subject-
verb agreement and to help them self-correct. Most students are probably well aware of
the elementary grammar in this chart but still
APPROACH: Correct use of final -s / -es is a common sporadically or even frequently omit final -s / -es.
problem among English language learners. Even though This chart seeks to reinforce students’ awareness of
most students at this level “know” the grammar rules for using -s / -es by a review of rules and an emphasis on oral
the final -s / -es suffixes, they remain unable to use these production.
endings consistently in their own production, both oral and
Encourage correct production of final -s / -es by
written. To help with self-monitoring and the development
exaggerating your own correct pronunciation. Remind
of correct patterns of production, this chapter focuses on
students that mistakes with this basic point may
final -s / -es and singular and plural distinctions, beginning
make their accent sound more “foreign” than it would
with a review of some rules for spelling and pronouncing
otherwise sound. Most adult learners speak an
the final -s / -es suffixes. The main sections deal with the
accented English, but most also want to minimize
problem of number: quantities and various aspects of
their accents. By becoming vigilant about the correct
singular-plural agreement between subject and verb.
pronunciation of final -s / -es and self-correcting as
TERMINOLOGY: The term “expressions of quantity” is much as possible, students can minimize their own
used for any quantifier (e.g., some of, a lot of, several of, accents.
two of ), determiner (e.g., no, each, every, some, any), or
predeterminer (e.g., all, both) that expresses amount or size.
• Begin with the Use section of the chart.
• Present the endings systematically—first the nouns in
PRETEST. What do I already know? Page 78. (a) and then the verbs in (b).
Time: 5 minutes • Write the sentences from the chart on the board, and
• Give students a few minutes to read the direction line then co-create example sentences with your students.
and select which sentences are incorrect. For example:
• Encourage students to read aloud to themselves rather Abdul collects antique books.
than simply look for errors. They will develop good self-
English classes interest us.
correction instincts if they hear the sentences in their
Angelo enjoys his classes.
heads.
• Review as a class. Hye Pak works as an engineer.
• Next, review the Spelling section with your students,
going through items (c)–(f) one by one.
EXERCISE 1. Warm-up. Page 78. • Ask students to add to each group of words and related
Time: 5 minutes spellings.
• Read the direction line and have students complete the • Though the chart focuses on use and spelling, spend
exercise as seatwork, checking the appropriate boxes. time reviewing pronunciation as well. An understanding
• Discuss the role of the -s. of pronunciation will support students’ ability to use the
words correctly.

Expansion (pronunciation)
Write the three symbols /s/, /z/, and / z/ on the board.
Model the sounds. As you work through the chart and
following exercises that follow, point to the appropriate
symbol when discussing a particular pronunciation to
help those students who may not be able to hear the
differences yet.

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 Present each ending and its particular pronunciation CHART 5-2. Basic Subject-Verb Agreement.
systematically, using your students’ lives as a context Page 80. Time: 10 minutes
for these sentences. For example:
Pavlo likes books, movies, and especially comedies.
• Highlight or underline the -s endings: This entire chart is review for students, and the
Pavlo likes books, movies, and especially comedies. concept of subject-verb agreement is one they will
be able to discuss readily. It is very straightforward.
Point out that the final -s is pronounced differently after Remind your students that though they intellectually
different nouns. For example, after book (a voiceless know that subjects and verbs must agree, because
ending sound /k/, the -s is pronounced like /s/. After many subjects are presented as nouns in phrases
movie (a voiced ending sound, /i/[ee]/), the -s is with both plural and singular nouns, it can be hard to
pronounced like /z/. maintain accurate agreement.
Have students repeat each sound after you. The grammatical term “third person” refers to the
following pattern:
Singular
EXERCISE 2. Spelling. Page 79.
I = the person who is speaking, the “first person”
Time: 10 minutes
• Give students time to work through the exercise and you = the person who is being spoken to, the
choose whether -s / -es is needed. “second person”
• Ask students to not only identify and explain the correct he/she/it or singular or noncount noun = the
choice but also to pronounce the word by creating person or thing that is being spoken about, the
sentences using the words. third person
Plural

EXERCISE 3. Grammar and pronunciation. we = the speaker and included persons, the “first
person plural”
Page 79. Time: 10 minutes
• Have students work in pairs. you = all persons who are being spoken to and
• Ask students to expand on this exercise by also adding included in the audience, the “second person
another noun / verb phrase (one not already included in plural”
the exercise). they or plural noun = all people or things that
• Discuss as a group. are being spoken about, the “third person plural”

EXERCISE 4. Let’s talk. Page 80. • Using your students as topics, write a simple present
Time: 10 minutes tense sentence on the board. For example:
• Have a student read the direction line aloud. Hassan works for his father.
• Ask students to explain the meaning of the term • Draw an arrow from the singular subject to the verb
proverb and to share a few proverbs from their culture / it determines and highlight the verb’s third person -s
language. ending.
• Write students’ proverb contributions on the board.
• Ask students why plural nouns are used, leading
Hassan works for his father.
them to the conclusion that it is due to the generality
described in a proverb. • Diagramming is particularly helpful when presenting
• Discuss what proverbs they know of that have similar subjects followed by prepositional phrases, adjective
meanings. clauses, or gerunds. You can exaggerate subject-verb
agreement by writing a long sentence that begins with a
Optional Vocabulary subject followed by a prepositional phrase (or adjective
challenging march clause) that contains both singular and plural nouns.
security badge broth Underline the subject and then highlight the many
itch early bird nouns before the verb appears. For example:
hiss The essay in the school newspaper about the original
candidates for the presidency of the United States in
2016 was too long.
EXERCISE 5. Warm-up. Page 80.
Time: 5 minutes • Write a few complex sentences on the board. For
example:
• Ask students which words determine if the verb is
singular or plural. The apples picked by Yessiana’s son are tart.
• Explain that the first noun they see, the noun before Memorizing English phrasal verbs helps students
any preposition, is the actual subject of the verb. recognize them.

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 The theories first discussed by Watson and later taken up EXERCISE 9. Warm-up. Page 82.
by his partner, Crick, were groundbreaking. Time: 5 minutes
• Ask students to come to the board and diagram the • Do the tasks in the direction line with your class.
sentences. • Remind students of the previous chart and the
• Have students read the sample sentences included in the discussion of what constitutes the real subject of each
chart aloud, and review the notes on the right as a group. sentence. Remind them that the real subject precedes
the first preposition they see, and that these nouns,
collective nouns, often have singular grammar.
EXERCISE 6. Speaking or writing. Page 81.
Time: 10 minutes
• Put students into pairs. CHART 5-3. Collective Nouns. Page 82.
• Ask students to first complete the sentences with what Time: 10 minutes
first comes to mind, and then to write the completed • Begin by writing a sentence about your class on the
sentences as revealed by their partner. board. For example:
• Remind students that because the quantifier is singular,
the verb must be also. My class is very intelligent and motivated.
• Ask students to count off how many people are in the
class. Once they have given you the number, ask them
EXERCISE 7. Looking at grammar. Page 81. why, with that number of students, the verb with class is
Time: 10 minutes singular.
• Explain that class is a collective noun, and write the
words Collective Nouns on the board as a header.
Students must be able to identify the grammatical • Ask students to take turns reading sentences (a)–(d) on
subject before selecting the correct form of the verb. the left side of the chart. Explain that though different
The grammatical subject may or may not be the in British English, these words are singular in American
logical subject. Subjects with each (e.g., each man English.
and woman, every teacher in the school, etc.) may • Ensure that students understand the meaning of all the
seem plural to students. These expressions refer collective nouns in the list at the bottom of the chart.
to more than one person, but because they use the
• Ask different students to take turns reading sentences
word quantifiers each and every, they refer to many
but one by one. The concept of each and every is
(e)–(h) aloud. Spend time explaining that members
singular and therefore, the verb must also be. is implicit, and it is with this implicit inclusion—and
thinking of the group members rather than the group
as an entity—that plural grammar can be used. Don’t
• Read the direction line. spend too much time on this, however, as it is subtle
• Have students complete the exercise on their own as and students may not be able to easily discern the
seatwork. difference.
• Correct as a class, and put any challenging items on
the board for diagramming and discussion.
EXERCISE 10. Looking at grammar.
Page 83. Time: 5 minutes
EXERCISE 8. Grammar and listening. • Read the direction line aloud.
Page 82. Time: 10 minutes • Have students read the sentences aloud so that they
• Be provisioned by having the audio ready to play. can hear the lack of agreement. This is critical because
• Read the direction line aloud, and have students it is hard to only “see” agreement errors.
complete the exercise with the anticipated correct form
of the verb in parentheses.
• Play the audio. EXERCISE 11. Looking at grammar.
• Review as a class. Page 83. Time: 5–10 minutes
• Remind students of the lower half of Chart 5-3.
Optional Vocabulary • Explain that if they can add members, they will see a
universe curtain third person plural verb.
syllabus adrenaline • Review as a class.
protected hormone
retirement home release Optional Vocabulary
lettuce seek out requested performers
produce parachuting raises coach
waterfall exhilarating audience improve
kayak choir paramedic(s)
somersault committee shifts

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 EXERCISE 12. Warm-up. Page 83. EXERCISE 13. Looking at grammar.
Time: 5–10 minutes Page 84. Time: 5–10 minutes
• Read the direction line aloud. Part I
• Remind students, again, about the real subject of any • Remind students of what they have already learned
noun phrase coming before the first preposition. about what determines whether a verb is singular or
• Discuss as a class which words determine whether a plural.
singular or plural verb is used. • Explain the direction line.
• Have students do Part I as seatwork.
• Review as a class.
CHART 5-4. Subject-Verb Agreement:
Using Expressions of Quantity. Page 84. Part II
Time: 10 minutes • Have students choose the correct completions as
seatwork.
• Review as a class.
Make sure students understand that with some,
most, all, and fractional expressions of quantity Expansion
(two-thirds, one-half, etc.), students need to find The United States is not the only country in love with
the noun that follows the expression of quantity to cars and thus, the content of these exercises can be
understand whether a singular or plural verb is needed. a springboard for natural discussion. Any and every
Conceptually, this is exactly the opposite of what they time you can have an impromptu natural discussion
have just learned and therefore, explaining this clearly
that relates to a topic in a grammar exercise, you
should help. Take plenty of time with this. In contrast,
the expressions one, each, and every always require
can engage students in the grammar more simply
singular verbs, no matter what precedes them. by discussing the topic and inviting spontaneous
conversation.
Ask students if they have ever bought a car and
• Ask one student to read item (a) and another one to whether they enjoyed the experience.
read item (b) aloud. Ask students how important cars are in their country.
• Ask the class how and why examples (a) and (b) are
Ask students whether there is social status attached to
different. Point out—repeatedly—how the number
buying a new or used car.
of the noun after the expression of quantity governs
whether the verb is singular or plural. Explain that fairly or unfairly, car salespeople have a
• Continue to work through the example sentences, somewhat negative reputation in the United States.
having students read aloud (c)–(h) in pair fashion. Take Ask if this is also true in students’ countries, and invite
time to reiterate and emphasize the noun that governs them to discuss how car (or other salespeople) are
the verb with boardwork. perceived.
• Stress the consistency of the examples here. Ask students whether “green” cars are more popular
• To further illustrate the point, write contrasting examples than non-green ones.
using your students’ lives. The more tailored these and all Ask students what kind of cars they like and what they
examples are to your lives, the more engaging they will be would look for in a car.
for the students in your class. Below are some examples,
but these can be expanded and added to greatly. Ask Optional Vocabulary
students to explain the differences in meaning. pre-owned vehicle
Singular Verb Plural Verb rear view camera reliability
markup standard
Some of the movie Some of the movies were
dealer models
was too violent for Ree. too violent for Ree.
A lot of Jee-Hyung’s A lot of the students’
notebook is full of grammar notebooks are full of EXERCISE 14. Reading and writing.
notes. grammar notes. Page 85. Time: 5–10 minutes
One-half of Marta’s birthday One-half of Marta’s
cake is gone. birthday presents are Part I
gone. • Ask your students if they have ever heard of King Midas
or the Midas touch.
Most of Malek’s weekend Most of Malek’s weekends
• Give students time to read through the story and
is busy. are busy.
choose the correct verbs as seatwork.
• Emphasize that the expression of quantity preceding • Have students take turns reading sentences aloud, and
the noun (e.g., some of, two-thirds of, a lot of, etc.) discuss the content.
does not determine the verb. In these cases, it is the
noun itself that matters and not the quantifier. Part II
• Have students read the sentences and notes in the rest • Give students time to write the elements and key
of the chart aloud. sentences of a folktale from their country.
• Provide clarification by referring to the notes, and write
more example sentences on the board as needed.

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 • Ask them to use simple sentences and focus on The books are there.
subject-verb agreement with quantity words. (Meaning: specific books are in a specific location—
• Put students into pairs to edit their stories. there is that location.)
There are books in this classroom.
Fluency Practice
• Have students tell their story to their partners and (Meaning: books can be found / exist in this classroom)
then to other students, in increasingly concise ways as • Explain that in the second example above, the verb
described in the task. always agrees with the noun that follows be; there itself
• Ask students to then share a story he or she heard is neither singular nor plural.
from another student with the class as a whole. • Ask a student to read items (a) and (b) from the chart,
• Correct subject-verb agreement and expressions of and review the corresponding notes.
quantity immediately and overtly, writing on the board • Write additional examples on the board.
as needed. • Explain item (c) and tell students when and where they
are likely to hear this contraction of there + is.
Optional Vocabulary
exceedingly overjoyed plead
greedy elaborate wand EXERCISE 16. Grammar and speaking.
luxury feast remorse Page 86. Time: 5–10 minutes
fortune dismay humble • Read the direction line aloud.
satisfy dawn on generous • Have students complete each item according to the
lovely edible ruler direction line.
treasures embrace contented • Ask students to read their completions aloud and
acquire overcome explain their completion based on their opinions or
statistics they know.
• As much as possible, use this speaking exercise to
EXERCISE 15. Warm-up. Page 86. invite more conversation that requires generalities using
Time: 5–10 minutes there + be.
• Read the direction line to your students.
• Divide the board into two columns, headed with There Optional Vocabulary
is and There are. resources climate change decade
• Have students contribute classroom items by name and due to cures
create full sentences, according to whether the noun Expansion
phrase given follows There is or There are. In order to get students using the target grammar, have
• To challenge students, invite them to add abstract them describe random and unusual places without saying
nouns to the two columns. For example: the actual place names. Before you go to class, write
There are laughter and happiness in our classroom. the names of certain places / organizations / buildings /
There is no hatred in our class. facilities on them. Have students create there is and there
are sentences in order to describe them (again without
saying the name). After they have created sentences,
CHART 5-5. Subject-Verb Agreement: Using students read them aloud to the class, and the class has
There + Be. Page 86. Time: 10–15 minutes to guess the place / building / facility / etc. based only on
the there is / there are sentences. For example:
There are test tubes.
Like much of this chapter, this chart will serve as
There is expensive equipment.
review for most students.
There are scientists and researchers.
The structure there + be + noun conveys the
idea that something exists. Make sure students There are usually a lot of computers.
understand that the meaning of this structure is very What is it?
different from They are there. In this case, there A laboratory.
refers to a particular physical location.
Ideas for places:
Help students understand that there doesn’t have a
a laboratory a hospital / clinic
clear meaning in and of itself. Only when it is used
in reference to a particular location, does it become a beach a mechanic’s workshop
a preposition of place. The special structure there + a beauty salon a pet store
be + noun means that something exists. a barber shop a water park / an
amusement park
• Before looking at the chart, write example sentences on a doctor’s / dentist’s office a gym
the board and then point to the noun featured to show a bar a swimming pool
that there in the first case is simply a prepositional an Internet café a grocery store
location. For example: an embassy or state an open-air market
department office

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 EXERCISE 17. Listening. Page 86. CHART 5-6. Subject-Verb Agreement: Some
Time: 5–10 minutes Irregularities. Page 88. Time: 10–15 minutes
• Ensure that you are completely provisioned and have
the audio ready.
• Read the direction line and note aloud. Let students know that as these are irregularities,
• Write the phonetic version of Is there (as written in students are better off simply learning these
exceptions by rote, than trying to envision one hard
the text), and repeat it for students so that they can be
and fast rule. One way to present these irregularities
prepared for the listening. (which, after all, are not in keeping with what
• Play the audio. students have learned so far about subject-verb
• Review the correct choices by referring to the listening agreement) is to diagram and highlight example
script as needed. sentences that are correct but in which the subject
and verb do not agree.

EXERCISE 18. Grammar and listening.

Page 87. Time: 10–15 minutes • Write a few sentences featuring these irregularities on
• Review the direction line carefully. the board. For example:
• Have students underline the words that determine verb Today’s news were interesting.
agreement and circle the correct verb, independently, Today’s news was interesting.
as seatwork.
• Connect plural subjects to their singular verbs overtly
• Play the audio and use the listening script to review the
by crossing out the plural verbs and emphasizing the
correct verbs.
singular ones.
Optional Vocabulary Today’s news were interesting.
scattered intent Today’s news was interesting.
property commit • Continue to emphasize that though this grammar is not
threat subtleties expected, the irregularity is correct.
enter distinctions

EXERCISE 20. Looking at grammar.

EXERCISE 19. Warm-up. Page 87. Page 89. Time: 10 minutes
Time: 10 minutes
• Give students time to complete this exercise as
seatwork.
Because students are used to anticipating errors, • Review the correct verbs and diagram any challenging
it may be hard for them to accept that all of these items on the board.
sentences are correct. You may want to look at
this warm-up while also presenting the chart on
irregularities. EXERCISE 21. Game. Page 89.
Time: 10–15 minutes

• Explain that all the sentences are correct. Expansion

• Encourage students to explain why certain nouns Each team has the opportunity to provide the correct
ending in -s are actually singular. Ask students what answer to each of the statements given and based on
they notice about, for example, the United Nations. For students’ general knowledge. In addition, extra points
example: are gained by each team’s coming up with accurate
sentences about the other two choices presented in
What do you already know about the United Nations?
parentheses. Some teams or groups may not be able
It is an organization made up of many countries. It is one to come up with additional sentences, but it can be
organization and therefore, its grammar is singular. engaging for students to show their general knowledge
What do you already know about the phrase seven and to create sentences on the spot. This expansion
kilometers? In the context here, are we counting each requires the teacher to know or prepare enough facts
of the kilometers or looking at a total distance? We are about all the choices for each item so that she/he can
looking at a total distance and therefore, the grammar is judge whether the additional sentences are correct.
singular. Have students work in teams, and keep score on the
• Explain to students that in some cases, they may board. For example:
simply need to learn that certain words (for example, The English are famous for educational institutions like
news) always have singular grammar, whether they Cambridge and Oxford.
have a final -s or not. You can assure them that while The Scots are famous for inventing golf.
this may not make sense to them, they will become The Scots are well known for traditional universities such
used to the singular grammar of some words. as St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

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 The Scots are famous for their production of woolen EXERCISE 24. Let’s talk. Page 90.
goods and whiskey. Time: 10–15 minutes
The Irish are famous for their great writers, like Keats and
Wilde.
The Irish are known for their exaggerated style of These statements can be a great springboard for
story-telling. spontaneous discussions, but you may need to
paraphrase some of the wording to help engage
Optional Vocabulary students.
respected fatal plenty
statistics proud structure
branch training mammals • Read the direction line aloud.
infectious unreasonable • Ask students to first respond to the items, on their own,
circling yes or no, according to their opinion.
• Now have students get into small groups to discuss
EXERCISE 22. Let’s talk. Page 90. their opinions. Emphasize that they should provide
Time: 10–15 minutes additional sentences supporting their opinions.
• Compare and contrast opinions among the group as
a whole.
Some of these discussion questions will be more
productive than others. Because people find it easy
to talk about themselves and their preferences, EXERCISE 25. Check your knowledge.
items 1 and 6 may work well with little elaboration. Page 91. Time: 10–15 minutes
However, you may need to model what is meant
by item 2 and/or ask leading questions in order to • Give students a chance to locate the errors
engage students in items 3 and 4. For example, independently first.
items 3 and 4 can be rephrased: • As you review, ask students to read the correct answers
aloud in turn and explain how they arrived at their
answers. For example:
What do books and supplies cost here / in Japan / in What is the subject?
Saudi Arabia / in your country?
Does the subject agree with the verb?
How far do most people commute to and from work or
• Ask students to give clear explanations to their peers.
school here / in Brazil / in Russia / in your country?
• Have students work in small groups to respond to the Optional Vocabulary
questions. immunizations attend dramatic
• Circulate around the room assisting students as necessary disturbing comprehensive
needed. suitable budget cuts worsen
• Correct students immediately when you hear third person
mistakes and/or subject-verb agreement problems.
EXERCISE 26. Reading and writing.
Page 92. Time: 10–15 minutes
EXERCISE 23. Game. Page 90.
Time: 10–15 minutes Part I and Part II
• Engage students in the topic by asking them about their
• Have students remain in small groups from the previous experiences in U.S. restaurants.
exercise, or put them into new teams. • Ask some of these general questions (along with those
• Engage the class in the topic by first writing the phrase in Part II) to get the ball rolling before students read the
Physical Exercise on the board and asking students passage. You can write these on the board:
simple questions about whether they exercise, and if
so, what kind of exercise they do, for how long, and how Do you or do you not tip? Under what circumstances
regularly. have you refused to tip? Have you ever given someone a
• You can also ask students whether their own exercise very big tip?
habits are similar to what people in their country do or What is the typical percentage to tip in a restaurant in
different. your country?
• In teams, have students match the beginning of In the United States, many university and college students
the sentences (from the left-hand column) with the wait tables and earn tips. Is this also true in your country?
appropriate completions on the right. What message do patrons give when they tip their
• Review as a class. servers, bartenders, cab drivers, hairdressers, etc.?
Optional Vocabulary Are there any negative impacts of tipping those who
manageable injury buddy provide services?
commute warm up motivation • Read the direction line for the passage to your students.
advantages joints elderly • Give students time to work through the passage for
familiar with routine content, and to underline the words that determine
agreement.

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 • Have students take turns reading aloud once they Optional Vocabulary
are finished, and as a class, discuss the words that common practice
determine agreement. Spend more time on those words custom
that students find challenging. apps
mandatory service charge
Part III valet
• Ask students to begin writing about tipping practices bellhops
(or any related subject) in class and complete this for concierge
homework.
• Circulate and help students get started, which is often
the most challenging part of any writing assignment.

Part IV
• Remind students that every writer needs a good editor.
• Have students work on editing their own work or that of
other students, using the list included.

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