Verbs and Agreement
Agreement when the subject is more than one
Make the verb agree with its subject, including subjects joined by "and", and choose between is/are, has/have, does/do and was/were.
A verb has to match its subject. One thing takes one form, more than one takes another: the horse gallops, the horses gallop. You already do this without thinking in short sentences. This lesson is about the places where it stops being automatic.
The -s swaps sides
On a noun, -s means more than one: one book, two books. On a present-tense verb, -s means exactly one: he runs, they run. So the sentence with the most s-es on it is usually the wrong one — "The birds sings" cannot be right.
Two subjects joined by "and"
Two subjects joined by "and" make more than one — unless the pair names a single thing, like bread and butter for one breakfast. The cook and the driver are here. My friend and I cycle to the market. Salt and pepper were on the tray.
The four pairs worth learning
is / are · has / have · does / do · was / were. The first of each pair goes with one, the second with more than one. "I" is the odd one out: I am, I was, I have, I do.
Worked example
Choose the verb: My cousin and my aunt ____ arriving today.
Find the subject: "My cousin and my aunt".
Not just "my aunt" — the subject runs all the way back to the start.
Try it together
Try one where the subject changes underneath you.
Start from the sentence: The photograph was in the album.
1.Change the subject to "The photographs". Which verb does the sentence need now?
Have a go
Choose the correct verb: My brother and my sister ____ in the same school.
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.