Subject Verb Agreement Paragraph Worksheet

As a copy editor, one of the most common grammar errors that I come across is subject-verb agreement. This error occurs when the subject and verb do not agree in number. For example, “The cat jumps” is correct because both the subject (cat) and the verb (jumps) are singular. However, “The cats jump” is incorrect because the subject (cats) is plural while the verb (jump) is singular. To help writers improve their subject-verb agreement, I often recommend using a subject-verb agreement paragraph worksheet.

A subject-verb agreement paragraph worksheet is a tool that writers can use to practice identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement errors. The worksheet typically contains a paragraph with several sentences that have subject-verb agreement errors. The writer`s task is to identify the errors and correct them.

One effective way to use a subject-verb agreement paragraph worksheet is to first read through the paragraph and highlight all the verbs. Then, go back through the paragraph and identify the subjects of each sentence. Finally, compare the subject and verb of each sentence to ensure that they agree in number.

For example, consider the following paragraph:

“The group of students was excited to go on their field trip. They had been preparing for weeks and were eager to learn. The teacher, however, was concerned about the weather. She had read reports of a storm and worried that it might spoil their plans. Despite her concerns, the group decided to go ahead with the trip. When they arrived, they were relieved to find that the weather was beautiful.”

Upon reading this paragraph, a writer might identify the following errors:

– “The group of students was excited to go on their field trip. They had been preparing for weeks and were eager to learn.” – The verb “were” should be changed to “was” to agree with the singular subject “group”.

– “The teacher, however, was concerned about the weather. She had read reports of a storm and worried that it might spoil their plans.” – The verb “worried” should be changed to “was worried” to agree with the singular subject “teacher”.

– “Despite her concerns, the group decided to go ahead with the trip.” – The verb “decided” should be changed to “decided” to agree with the plural subject “group”.

By identifying and correcting these errors, the paragraph reads much more smoothly and effectively conveys the intended meaning.

In conclusion, a subject-verb agreement paragraph worksheet is a valuable tool for writers looking to improve their grammar skills. By using this tool, writers can practice identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement errors, which will ultimately lead to clearer and more effective writing.