Important Questions Agreement of Verbs - English Grammar Class 7 PDF Download

Q.1. What is the subject-verb agreement?

Ans: Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the verb in a sentence must match the subject in both number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, third). This rule keeps sentences clear and correct. For example, "She reads a book" (singular subject and singular verb) and "They read books" (plural subject and plural verb).

Q.2. What is a singular subject?

Ans: A singular subject is a noun or pronoun that refers to one person, place, thing or idea. Examples include "the boy", "the city" and "joy". Example sentence: "The boy walks to school."

Q.3. What is a plural subject?

Ans: A plural subject is a noun or pronoun that refers to more than one person, place, thing or idea. Examples include "the girls", "the cities" and "ideas". Example sentence: "The girls play in the park."

Q.4. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with a singular subject?

Ans: A singular subject takes a singular verb. In the present simple tense, third person singular verbs usually add -s or -es, for example: "He walks every day" and "She watches the bird."

Q.5. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with a plural subject?

Ans: A plural subject takes a plural verb. In the present simple tense, plural verbs do not add -s, for example: "They run every morning" and "We watch the film."

Q.6. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with the singular indefinite pronoun 'everyone'?

Ans: The indefinite pronoun 'everyone' is treated as singular and therefore takes a singular verb. Example: "Everyone is invited to the party." Even though it refers to many people, the verb form is singular.

Q.7. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with the plural indefinite pronoun 'both'?

Ans: The pronoun 'both' is plural and takes a plural verb. Example: "Both sisters are studying." This shows two people and uses a plural verb.

Q.8. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with collective nouns?

Ans: A collective noun (for example, team, family, committee) may take a singular or a plural verb. Use a singular verb when the group acts as a single unit (for example, "The team wins the cup"). Use a plural verb when the members act individually (for example, "The team are arguing among themselves").

Q.9. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with compound subjects joined by 'and'?

Ans: Compound subjects joined by 'and' usually take a plural verb because they refer to more than one person or thing. Example: "A pen and a notebook are on the table." An exception is when the two words form a single idea (for example, "bread and butter is my breakfast").

Q.10. What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

Ans: When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. For example: "Either the teacher or the students are going to speak" and "Either the students or the teacher is going to speak."