Make the verb match the subject
The subject is who or what the sentence is about. The verb must agree with it.
| Subject | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| one (he, she, it, the dog) | The dog barks. She is happy. | The dog was barking. |
| more than one (they, we, the dogs) | The dogs bark. They are happy. | The dogs were barking. |
| I | I bark. I am happy. | I was barking. |
| you (one or many) | You bark. You are happy. | You were barking. |
Tricky subjects
- Everyone, everybody, each, nobody are singular: Everyone is here.
- Find the real subject: The box of crayons is on the shelf. (it’s one box, not the crayons)
- There is one thing; there are more than one: There is a cat. There are two cats.
Watch out! “We was” ✘ and “you was” ✘ are common slips. It’s we were and you were.
Top tip: cover up any extra words between the subject and the verb: “The box
of crayonsis…”
🗂️ Was or were?1 of 8
Which word goes with this subject?
🙋
I
🎮 Make it agreeQuestion 1 of 5