Subject Verb Agreement for Grade 7
Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental grammatical rule that students learn in their early years of education. It is essential for effective communication as it helps to convey a clear and concise message. The rule stipulates that the subject and the verb in a sentence must agree in terms of number – singular or plural.
For students in the 7th grade, mastering subject-verb agreement is crucial as they begin to write more complex pieces of work. Here are some key points to help students understand and apply the rule of subject-verb agreement:
1. Identify the subject: The subject is the noun or pronoun that the sentence is about. It is essential to identify the subject before choosing the correct verb. For example, in the sentence, “The cat sleeps on the mat,” the subject is “cat.”
2. Choose the correct verb: The verb must match the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must be in singular form, and if the subject is plural, the verb must be in plural form. For example, in the sentence, “The cats sleep on the mat,” the subject is “cats,” and the verb “sleep” is in plural form.
3. Watch out for tricky subjects: Some subjects can be tricky, such as collective nouns, where the noun represents a group of people or things. For example, in the sentence, “The team is practicing,” the subject “team” is singular, even though it represents a group of people.
4. Don`t be fooled by intervening words: Intervening words such as prepositional phrases can sometimes make it challenging to identify the subject. However, the subject is always the noun or pronoun that the verb agrees with. For example, in the sentence, “The book on the shelf belongs to me,” the subject is “book,” and the verb “belongs” agrees with it.
5. Pay attention to verbs that don`t follow the conventional rule: Some verbs don`t follow the conventional rule of adding an “s” to show singular and “es” to show plural. For example, the verb “to be” doesn`t have a plural form. Therefore, you say, “I am” for singular and “We are” for plural.
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is an important rule that students in grade 7 must master for effective written communication. By identifying the subject, choosing the correct verb, and paying attention to tricky subjects and intervening words, students can write grammatically correct sentences that convey a clear and concise message.
