1.2 Subject, Object & agreement
E1 - Explanation
Before beginning the examples and exercises, please watch the Explanation Video below.
E2 - Examples:
A. Subject + Main Verb + Object: We play tennis. He likes coffee. We study Chinese.
A. Subject + Main Verb + Object: We play tennis. He likes coffee. We study Chinese.
I go to school.
In this sentence 'I' is the subject, 'go' is the verb, and 'school' is the object.
He likes coffee.
'He' is the singular subject, 'likes' is the verb (which agrees with 'he', the subject), and 'coffee' is the object.
Jen and I study Chinese at the language hogwan.
'Jen and I' (becomes 'we') for the plural subject, 'study' is the verb (which agrees with 'we'), and 'Chinese' is the object (the thing being studied or acted upon by the verb. Notice that the language hogwan is not the object, although it is another noun.)
In this sentence 'I' is the subject, 'go' is the verb, and 'school' is the object.
He likes coffee.
'He' is the singular subject, 'likes' is the verb (which agrees with 'he', the subject), and 'coffee' is the object.
Jen and I study Chinese at the language hogwan.
'Jen and I' (becomes 'we') for the plural subject, 'study' is the verb (which agrees with 'we'), and 'Chinese' is the object (the thing being studied or acted upon by the verb. Notice that the language hogwan is not the object, although it is another noun.)
B. Agreement:
The primary verb in a sentence must match, or agree with, the subject of the sentence.
For example, the English verb ‘to have’: I have, you have, he has, she has, it has, they have, we have.
The verb ‘to like’ changes in a similar way: I like, you like, she likes, he likes, it likes, they like, we like.
The very common verb ‘to be’ is probably the most difficult: I am, you are, he is, she is, it is, we are, they are.
I love English. John loves Jess. They love playing tennis. My professor loves cheese. Your grandparents love kimchi. Rashid, Jun, and Alyssa all love to attend PICC. Many older Koreans love going to the jimjilbang.
The primary verb in a sentence must match, or agree with, the subject of the sentence.
For example, the English verb ‘to have’: I have, you have, he has, she has, it has, they have, we have.
The verb ‘to like’ changes in a similar way: I like, you like, she likes, he likes, it likes, they like, we like.
The very common verb ‘to be’ is probably the most difficult: I am, you are, he is, she is, it is, we are, they are.
I love English. John loves Jess. They love playing tennis. My professor loves cheese. Your grandparents love kimchi. Rashid, Jun, and Alyssa all love to attend PICC. Many older Koreans love going to the jimjilbang.
Let's look at some ways that the parts of a sentence actually fit into a sentence!
“Grandmother makes delicious kimchi easily.”
“Grandmother makes delicious kimchi easily.”
Grandmother (subject, noun) makes (verb) delicious (adjective) kimchi (noun) easily (adverb) .
E3 Exercise
1.2 A. Identify the subject, noun(s), verb(s), adjective, and adverb in each sentence.
1.2 A. Identify the subject, noun(s), verb(s), adjective, and adverb in each sentence.
- Cell phones break.
- You and I go to school together.
- He had nicely cooked eggs and white toast for breakfast.
- They played tennis together yesterday.
- Professor Alkema wears interesting ties.
- Most birds fly beautifully.
- Those books have boring pictures.
- Minjoo and Sera are excellent synchronized swimmers who frequently perform together.
- The roses grew wildly in the secret garden.
- She loves semi-sweet chocolate passionately.
- Tony designs and sews his own stylish suits.
- I gently tell my children to clean their messy rooms.
E4 Expansion Activity A
You are at a little Korean convenience store (편의점) with three of your friends. You want to buy some snacks to eat while you study. Write some simple sentences about your shopping. Use correct agreement for the verbs! Ex: I and Yeji like ramen. We buy chicken ramen. Hannah hates ramen. She buys Ivy crackers! 1. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Expansion Activity B:
Agreement in questions can work differently than agreement in sentences. There are two main types of questions in English:
Wh-Questions and Yes/No Questions. Click either type to learn more about them.
Wh-Questions
The initial verb (often do or be) changes, rather than the main verb - the verb that acts on the subject. For example:
Susan likes eggs for breakfast. Susan is the subject ('she'), so the verb 'like' changes to 'likes' to agree with the subject. BUT:
What does Susan like for lunch? Susan is the subject ('she'). The main verb 'like' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Wh-question (click to learn more) is changed to agree with 'Susan'.
Tom and I study English at Handong. The subject is 'Tom and I', so the verb 'study' agrees with the subject 'we'. BUT:
Where do Tom and I study French? The subject is 'we'. The main verb 'study' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Wh-question is changed to agree with 'Tom and I'.
Yes/No Questions
The initial verb (often do or be) changes, rather than the main verb - the verb that acts on the subject. For example:
Susan likes hotdogs. Susan is the subject ('she'), so the verb 'like' changes to 'likes' to agree with the subject. BUT:
Does Susan like hamburgers? Susan is the subject ('she'). The main verb 'like' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Yes/No question (click to learn more) is changed to agree with 'Susan'.
Tom and I study English. The subject is 'Tom and I', so the verb 'study' agrees with the subject 'we'. BUT:
Do Tom and I study French? The subject is 'we'. The main verb 'study' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Yes/No question is changed to agree with 'Tom and I'.
Agreement in questions can work differently than agreement in sentences. There are two main types of questions in English:
Wh-Questions and Yes/No Questions. Click either type to learn more about them.
Wh-Questions
The initial verb (often do or be) changes, rather than the main verb - the verb that acts on the subject. For example:
Susan likes eggs for breakfast. Susan is the subject ('she'), so the verb 'like' changes to 'likes' to agree with the subject. BUT:
What does Susan like for lunch? Susan is the subject ('she'). The main verb 'like' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Wh-question (click to learn more) is changed to agree with 'Susan'.
Tom and I study English at Handong. The subject is 'Tom and I', so the verb 'study' agrees with the subject 'we'. BUT:
Where do Tom and I study French? The subject is 'we'. The main verb 'study' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Wh-question is changed to agree with 'Tom and I'.
Yes/No Questions
The initial verb (often do or be) changes, rather than the main verb - the verb that acts on the subject. For example:
Susan likes hotdogs. Susan is the subject ('she'), so the verb 'like' changes to 'likes' to agree with the subject. BUT:
Does Susan like hamburgers? Susan is the subject ('she'). The main verb 'like' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Yes/No question (click to learn more) is changed to agree with 'Susan'.
Tom and I study English. The subject is 'Tom and I', so the verb 'study' agrees with the subject 'we'. BUT:
Do Tom and I study French? The subject is 'we'. The main verb 'study' stays the same, but the initial verb ('do') of this Yes/No question is changed to agree with 'Tom and I'.
Try this self-test and see how you do on making subject-verb agreement questions correctly!
http://perfectyourenglish.com/blog/subject-verb-agreement-exercise-for-class-6-cbse-english/
E5 External Links
1.2 - A Guide to Subject/Verb Agreement - in more detail. Keep on Trucking - a Subject/Verb Agreement Game - "A truck shows a verb that students must ensure correctly fits the subject of the sentence by taking away letters (hitting potholes) or adding letters (running over gas cans). " |