Subject-Verb Agreement and Expressing Agreement in English

Introduction

In English, just like in French, it’s essential to follow certain rules of grammatical agreement. This includes:

• 🔹 Subject-verb agreement (e.g. he runs vs they run)
• 🔹 How to express agreement or disagreement in conversation (e.g. so do I, neither does she)

This lesson will help you:

• ✅ Understand the main subject-verb agreement rules
• ✅ Tell the difference between singular, plural, and collective subjects
• ✅ Express agreement or disagreement naturally in speech and writing
• ✅ Practice with clear examples and interactive exercises

By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to use correct subject-verb agreement and respond in English using expressions like So do I or Neither does he.

📘 Use the floating menu on the left to navigate easily through the different sections.

Subject-Verb Agreement

In English, just like in French, the verb must agree with the subject in number (singular or plural). This is known as subject-verb agreement.

Unlike French, English uses very few verb endings, but subject-verb agreement is still essential to ensure proper grammar and understanding.

You must be especially careful when:

• 🔹 The subject is singular or plural
• 🔹 The subject is a collective noun (like the team, the family, etc.)
• 🔹 The subject is a personal pronoun (like he, they, etc.)

If you don’t respect subject-verb agreement, your sentence may be grammatically incorrect or unclear. Here are the main cases you need to know:

• ✅ Agreement with a singular subject
• ✅ Agreement with a plural subject
• ✅ Agreement with collective nouns

Let’s explore each case with clear examples and exercises at the end of each section.

Agreement with Singular Subjects

When the subject is a singular noun or a pronoun such as he, she, it, the verb usually ends in -s, -es or -ies in the present simple tense (3rd person singular).

Some irregular verbs, like to be or to have, change completely:

• He is (not he be)
• She has (not she have)

1. Regular case: add “-s”

For most verbs, just add -s in the third person singular.

• He wants to travel.
• She needs help.
• He calls his mother.
• She dreams a lot.
• He learns quickly.

2. Verbs ending in: s, ss, ch, x, sh, o

These verbs take -es instead of just -s in the third person singular.

• He misses the bus.
• She watches a movie.
• It goes too fast.
• He fixes the car.
• She washes the dishes.

3. Verbs ending in consonant + y → “-ies”

If the verb ends in a consonant + y, replace y with ies:

• He studies at university.
• She carries a heavy bag.
• The baby cries all night.
• He denies everything.
• She replies politely.

Common verbs that follow this rule:

• study → studies
• try → tries
• carry → carries
• worry → worries
• cry → cries
• apply → applies
• deny → denies
• reply → replies

4. Verbs ending in vowel + y → just “-s”

If a vowel comes before the y, just add -s.

• She plays the piano.
• He says hello.
• It destroys everything.
• He enjoys the show.
• She lays the table.

Mini Exercise

Complete with the correct third person singular form:

1. She ______ (watch) TV.
2. He ______ (study) at night.
3. It ______ (go) very fast.
4. He ______ (enjoy) jazz music.
5. She ______ (try) her best.

Practice Exercise

Conjugate the verbs in parentheses:

1. He ______ (watch) TV every evening.
2. She ______ (go) to the gym on Mondays.
3. It ______ (make) a strange noise.
4. My father ______ (have) a red car.
5. The baby ______ (cry) every night.

Agreement with Plural Subjects

When the subject is plural, the verb stays in its base form (without “-s”) in the present simple. This rule also applies to pronouns like they, we, you.

Unlike the third person singular (which adds -s or -es), the verb used with plural subjects remains unchanged:

• They work (✅ not they works)
• We play (✅ not we plays)
• You like (same for singular and plural "you")

Examples

Practice Exercise

Conjugate the verbs correctly for plural subjects:

1. They ______ (watch) TV every night.
2. We ______ (have) a new teacher.
3. The boys ______ (like) pizza.
4. My friends ______ (study) a lot.
5. You ______ (go) to school early.

Agreement with Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (like team, family, group, police, staff, audience) refer to a group of people or things. In English, they are usually treated as singular when speaking of the group as a whole, but they may also be used with plural verbs when emphasizing individual members—especially in British English.

🔎 General rule:

• ✅ Use the singular form when referring to the group as a single unit
• ✅ Use the plural form when referring to the members individually

Examples

Practice Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb depending on the meaning:

1. The group ______ (is / are) working on a project.
2. The committee ______ (has / have) decided to cancel the event.
3. The family ______ (is / are) watching a movie together.
4. The audience ______ (was / were) clapping loudly.
5. The staff ______ (is / are) having a break.

Expressing Agreement and Disagreement

In English, there are specific structures used to show that you agree or disagree with what someone else just said, especially in affirmative or negative sentences.

🔹 If someone says an affirmative sentence and you agree, use: So + auxiliary + subject (similar to: “Me too”, “Him too”, etc.)

🔹 If someone says a negative sentence and you also disagree or feel the same, use: Neither + auxiliary + subject (equivalent to: “Me neither”, “Neither do I”, etc.)

These expressions depend on the auxiliary verb used in the original sentence: do, does, did, have, is, was, etc.

Examples

• He likes music. → So do I. → He likes music. → Me too.
• She is tired. → So am I. → She is tired. → So am I.
• I don’t like coffee. → Neither do I. → I don’t like coffee. → Me neither.
• They weren’t ready. → Neither were we. → They weren’t ready. → We weren’t either.

🔽 The next two sections will explain these structures in more detail:

• ✅ Expressing agreement: So do I, So does he, etc.
• 🚫 Expressing disagreement: Neither do I, Neither was she, etc.

Mini Exercise – Choose "so" or "neither"

Complete with So or Neither:

1. She loves chocolate. → ______ do I.
2. They didn’t come. → ______ did we.
3. I am tired. → ______ am I.
4. He doesn’t smoke. → ______ do I.
5. You were late. → ______ was I.

Expressing Agreement with So + auxiliary + subject

When someone says something affirmative and you want to say you agree, use the structure: So + auxiliary + subject.

The auxiliary verb you use depends on the verb used in the original sentence.

Practice Exercise – So + auxiliary + subject

Complete with the correct structure:

1. He likes pizza. → ______
2. She is ready. → ______
3. You have a dog. → ______
4. They were late. → ______
5. I know the answer. → ______

Expressing Disagreement with Neither + auxiliary + subject

To express that you are also in a negative situation, use the structure: Neither + auxiliary + subject (equivalent to: “Me neither”, “Nor do I”, etc.)

Just like with So, the auxiliary depends on the verb in the original sentence.

Practice Exercise – Neither + auxiliary + subject

Complete each response with the correct form:

1. I don’t speak German. → ______
2. She isn’t here. → ______
3. They haven’t seen the film. → ______
4. He wasn’t happy. → ______
5. We don’t drive. → ______

Lesson Summary

Here is a summary of the essential rules covered in this lesson:

✅ You're now ready to test your knowledge with final review exercises below 👇

Final Review Exercises

✅ Complete the following sentences by applying the rules of subject-verb agreement or using So / Neither structures where appropriate.

1. My brother ______ (go) to school by bike.
2. They ______ (not like) spicy food. → ______ do we.
3. I ______ (study) English. → ______ do I.
4. The team ______ (train) every morning.
5. She ______ (have) a new phone.
6. We ______ (not be) ready. → ______ were we.
7. It ______ (cry) loudly at night.
8. You ______ (watch) too much TV.
9. He ______ (carry) a lot of books.
10. She isn’t tired. → ______ is he.

🎉 Great job making it through this lesson! Keep practicing to make these grammar points automatic and natural 💪