Question

subject verb agreement
subject - verb agreement means the subject and predicate (verb) in a
sentence must agree in number.
a subject and verb can be singular (one) or plural (more than one)
a singular subject must go with a singular verb
a plural subject must go with a plural verb

explanation of singular vs. plural

how do we identify what a singular/plural subject looks like?
a singular subject typically does not end in s
examples: dog, cat, girl, boy
a plural subject typically does end in s
examples: dogs, cats, girls, boys
how do we identify what a singular/plural verb looks like?
a singular verb typically ends in s
examples: likes, jumps, has, was
a plural verb typically does not end in s
examples: like, jump, have, were

examples of singular vs. plural

jeremy hopes he wins.
the subject jeremy is singular so in order to be correct the verb must end in
s
the verb hopes ends in s therefore, subject verb agreement is correct
the dolphins hope they win.
the subject dolphins is plural so in order to be correct the verb must not end
in s
the verb hope does not end in s therefore, subject verb agreement is
correct
what is the best way to fix the subject - verb
greement in the following sentence? jon are going
to the grocery store.
jon was going to the grocery store.
jon were going to the grocery store.
jon are going to the grocery store.

Explanation:

In the sentence "Jon are going to the grocery store", the subject "Jon" is singular. According to the subject - verb agreement rule, a singular subject should be paired with a singular verb. "Are" is a plural verb. Looking at the options:

• "Jon was going to the grocery store": "Was" is a singular verb (past - tense form of "be" for singular subjects like "Jon").
• "Jon were going to the grocery store": "Were" is a plural verb, which is incorrect for the singular subject "Jon".
• "Jon are going to the grocery store": "Are" is a plural verb, incorrect for the singular subject "Jon".

Answer:

Jon was going to the grocery store.