Grade 7 English SPORTS:OUTDOOR GAMES – GRAMMAR IN USE:SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT Notes
GRAMMAR IN USE: SUBJECT–VERB AGREEMENT
Topic: SPORTS — OUTDOOR GAMES (for ages 12, Kenyan context)
Subject–verb agreement means the verb must match the subject in number (singular or plural). Use the rules below with examples from outdoor sports in Kenya: football ⚽, athletics 🏃, rugby 🏉, cricket 🏏, netball 🏐.
- Singular: The player runs fast. ⚽ → "player" (singular) + "runs" (singular).
- Plural: The players run fast. ⚽ → "players" (plural) + "run" (plural).
Example: Rashid and Amina play football every Saturday. ⚽ (plural subject → "play")
Exception: If the two nouns refer to the same person or single idea, use singular: The coach and captain is my uncle. (Here the coach and captain are the same person.)
- Either the coach or the players are ready. → nearest subject "players" (plural) so "are".
- Either the players or the coach is ready. → nearest subject "coach" (singular) so "is".
Example: Everyone at the athletics meet is excited. 🏃
Other words: each, nobody, someone, anybody → singular verbs.
When the group acts as one unit, use singular: The team wins its match. 🏆
When members act individually, you can use plural: The team are arguing among themselves about positions. (Both are correct depending on meaning.)
Examples: The news is on at six. Mathematics is difficult for some players. (These words take singular verbs.)
Example: The captain, along with her teammates, is ready for the match. → "captain" is singular, so "is".
- The goalkeeper (save) ______ the ball.
- Two teams (play) ______ on the field today.
- Everyone (cheer) ______ for the home team.
- The squad (train) ______ every afternoon.
- Either the coach or the players (know) ______ the answer.
- Neither the referee nor the captain (appear) ______ upset.
- There (be) ______ five players on the court during the game.
- The news (be) ______ about the school athletics meet.
- Ruth and Mary (run) ______ in the 400m race.
- The coach, as well as the assistants, (help) ______ the team.
- saves — The goalkeeper saves the ball.
- play — Two teams play on the field today.
- cheers — Everyone cheers for the home team.
- trains — The squad trains every afternoon. (The squad = group acting as one.)
- know — Either the coach or the players know the answer. (Nearest subject = players)
- appears — Neither the referee nor the captain appears upset. (Nearest = captain)
- are — There are five players on the court during the game.
- is — The news is about the school athletics meet.
- run — Ruth and Mary run in the 400m race.
- helps — The coach, as well as the assistants, helps the team. (Main subject = coach)
Always look for the main subject and decide if it is singular or plural. Use sports examples you know (school team, match, players) to practise. Good luck — try writing five sentences about your favourite outdoor game and check the verb forms!