Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases

SubstitutePlans.com
English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-023 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
English Language Arts · English 6-8 · Grades 8 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the three guide rules on the board.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then check with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will make verbs agree with their subjects in sentences with prepositional phrases,
compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, collective nouns and inverted word order.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: 1) Find the real subject. Cross out any phrase that starts with of, in, on, by, near. 2)
Singular subject = singular verb (she runs). Plural subject = plural verb (they run). 3) With “or” or “nor,”
match the verb to the subject closest to it.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Every answer is printed there.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is about making subjects and verbs agree, which means they match in number. Most students
can do the easy cases. Today’s sentences are the tricky ones, so you will need to slow down and find the real subject.
The tips are on the board. Work on your own first, then we will check together.
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet face down.
Settle in and take out a pencil.
5–13
Read the three tips on the board aloud. Then read this
model: “The bag of oranges is heavy.” Say: the real subject
is bag, not oranges, so we use is.
Listen and follow along.
13–30
Tell students to write the correct verb in questions 1–10
and cross out any extra phrase between the subject and
verb. Walk the room and ask, “What is the real subject?”
Write the correct verb. They may underline
the subject.
30–40
Tell students to do questions 11–12 (multiple choice) and
then 13–16 (fix and write).
Answer the multiple-choice questions.
Rewrite the three incorrect sentences
correctly, and write one of their own in 16.
40–47
Read the answers to 1–12 aloud from the key. Let students
correct their own papers and compare with a partner.
Check answers and fix mistakes.
47–50
Collect all worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.

SubstitutePlans.com
English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-023 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
If things go wrong
• If a student says, “It all sounds right,” tell them to cover the extra phrase with a finger and read only the
subject and verb together.
• If students disagree on question 4 or 10 (group nouns), tell them to follow the board tips. Group nouns are
singular when the group acts as one unit.
• If a student finishes in under 20 minutes, check that question 16 is complete, then use the early finisher list.
• If the room is noisy, remind them this is independent work until the check in step 5.
Early finishers
• Write four sentences of your own that each contain a phrase between the subject and the verb. Underline the
subject.
• Look through a book or your notebook and find two sentences where the subject and verb are far apart. Copy
them and underline the subject and verb.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students cover the words between the subject and verb with a finger and do questions 1–8 only.
• Challenge: Ask students to write a sentence with a compound subject joined by “or” in which the verb is
plural, and explain why in a second sentence.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: