Subject-verb agreement is an essential aspect of the English language that ensures the clarity and coherence of a sentence. This grammatical rule dictates that the verb in a sentence must agree in number with the subject. For instance, in the sentence “The dogs bark loudly,” the subject `dogs` is plural, and the verb `bark` also agrees with the subject in number.
For students in class 9, understanding and applying subject-verb agreement can be challenging. As a professional, I have come across several exercises that can help students grasp this grammatical concept better. In this article, we will explore a few subject-verb agreement exercises for class 9 in a PDF format.
1. Basic Subject-Verb Agreement Exercise
This exercise is suitable for beginners who need to understand the basic concept of subject-verb agreement. The PDF contains ten sentences where students will identify the subject and the matching verb in each sentence. For instance, the first sentence reads, “The cats _______ on the roof.” The student will select the appropriate verb that matches the plural subject `cats.`
2. Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Exercise
In this exercise, students will encounter more challenging sentences that may trick them into selecting the wrong verb. For example, the PDF may contain a sentence like, “Either the teacher or the students ________ responsible for the mess in the classroom.” This sentence requires the student to identify the subject that is closest to the verb and match it accordingly. In this case, the singular subject `teacher` is closer to the verb and should, therefore, be matched with the singular verb `is.`
3. Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement Exercise
This exercise is suitable for students who have a good grasp of basic and tricky subject-verb agreement rules. It contains sentences that require the student to identify complex subjects such as compound subjects, collective nouns, and indefinite pronouns. For example, the PDF may contain a sentence like, “The committee _____ unable to make a unanimous decision.” In this sentence, the collective noun `committee` is the subject, but the student must identify that it is singular and, therefore, match it with the singular verb `was.`
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of the English language that students in class 9 must master. The exercises provided in this PDF format can help students understand and apply the rules of subject-verb agreement. These exercises are beneficial for individual study or classroom practice, and they will help students develop excellent grammatical skills.
