Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule which dictates that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number in order for it to be grammatically accurate. This means that a singular subject requires a singular verb while a plural subject requires a plural verb. In class 9th, students are introduced to this rule and it becomes crucial for them to understand the concept and apply it accurately in their writing.
To test their understanding of the subject-verb agreement rule, teachers often conduct quizzes. These quizzes assess the students’ knowledge and ability to apply the rule in various sentence structures. Below are some examples of the types of questions that may be included in a subject-verb agreement quiz for class 9th students:
1. The team (is/are) playing the match tomorrow.
Correct answer: is
Explanation: The subject ‘team’ is singular, so it takes the singular form of the verb ‘is’.
2. The dogs (barks/bark) loudly every morning.
Correct answer: bark
Explanation: The subject ‘dogs’ is plural, so it takes the plural form of the verb ‘bark’.
3. My brother, along with his friends, (is/are) going to the party tonight.
Correct answer: is
Explanation: The subject ‘brother’ is singular, so it takes the singular form of the verb ‘is’. The phrase ‘along with his friends’ is a prepositional phrase that does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
4. Mathematics (is/are) difficult for many students.
Correct answer: is
Explanation: ‘Mathematics’ is an uncountable noun and is considered singular.
5. The book on the table (belongs/belong) to my friend.
Correct answer: belongs
Explanation: The subject ‘book’ is singular, so it takes the singular form of the verb ‘belongs’.
In order to perform well on a subject-verb agreement quiz, students need to remember some important rules. For example, when a sentence starts with ‘there’ or ‘here’, it is the predicate that determines the number of the verb. In addition, when dealing with collective nouns like ‘committee’ or ‘team’, students should pay attention to whether they are acting as a unit or as individuals, as this affects the verb choice.
In conclusion, understanding subject-verb agreement is an essential aspect of writing grammatically correct sentences. A comprehensive quiz can help class 9th students apply the concept and assess their progress. By practicing with exercises similar to those above, students can strengthen their understanding of the rule and ultimately improve their writing.