Dorothy’s Grammar Quest: Tackling Tricky Subjects and Verbs (Part 1)

Hi there, Grammar Explorers! I am Teacher Sharon, an English language specialist with Lil But Mighty. In this blog post, we will explore tricky subjects and their corresponding verbs.

Have you ever come across a sentence and stopped to ask: Should it be ‘is’ or ‘are’? Also, why do we say, ‘Each of them was happy’ and not ‘Each of them were happy’?

Today, we are going on a journey to the Land of Subject-Verb Agreement, guided by Dorothy and her friends from The Wizard of Oz to help you demystify these tricky subjects. Along the way, we will see how modifiers and extra information can sometimes confuse even experienced writers.

Let’s get started by learning the difference in nouns, pronouns and subjects, and how verbs (especially helping verbs!) must agree with them.

1. Know the Difference — Noun vs Pronoun vs Subject

• A noun names a person, place or thing e.g. teacher, school, whiteboard, bird

• A pronoun replaces a noun e.g. he, she, they, it

• A subject is the word or group of words that agrees with the verb and performs the action or holds the state described. Very often, it is a noun or pronoun.

★ Nouns and pronouns may not always be the subject in the sentence.

Example:

Each of her friends was determined not to give up despite the difficulties they faced.

➡ Nouns: friends, difficulties

➡ Pronoun: they

➡ Subject: Each

➡ Verb: was

Even though the noun “friends” is plural, the subject “each” is singular. The verb must match the subject, not just the nearest noun.💡 Tip for students: When you see phrases like “along with,” “as well as,” “including,” or “of the”, these are often modifiers, not part of the main subject. Ignore them when deciding the verb.

2. What Are Helping Verbs?

Helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs, help us show tense (past, present, future) or possibility. They must agree with the subject. Common helping verbs: is, are, was, were, has, have, had, do, does, did, am

Example:

Dorothy was trying to get to the storm shelter.

➡ ‘was’ is the helping verb

➡ ‘trying’ is the main verb

It tells us the action was ongoing in the past.

➡ ‘was’ is the helping verb

➡ ‘Dorothy’ is the subject. It is singular.

The helping verb ‘was’ agrees with the subject ‘Dorothy’.

Helping verbs can also form questions or negatives:

• Was Dorothy trying to find the shelter?

• Dorothy was not trying to give up.

💡 Tip for students: Always pair the correct helping verb with the subject, not with the nearest noun in a prepositional phrase.

Let’s read Dorothy’s story below. Try to pick an answer before reading the explanation!

Practice Questions from Dorothy’s Story

1. During the tornado, Dorothy, together with her dog, ______ to get to the storm shelter.

(a) was trying

(b) were trying—

Subject: Dorothy (Singular)

Modifier: ‘…together with her dog, …’ (prepositional phrase with extra information, not part of the subject)

Answer: (a) was trying

2. Each of her friends ______ determined not to give up.

(a) is

(b) are

—

Subject: Each (Singular)

Modifier: ‘…of her friends…’ (prepositional phrase modifying the subject)

Answer: (a) is

Quick Recap

✓ Always find the true subject — don’t be tricked by nouns in prepositional phrases or modifiers.

✓ Match the verb (or helping verb) to the subject — singular or plural!

✓ Look out for extra phrases that describe the subject but don’t change the verb.

That’s it for Part 1! I hope you have found today’s blog post helpful. You are now one step closer to being a Subject-Verb Agreement Champion! Stay tuned for Part 2, where we explore:

➡ What to do with uncountable nouns

➡ How to spot compound subjects

➡ And even more grammar quizzes from Dorothy’s story!

If you want more grammar practice and learn more of Dorothy’s story, you can download a free worksheet below!

Download your Free Dorothy’s Grammar Quest

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