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Ls 30. Singular Nouns and Verbs

Lesson 30. Singular Nouns and Verbs​

When something is singular, it's one. When the subject of a sentence is one thing or one person, the verb must match, so we say the verb is singular. This is especially important for certain verb tenses, especially in the present tense. Here are some examples:

  • Calvin goes to school every day.
  • Where does he go to school?
  • He doesn't go to school on Saturday.

In the first sentence, "goes" matches the subject, "Calvin." Both are singular. In the next two sentences, the helping verb "does" is also singular. The thing that confuses students is the "s" that goes at the end of a verb when the verb is in the present tense and the subject is a thing or a person. For some students, the "s" makes words look plural, as is the case with most plural nouns

Singular Nouns

Singular nouns are easier to identify. They don't have an "s" at the end. They represent one thing. Here are some examples:

  • Calvin goes to school (subject: Calvin)
  • You are a good student
  • I have a new car
  • The weather is nice today
  • Correct information is necessary
  • Fishing requires patience In the examples above, the word "information" is a non-count noun, and the word fishing is a gerund.
  1. The child needs warm clothes
  2. She doesn't live here
  3. It rains every day last week
  4. This run on batteries
  5. Mike knows how to fix his car