Adult Literacy Beginner Quiz: Subject Verb Agreement
10 questions · exam conditions
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Subject Verb AgreementQuestion 1 of 10

Lee is looking for the office keys. Which sentence is written correctly?

The keys by the door belongs to Lee.
The key by the doors belong to Lee.
The keys by the doors belongs to Lee.
The keys by the door belong to Lee.
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Adult Literacy Beginner Quiz

Adult Literacy Beginner Quiz: Subject Verb Agreement

Practice Subject Verb Agreement in Adult Literacy Beginner with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Subject Verb Agreement, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult Literacy Beginner.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Lee is looking for the office keys. Which sentence is written correctly?

  1. The keys by the door belongs to Lee.
  2. The key by the doors belong to Lee.
  3. The keys by the doors belongs to Lee.
  4. The keys by the door belong to Lee. (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence has a prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb — like "by the door" or "by the doors" — your job is to block out that middle phrase and match the verb to the actual subject. Ask yourself: who or what is doing the action? Then ask: is that subject singular or plural? Plural subjects need plural verbs ("belong"), and singular subjects need singular verbs ("belongs"). In this question, the story tells us Lee is looking for keys — more than one key. That means the subject should be plural ("keys"), and it needs the plural verb "belong." Now look at the setting: there is one door, so the phrase should be "by the door." Putting it together, D — "The keys by the door belong to Lee" — is correct. The plural subject "keys" correctly pairs with the plural verb "belong," and "door" is appropriately singular. Choice A uses "belongs," which is a singular verb, but "keys" is plural — that mismatch is a subject-verb agreement error. Choice B uses "key" (singular) with "belong" (plural), which is the opposite problem — a singular subject paired with a plural verb. It also incorrectly pluralizes "doors" when the context only mentions one door. Choice C doubles down on errors: it uses plural "keys" and "doors" but then uses the singular verb "belongs," making it doubly wrong. A helpful trick: mentally cross out the phrase between commas or between the subject and verb, then read the sentence as "The keys... belong" or "The key... belongs" to check if they match.

Question 2

A manager writes a rule about name tags. Which sentence is correct?

  1. Each worker wear a name tag.
  2. Every worker wear a name tag.
  3. Each worker wears a name tag. (correct answer)
  4. All workers wears a name tag.
Explanation: When writing rules or official statements, subject-verb agreement is the key concept being tested — the verb must match its subject in number and form. The subject here is a single worker, described by the words "each" and "every." Both of these words are singular, meaning they refer to one person at a time, even if many workers exist. A singular subject requires a singular verb. In the present tense, singular verbs for he/she/it add an -s ending — so "wears" is correct, not "wear." That makes C ("Each worker wears a name tag") the right answer. It pairs the singular subject "each worker" with the correctly conjugated singular verb "wears." Looking at the wrong choices: A uses "each worker," which is singular, but pairs it with "wear" — a plural verb form. This is a subject-verb mismatch. B makes the same mistake with "every worker wear." Like "each," the word "every" is always singular, so it also needs "wears," not "wear." D correctly uses the plural subject "all workers," but then incorrectly adds an -s to the verb, writing "wears" instead of "wear." With a plural subject, the verb does not get the -s ending — it's the opposite of what many students expect. A helpful tip to remember: singular subjects get the -s on the verb; plural subjects do not. So "she wears" but "they wear." Watch out for tricky words like "each," "every," and "everyone" — they always act as singular, even when they seem to refer to a group.

Question 3

A kitchen worker reports a problem. Which sentence is written correctly?

  1. Two of the ovens needs cleaning.
  2. One of the ovens needs cleaning. (correct answer)
  3. One of the ovens need cleaning.
  4. Three of the ovens needs cleaning.
Explanation: When a sentence includes a phrase like "one of the ovens" or "two of the ovens," you need to identify the true subject before choosing the right verb. This is a subject-verb agreement question, and the trick is that the subject isn't always the noun closest to the verb. In these sentences, the subject is the word before "of the ovens" — words like "one," "two," or "three." The phrase "of the ovens" is just extra information telling you which ones. So ask yourself: is the subject singular or plural? "One" is singular, which means it needs the singular verb "needs." "Two" and "three" are plural, which means they need the plural verb "need." That makes B the correct answer. "One of the ovens needs cleaning" pairs the singular subject "one" with the singular verb "needs" — a perfect match. A is wrong because "two" is plural, so it requires "need," not "needs." It has the right verb for "one," but the wrong subject for it. C uses "one" correctly as the subject but then pairs it with "need," which is a plural verb — a mismatch. D makes the same error as A: "three" is plural and needs "need," not "needs." A helpful tip: whenever you see "one of the  ," the subject is always "one," which is always singular. Always use "needs," "is," or "was" — not "need," "are," or "were." This pattern shows up often, so recognizing it quickly will save you time.

Question 4

A customer tests a new bank card. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

  1. The new cards does not work.
  2. The new card do not work.
  3. The new cards do not works.
  4. The new card does not work. (correct answer)
Explanation: When a question asks about subject-verb agreement, your job is to make sure the subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (the action word) match in number — singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. In English, singular verbs in the present tense often end in -s or -es (he runs, she does), while plural verbs do not (they run, they do). This trips many people up because it feels backwards — the noun gets an -s for plural, but the verb gets an -s for singular. Choice D — "The new card does not work" — is correct. "Card" is singular, and "does" is the singular form of the helping verb. The main verb "work" stays in its base form after "does not." Everything agrees. Choice A — "The new cards does not work" — is wrong because "cards" is plural, but "does" is singular. They don't match. Choice B — "The new card do not work" — is wrong in the opposite direction: "card" is singular, but "do" is the plural helping verb. A singular subject needs "does," not "do." Choice C — "The new cards do not works" — has two errors. While "cards" and "do" correctly match as plurals, adding an -s to "works" after "do not" is incorrect. The main verb should stay in base form: "do not work." A handy tip: when you see "does," look for a singular subject, and when you see "do," look for a plural subject. That pairing will guide you every time.

Question 5

A sign tells customers where to get help. Which sentence is written correctly?

  1. The women at the front desk answer calls. (correct answer)
  2. The woman at the front desk answer calls.
  3. The women at the front desk answers calls.
  4. The woman at the front desk answers calls.
Explanation: When a sentence has a subject and a verb, they must agree — singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. This question tests exactly that skill, while also checking whether you know the difference between woman (one person) and women (more than one person). Start by identifying the subject. The phrase "at the front desk" is just extra information describing where — it does not change the subject. So you need to decide: is the subject one woman or multiple women, and does the verb match? Choice D is the trap many students fall into. Woman is singular and answers is the correct singular verb form, so that pairing works grammatically — but read the sign's context again. A front desk that handles customer calls typically has a staff, not just one person. More importantly, the question is testing whether you can correctly match plural subjects with plural verbs, and A is the answer that does this perfectly: women (plural subject) + answer (plural verb) = correct agreement. Choice B pairs woman (singular) with answer (plural verb) — that mismatch is a subject-verb agreement error. Choice C pairs women (plural) with answers (singular verb) — the opposite mismatch. Choice D, as noted, is grammatically correct but uses a singular subject and verb, making it a plausible distractor rather than the best answer for a plural workplace setting. A quick tip: mentally cross out any phrase between the subject and verb — like "at the front desk" — so you can clearly see whether the subject and verb match each other.

Question 6

A business posts its hours. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

  1. The office are open today.
  2. The offices is open today.
  3. The offices are open today. (correct answer)
  4. The offices was open today.
Explanation: When a sentence has a subject and a verb, they must match — singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. This is called subject-verb agreement, and it's one of the most tested grammar rules on this exam. Start by identifying the subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (the action or state of being). In this sentence, the subject is either office or offices, and the verb is a form of to be — is, are, or was. The sentence is about a business's hours, so the subject should be plural (offices) to reflect multiple locations or a general statement, and the verb must match: are is the correct plural present-tense form of to be. That makes C the right answer — "The offices are open today" pairs a plural subject with a plural verb. Choice A flips the agreement the wrong way: office is singular, but are is plural — they don't match. Choice B uses the plural subject offices but pairs it with is, which is singular — again a mismatch. Choice D uses was, which is singular past tense; it doesn't agree with the plural offices, and it puts the sentence in the wrong tense when talking about today's hours. A quick tip: when checking agreement, mentally strip away any extra words and put the subject and verb side by side. Ask yourself, "Does this feel right with just those two words?" Offices are — yes. Offices is or offices was — no.

Question 7

A clerk gives forms to a customer. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

  1. There is two forms for you.
  2. There are two forms for you. (correct answer)
  3. There are one form for you.
  4. There is many forms for you.
Explanation: When a sentence begins with "There is" or "There are," the verb must agree with the real subject — the noun that comes after the verb. This is the core rule being tested here. In choice B, "There are two forms for you," the subject is "two forms," which is plural. The plural verb "are" matches perfectly, making this the correct answer. Now look at why the others fail. Choice A says "There is two forms" — but "two forms" is plural, so "is" (a singular verb) creates a mismatch. You wouldn't say "Two forms is on the table," so you can't say "There is two forms" either. Choice C says "There are one form," but "one form" is singular, so the plural verb "are" is wrong here — this is the opposite problem from A. Choice D says "There is many forms," and like choice A, it pairs a singular verb with a plural subject. "Many forms" clearly refers to more than one thing, so "are" would be the correct verb, not "is." A helpful trick: when you see a sentence starting with "There," flip the sentence around to find the real subject. "There are two forms" becomes "Two forms are there." Once the subject is in front, the right verb becomes obvious. Quick tip: On agreement questions, never let the word "there" confuse you — it is never the subject. Always identify what noun the sentence is truly talking about, then match your verb to that noun.

Question 8

Two workers share one job. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

  1. Mina and Jose clean the room. (correct answer)
  2. Mina and Jose cleans the room.
  3. Mina or Jose clean the room.
  4. Mina with Jose clean the room.
Explanation: When a sentence has two or more subjects, you need to decide whether the verb should be singular or plural. The key is looking at how the subjects are joined — the connecting word makes all the difference. When two subjects are joined by "and," they form a plural subject together, so the verb must be plural. Think of it this way: Mina + Jose = two people, so you use the plural verb "clean" (not "cleans"). That makes A correct — "Mina and Jose clean the room" follows this rule perfectly. Here's why the others fall short. B uses "and" to join two subjects, which creates a plural subject, but then incorrectly uses "cleans" — the singular form. Adding an -s to a verb actually makes it singular in English, so "cleans" only works for one person (like "Jose cleans"). C looks tricky because "clean" is the right verb form, but the connecting word is the problem. When subjects are joined by "or," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it — here that's "Jose," which is singular, so it should be "cleans," not "clean." D uses the phrase "with Jose," which might feel like it adds a second subject, but "Mina with Jose" is not a compound subject — "Mina" is still the only true subject, meaning the singular verb "cleans" would be correct, not "clean." A quick tip to remember: "and" = add subjects together = plural verb. Watch out for "or," "with," and "along with" — they don't work the same way as "and."

Question 9

A worker writes a repair note. Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

  1. The shelf of tools need repair.
  2. The shelf of tools needs repair. (correct answer)
  3. The shelves of tools needs repair.
  4. The boxes of tools needs repair.
Explanation: When checking subject-verb agreement, your first job is to identify the true subject of the sentence — the main noun the verb must match. The tricky part is that prepositional phrases like "of tools" can fool you into picking the wrong noun. In sentence B, "The shelf of tools needs repair," the subject is shelf — a singular noun. The phrase "of tools" is just extra information telling you what kind of shelf. Strip it away and you get: "The shelf… needs repair." Needs is the correct singular verb form. That's why B is correct. Here's where the other choices go wrong. A says "The shelf of tools need repair." The subject is still the singular shelf, but need is a plural verb — that's a mismatch. This is the classic trap: your eye lands on the nearby plural word tools and you accidentally match the verb to it instead of the real subject. C says "The shelves of tools needs repair." Here the subject is shelves, which is plural, so the verb should be need, not needs. The singular verb is wrong for a plural subject. D makes the same error as C — "The boxes of tools needs repair" pairs a plural subject (boxes) with a singular verb (needs). A quick strategy: whenever a prepositional phrase sits between the subject and verb, mentally cross it out. Ask yourself, "What is the sentence really about?" Match the verb to that word, not to any noun hiding inside the phrase.

Question 10

Nora describes what she does at the store. Which sentence is correct?

  1. Nora buy food and pay cash.
  2. Nora buys food and pay cash.
  3. Nora buy food and pays cash.
  4. Nora buys food and pays cash. (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence has one subject doing two actions, both verbs need to match that subject. Here, Nora is one person (she/he/it), and in the present tense, verbs for a single person must end in -s. So "buy" becomes "buys" and "pay" becomes "pays." Choice D — Nora buys food and pays cash — is correct because both verbs ("buys" and "pays") correctly agree with the singular subject "Nora." Choice A — Nora buy food and pay cash — gets both verbs wrong. Neither "buy" nor "pay" has the required -s ending for a singular subject. This form would only be correct if the subject were plural, like "They buy food and pay cash." Choice B — Nora buys food and pay cash — fixes the first verb but forgets the second one. "Buys" is correct, but "pay" still needs the -s ending. When a subject does two things connected by "and," both verbs must follow the same rule. Choice C — Nora buy food and pays cash — makes the opposite mistake from B. "Pays" is correct, but "buy" is missing its -s. Fixing only one verb while leaving the other wrong is a common error to watch for. A helpful tip: whenever you see a sentence with one person doing two actions joined by "and," check both verbs — not just the first one. Ask yourself, "Would I say 'she buy' or 'she buys'?" Apply that same answer to every verb in the sentence.