English Grammar 27: THE VERB: PERSON AND NUMBER

Chapter 27: The Verb: Person and Number

Welcome to Chapter 27! Just like people must agree to work well together, the words in a sentence must also agree. In English Grammar, the most important relationship in a sentence is the teamwork between the Subject (the doer of the action) and the Verb (the action). In this chapter, we will learn how the Verb changes to match its Subject in Person and Number.

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Topic 1: The Verb and Person

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

In English, Subjects (like Nouns and Pronouns) belong to one of three categories called "Persons":

• First Person: The person speaking (I, We).
• Second Person: The person being spoken to (You).
• Third Person: The person, place, or thing being spoken about (He, She, It, They, Rohan, The dog).

A Verb must always match the Person of its Subject. If the Subject is First Person, the Verb must act like a First Person Verb. This is called agreement in Person.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Rule: The Verb takes the same Person as its Subject.
• Note on History: In Old English, verbs changed much more noticeably depending on the person. For example, people used to say "Thou speakest" instead of "You speak". Today, English is much simpler!

3. Solved Examples

Let us look at sentences where the Subject is singular but the Person changes:

• Example 1: I speak. (The Subject 'I' is First Person, so the Verb 'speak' is First Person.)
• Example 2: You speak. [Old English: Thou speakest] (The Subject 'You' is Second Person, so the Verb 'speak' is Second Person.)
• Example 3: He speaks. (The Subject 'He' is Third Person, so the Verb 'speaks' is Third Person.)

4. Practice Exercises

Identify the Person (First, Second, or Third) of the Subject and the Verb in the following sentences:

1. She dances gracefully.
2. I enjoy reading books.
3. You run very fast.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

• 1: Third Person. (Explanation: "She" is the person being spoken about. The verb "dances" matches this third person subject.)
• 2: First Person. (Explanation: "I" is the person speaking. The verb "enjoy" matches this first person subject.)
• 3: Second Person. (Explanation: "You" is the person spoken to. The verb "run" matches this second person subject.)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Using a Third Person verb form (with an 's') for a First Person subject (e.g., "I speaks").

Tip: Only add 's' or 'es' to the verb when you are talking about someone else (He, She, It). Never add 's' when talking about yourself (I) or the person you are talking to (You).

7. Quick Summary

A verb must agree with its Subject's Person: First (I/We), Second (You), or Third (He/She/It/They).

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Topic 2: The Verb and Number

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

Just like Nouns and Pronouns, Verbs also have "Number". Number refers to how many subjects are doing the action:

• Singular Number: Only one person or thing (e.g., He, She, The boy).
• Plural Number: More than one person or thing (e.g., They, We, The boys).

If one person is doing the action, the verb must be singular. If many people are doing the action, the verb must be plural.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Rule: The Verb takes the same Number as its Subject. A Singular Subject takes a Singular Verb, and a Plural Subject takes a Plural Verb.

3. Solved Examples

Notice how the verb changes when the Number of the subject changes (both are in the Third Person here):

• Example 1 (Singular): He speaks. (The Subject 'He' is Singular (one person), therefore the Verb 'speaks' is Singular.)
• Example 2 (Plural): They speak. (The Subject 'They' is Plural (many people), therefore the Verb 'speak' is Plural.)

Additional Real-Life Examples:

• The dog barks. (Singular)
• The dogs bark. (Plural)

4. Practice Exercises

Choose the correct verb based on the Number of the subject:

1. The bird (fly / flies) in the sky.
2. The students (write / writes) in their notebooks.
3. My friend (play / plays) the guitar.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

• 1: flies. (Explanation: "The bird" is a singular subject, so it needs the singular verb "flies".)
• 2: write. (Explanation: "The students" is a plural subject, so it needs the plural verb "write".)
• 3: plays. (Explanation: "My friend" is a singular subject, so it needs the singular verb "plays".)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Confusing the 's' in Nouns with the 's' in Verbs. Students often think that a verb ending in 's' is plural.

Golden Tip: It is the opposite for nouns and verbs!
Noun + s = Plural (e.g., Apples, Cars).
Verb + s = Singular (e.g., Runs, Eats, Speaks).

7. Quick Summary

A verb must agree with its Subject's Number. Singular subjects take singular verbs (often ending in 's'), and plural subjects take plural verbs.

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Topic 3: The Golden Rule - Agreement in Number and Person

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

Now we combine Topic 1 and Topic 2. This brings us to the most important rule of verbs in English Grammar. We call it the rule of Subject-Verb Agreement.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

The Ultimate Rule: The Verb must agree with its Subject in Number and Person; that is, the Verb must be of the exact same Number and Person as its Subject.

3. Solved Examples

Let us look at how sentences change completely based on this rule:

Situation A: Subject is Singular Number, First Person (I)

• I am here.
• I was there.
• I have a bat.
• I play cricket.

Situation B: Subject is Singular Number, Third Person (He, She, It, Rahul)

• He is here.
• He was there.
• He has a bat.
• He plays cricket.

Situation C: Subject is Plural Number, Third Person (They, We, The Boys)

• They are here.
• They were there.
• They have bats.
• They play cricket.

4. Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct verb form (is/are, has/have, walk/walks) that agrees in Person and Number:

1. I ______ (has/have) a new bicycle.
2. The children ______ (is/are) playing in the park.
3. She ______ (walk/walks) to school every day.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

• 1: have. (Explanation: "I" is First Person Singular. The correct verb is "have".)
• 2: are. (Explanation: "The children" is Third Person Plural. The correct verb is "are".)
• 3: walks. (Explanation: "She" is Third Person Singular. Therefore, we add 's' to the verb: "walks".)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Saying "They has a car" or "She have a car".

Tip: Always remember: "He, She, It" love the letter 'S'. They take "is", "was", "has", and verbs ending in 's' (plays). "I, We, You, They" take "am, are, were, have" and base verbs (play).

7. Quick Summary

The Verb must perfectly mirror the Subject. First Person Singular gets a First Person Singular Verb. Third Person Plural gets a Third Person Plural Verb, and so on.

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Topic 4: Modern English Exceptions (Inflections and the Verb 'To Be')

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

In some languages (like Hindi, French, or Latin), the verb spelling changes completely for every single person and number. These changes are called inflections.

In Modern English, verbs have lost almost all of their inflections! For normal action verbs, the spelling stays exactly the same for almost everyone, except in the Third Person Singular.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule 1 (Normal Verbs): Only add an 's' or 'es' when the subject is Third Person Singular (He, She, It). For everyone else (I, You, We, They), leave the verb alone!

Note on 'You': In modern English, "You" is used for both singular (one person) and plural (a group of people). It always takes a plural verb form.

Person	Singular	Plural
First Person	I speak	We speak
Second Person	You speak	You speak
Third Person	He/She/It speaks	They speak

Rule 2 (The Mighty Exception - "To Be"): The verb "to be" (am/is/are) is the only verb in the English language that breaks the rules and has many different forms.

Person	Singular Form of "To Be"	Plural Form of "To Be"
First Person	I am	We are
Second Person	You are	You are
Third Person	He/She/It is	They are

3. Solved Examples

• Normal Verb Exception: I run, you run, we run, they run. BUT He runs.
• The 'To Be' Exception: I am happy. She is happy. They are happy.

4. Practice Exercises

Rewrite the following sentences, correcting the verb errors:

1. I is going to the market.
2. You speaks very loudly.
3. They is my best friends.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

• 1: I am going to the market. (Explanation: The verb "to be" is "am" for First Person Singular "I".)
• 2: You speak very loudly. (Explanation: "You" takes the base verb without an 's', even if it is singular.)
• 3: They are my best friends. (Explanation: "They" is Third Person Plural, so the verb "to be" must be "are".)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Treating "You" as a normal singular subject (e.g., "You is my friend").

Tip: Always treat the word "You" as plural when picking a verb, even if you are only talking to one person! Always say "You are", never "You is".

7. Quick Summary

Modern English verbs only change spelling for the Third Person Singular (He/She/It). The only exception is the verb "to be" (am/is/are), which has special forms for different persons.

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Chapter Assessment: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Test your knowledge with these 20 questions based on Chapter 27.

1. What does a Verb agree with in a sentence?
   A) Only the Number of the Subject
   B) Only the Person of the Subject
   C) The Number and Person of the Subject
   D) The Adjective of the Subject
   Correct Answer: C
   Explanation: The most important rule is that a verb must match its subject in both Number and Person.


2. Which Person does the pronoun "I" belong to?
   A) First Person
   B) Second Person
   C) Third Person
   D) Fourth Person
   Correct Answer: A
   Explanation: "I" refers to the person speaking, which is the First Person.


3. Which Person does the pronoun "He" belong to?
   A) First Person
   B) Second Person
   C) Third Person
   D) Plural Person
   Correct Answer: C
   Explanation: "He" refers to someone being spoken about, which is the Third Person.


4. In Old English, what did people say instead of "You speak"?
   A) Thou speaks
   B) Thou speakest
   C) You speakest
   D) You spoken
   Correct Answer: B
   Explanation: As given in the chapter text, the old English form was "Thou speakest".


5. Which pronoun represents the Second Person?
   A) They
   B) She
   C) You
   D) We
   Correct Answer: C
   Explanation: "You" refers to the person being spoken to, which is the Second Person.


6. What does "Number" refer to in English Grammar?
   A) Mathematical digits
   B) Singular and Plural
   C) First, Second, and Third Person
   D) Male and Female
   Correct Answer: B
   Explanation: Number tells us if the subject is one (Singular) or more than one (Plural).


7. If the Subject is Plural, the Verb must be:
   A) Singular
   B) Plural
   C) First Person
   D) Third Person
   Correct Answer: B
   Explanation: The verb must agree with its subject in number. Plural subjects need plural verbs.


8. Identify the correct sentence:
   A) He speak.
   B) They speaks.
   C) They speak.
   D) I speaks.
   Correct Answer: C
   Explanation: "They" is plural, so the plural verb "speak" (without the 's') is correct.


9. How do we usually make a noun plural versus making a verb singular?
   A) We add 's' to nouns to make them plural, and add 's' to verbs to make them singular.
   B) We add 's' to nouns to make them singular, and add 's' to verbs to make them plural.
   C) We add 'ing' to both.
   D) They never change.
   Correct Answer: A
   Explanation: Nouns take 's' to become plural (boys), while verbs take 's' to match singular Third Person subjects (plays).


10. Choose the correct verb: The birds _____ in the trees.
    A) sings
    B) sing
    C) is singing
    D) singing
    Correct Answer: B
    Explanation: "Birds" is plural, so it requires the plural verb "sing".


11. A verb accompanying "She" in the present tense will usually end in:
    A) -ing
    B) -ed
    C) -s or -es
    D) No special ending
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: "She" is Third Person Singular, which requires modern English action verbs to end in 's' or 'es'.


12. Fill in the blank: "I ______ a bat."
    A) has
    B) have
    C) having
    D) are having
    Correct Answer: B
    Explanation: "I" is First Person Singular and pairs with "have", as shown in the original text.


13. Fill in the blank: "He ______ cricket."
    A) play
    B) playing
    C) plays
    D) are playing
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: "He" is Third Person Singular, so the verb "play" gets an 's' to become "plays".


14. Identify the incorrect sentence:
    A) I am here.
    B) He was there.
    C) They has bats.
    D) They were there.
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: "They" is Third Person Plural, so the correct verb is "have", not "has".


15. In Modern English, verbs have lost their inflections for number and person EXCEPT for:
    A) First Person Singular
    B) Second Person Singular
    C) Third Person Singular
    D) Third Person Plural
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: Modern action verbs only change form (by adding 's') for He/She/It (Third Person Singular).


16. Which word is used for BOTH singular and plural in current English?
    A) I
    B) He
    C) You
    D) We
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: "You" can mean one person or a whole group of people.


17. Which verb is the biggest exception to the modern inflection rules?
    A) to play
    B) to speak
    C) to have
    D) to be
    Correct Answer: D
    Explanation: The verb "to be" has special forms (am, is, are) unlike normal verbs.


18. Choose the correct verb to match the subject: "We ______."
    A) am
    B) is
    C) are
    D) was
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: "We" is First Person Plural, which pairs with "are" for the verb "to be".


19. Fill in the blank: "You ______." (Singular subject)
    A) am
    B) is
    C) are
    D) speaks
    Correct Answer: C
    Explanation: Even when "You" is singular, it always takes the plural form "are".


20. Complete the sequence according to the verb "to be": I am, We are, You are, He is, They _____.
    A) are
    B) is
    C) am
    D) be
    Correct Answer: A
    Explanation: "They" is Third Person Plural and pairs with "are".