What does a child have to do to match subject and verb in the 11+?

Choose a verb form that agrees with its true subject. It is one of 41 named English skills in the 11+, in the grammar strand, and this page carries 1 interactive exercise that practises it.

What should my child be able to do before working on match subject and verb?

The skill map puts classify a word in context first. Agreement requires locating the grammatical subject. If match subject and verb keeps going wrong, that is the thing to check before doing more of this one.

Why does my child keep getting match subject and verb questions wrong?

There is a specific mistake recorded against this skill: matches the verb to the nearest noun instead of the true subject. 11+ papers are written to offer exactly that answer, so a child can be confident and still lose the mark. When it keeps happening, the fix is the misunderstanding rather than more questions.

What is not part of match subject and verb in the 11+?

The skill map draws the line here: Excludes tense selection when agreement is already fixed. A question past that line is testing a different named English skill, which is worth knowing before you spend a week practising the wrong one.

Which other 11+ skills should we practise alongside match subject and verb?

The skill map connects it to maintain consistent tense. Both require selecting a verb form, but agreement and tense are separate judgements. That skill has its own page here.

How can my child practise match subject and verb for free?

Use Sentence Surgery, embedded on this page. It is the exercise the skill map attaches to match subject and verb, it runs in the browser with no account to make, these exercises are not scored and do not save learner records. The separate quiz sends answers for marking and shows a score, without saving an assessment record. It also has its own link, so you can send it to a child without sending them anywhere else first.

English · Grammar

Match subject and verb

Choose a verb form that agrees with its true subject.

Watch the worked example

Open the video page

Find the Sentence's Real Boss

This video shows how to find the true subject of a sentence and choose the verb form that agrees with it. Watch an 11+ English question solved step by step.

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Read the transcript

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Quick quiz: Match subject and verb

10 questions, with feedback after each one. No sign-up needed.

Read the questions in this quiz

Question 1
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use splash as the subject noun. Put of the five fountains straight after the subject noun. Put echoes after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 2
Arrange the words to form a question. Use aroma as the subject noun. Put of the six cloves straight after the subject noun. Make a question beginning with Does. Put the verb spread at the end. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 3
Arrange the words to form a question. Use tremor as the subject noun. Put of the two bridges straight after the subject noun. Make a question beginning with Does. Put the verb grow at the end. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 4
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use glare as the subject noun. Put of the six headlamps straight after the subject noun. Put dims after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 5
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use chink as the subject noun. Put of the two flagstones straight after the subject noun. Put does not widen after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 6
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use bang as the subject noun. Put of the four shutters straight after the subject noun. Put continues after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 7
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use sizzle as the subject noun. Put of the two burners straight after the subject noun. Put fades after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 8
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use swirl as the subject noun. Put of the three eddies straight after the subject noun. Put does not quicken after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 9
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use shimmer as the subject noun. Put of the two lanterns straight after the subject noun. Put does not fade after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.
Question 10
Arrange the words to form a sentence. Use whirr as the subject noun. Put of the five turbines straight after the subject noun. Put does not deepen after the complete subject phrase. Make the verb agree with its subject.

Practise it now

Lift the extra phrase out of the sentence, then fit the right verb into the gap.

Loading the interactive exercise. Nothing you do here is saved or scored.

A worked example

One question of the kind this skill is tested with, worked all the way through: the reasoning, and what the wrong answers are there to catch.

Finding the real subject

Worked example: Arrange the words to form a question. Use clasp as the subject noun. Put of the necklaces straight after the subject noun. Make a question beginning with Does. Put the verb tarnish at the end. Make the verb agree with its subject.

Arrange the scrambled words. The verb agrees with the true subject, not necessarily the nearest noun.

Words to arrange: the, of, necklaces, clasp, Does, the, tarnish.

Answer: Does the clasp of the necklaces tarnish

How you get there

"Does the clasp of the necklaces tarnish" follows the stated roles. The subject noun "clasp" is singular, so "Does" agrees with it. "of the necklaces" tells us more about this subject. "Does the necklaces of the clasp tarnish" puts "necklaces" in the subject role instead, so "Does" does not agree with that noun.

Why the other answers tempt

The noun nearest the verb is not always its subject: in "the roof of the stables", the verb belongs to "roof", not to "stables".

If they are stuck, say this

The subject noun is clasp. It is singular. The word Does must agree with it. The noun necklaces is inside the of phrase and does not control this agreement.

Now do it live in Sentence Surgery

Kitchen-table script for parents

Try this together

A friendly mini script for the breakfast table, school run or a quiet two minutes. Read it aloud as written, or make it your own.

Ready? Let's try Match subject and verb together. Arrange the scrambled words. The verb agrees with the true subject, not necessarily the nearest noun. Words to arrange: the, of, necklaces, clasp, Does, the, tarnish. Here comes the question: Worked example: Arrange the words to form a question. Use clasp as the subject noun. Put of the necklaces straight after the subject noun. Make a question beginning with Does. Put the verb tarnish at the end. Make the verb agree with its subject. A handy clue is: The noun necklaces is inside the of phrase and does not control this agreement. Nice work. Here is the thinking: "Does the necklaces of the clasp tarnish" puts "necklaces" in the subject role instead, so "Does" does not agree with that noun. So our answer is: Does the clasp of the necklaces tarnish. One sneaky trap is: The noun nearest the verb is not always its subject: in "the roof of the stables", the verb belongs to "roof", not to "stables". Can you show me the first move in your own words? No rush; one calm step is enough.

What this exercise is doing

Sentence Surgery

Lift the extra phrase out of the sentence, then fit the right verb into the gap.

The subject of this sentence is "box", not "pencils". "Of coloured pencils" is a prepositional phrase that only describes the box, and a subject never lives inside one. One box is singular, so it takes the singular verb "was". Lift the phrase out and the sentence tells you the answer itself.

What to say if they get stuck

Grab the little handle on "of coloured pencils" and drag the whole phrase upwards.
Read what is left behind: "The box ___ on the art room shelf." What is the sentence actually about?
The subject can never hide inside a phrase beginning with "of". One box, so: "was".

Open Sentence Surgery on its own page to share it

What usually goes wrong here

Matches the verb to the nearest noun instead of the true subject.

This is the wrong answer 11+ papers are built to offer, so it is worth watching for directly: a child who does this will look confident and still lose the mark. If it keeps happening on match subject and verb, the fix is the misunderstanding rather than more questions.

Where match subject and verb sits in the 11+

The 11+ does not test these skills in isolation, and practising one in the wrong order wastes the practice. These are the skills the curriculum map connects this one to.

Secure this first: Classify a word in context
Agreement requires locating the grammatical subject.
Sits alongside: Maintain consistent tense
Both require selecting a verb form, but agreement and tense are separate judgements.

How match subject and verb differs from the skills beside it

The same exercise practises several skills, and telling them apart is often the difficulty rather than the exercise itself. On this page the skill is: choose a verb form that agrees with its true subject, and it stops where excludes tense selection when agreement is already fixed.

Classify a word in context
Identify the grammatical function of one highlighted word in its sentence. Classify contextual function, not a word in isolation.
Complete a finite clause
Complete one clause with an explicit subject and a finite verb. Excludes ordering a whole sentence and selecting only a connector.
Maintain consistent tense
Choose a verb form that preserves the intended tense sequence. Excludes subject-verb agreement as the primary demand.
Select a pronoun form
Choose the pronoun form that fits its grammatical role. One pronoun case or reference decision.

Related english skills

Distinguish contraction and possessionChoose between a possessive form and a contraction in one sentence.
Distinguish a phrase and clauseDecide whether a group of words contains a clause and identify its role.
Order sentence elementsArrange supplied words into one grammatical sentence.
Select a clause connectorChoose a conjunction or connective matching the stated relationship.

All english 11+ skills

Questions parents ask about match subject and verb

What this skill involves, common mistakes and ways to practise it at home.

: Choose a verb form that agrees with its true subject. It is one of 41 named English skills in the 11+, in the grammar strand, and this page carries 1 interactive exercise that practises it.
: The skill map puts classify a word in context first. Agreement requires locating the grammatical subject. If match subject and verb keeps going wrong, that is the thing to check before doing more of this one.
: There is a specific mistake recorded against this skill: matches the verb to the nearest noun instead of the true subject. 11+ papers are written to offer exactly that answer, so a child can be confident and still lose the mark. When it keeps happening, the fix is the misunderstanding rather than more questions.
: Point at the next move rather than explaining the whole rule. The subject noun is clasp. It is singular. The word Does must agree with it. The noun necklaces is inside the of phrase and does not control this agreement.
: The skill map draws the line here: Excludes tense selection when agreement is already fixed. A question past that line is testing a different named English skill, which is worth knowing before you spend a week practising the wrong one.
: The skill map connects it to maintain consistent tense. Both require selecting a verb form, but agreement and tense are separate judgements. That skill has its own page here.
: Use Sentence Surgery, embedded on this page. It is the exercise the skill map attaches to match subject and verb, it runs in the browser with no account to make, these exercises are not scored and do not save learner records. The separate quiz sends answers for marking and shows a score, without saving an assessment record. It also has its own link, so you can send it to a child without sending them anywhere else first.

Match subject and verb rests on something else being secure first

This skill depends on classify a word in context. A free diagnostic checks those alongside every other english skill, so you find out whether the problem is here or underneath it.