Subject-Verb Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns: ESL Exercises for High School

📚 Topic Summary

Subject-verb agreement means the verb in a sentence has to match the subject in number. If the subject is singular, the verb is usually singular too. If the subject is plural, the verb is plural. Indefinite pronouns (like everyone, somebody, nobody, all, some, none) can be singular or plural, which makes subject-verb agreement a bit confusing! Some indefinite pronouns are always singular (e.g., each, everyone, somebody), while others can be singular or plural depending on the context (e.g., all, some, none).

For example: Everyone is happy. (singular) But: All of the students are here. (plural because 'students' is plural)

🗣️ Part A: Vocabulary

Match the following terms with their correct definitions:

1. Indefinite Pronoun
2. Singular
3. Plural
4. Subject-Verb Agreement
5. Context

1. A. More than one
2. B. The parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.
3. C. A pronoun that does not refer to a specific person, place, or thing.
4. D. When the verb in a sentence agrees in number with the subject.
5. E. Referring to one person or thing.

(Answers: 1-C, 2-E, 3-A, 4-D, 5-B)

✍️ Part B: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the paragraph below with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Choose between the present simple forms (is/are, has/have, does/do).

___________ (everybody/want) to succeed. If ___________(someone/need) help, ___________ (they/can) ask a teacher. When ___________ (all/be) said and done, ___________ (none/matter) if we tried our best. ___________ (each/deserve) a pat on the back!

(Answers: Everybody wants, someone needs, they can, all is, none matters, each deserves)

🤔 Part C: Critical Thinking

Explain how the context of a sentence can affect whether an indefinite pronoun is considered singular or plural. Provide at least two examples.