He Runs, They Run: Subject-Verb Agreement

About This Resource

A complete Grade 4 ESL lesson pack on subject-verb agreement in the present simple: singular subjects with -s or -es verbs (she plays, he watches), plural subjects with the base verb (they play), is/are and has/have, spelling rules for -es and -ies, and tricky subjects such as my brother and I, everyone and the dogs in the park. Includes slides, a timed lesson plan, flashcards, worksheet, quiz, homework, rubric and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that the verb must match its subject. A singular subject (he, she, it, one person or thing) takes a verb ending in -s or -es, while a plural subject (we, you, they, two or more people or things) takes the base verb. They practise spelling rules (watch → watches, fly → flies), choose between is and are and has and have, find the real subject in longer sentences (The box of pencils is...), correct mistakes in a short email and write sentences about their family's routines.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Subject-Verb Agreement
Category: Grammar
File Type: PDF
File Size: 329.8 KB
Published: 04 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 4 (ages 9–10), elementary ESL 45 minutes Grammar spelling editing speaking writing

Learning Objectives

Match present simple verbs to singular and plural subjects.
Spell third-person verbs correctly with -s, -es and -ies.
Choose is/are and has/have correctly and correct agreement mistakes.

How to Use This Resource

Start with slide 1: say "My dog run fast" and ask, "What is wrong?" Correct it together: My dog runs fast.
Teach singular and plural subjects, the spelling rules and is/are and has/have with the slides, checking each step with the matching worksheet activity.
Students complete the worksheet, then use the quiz to check and the homework routine writing. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

One or many?: the teacher says a subject (my sister, the birds); students hold up one finger for singular or two for plural and say a matching verb.
Sentence builder: students match subject cards with verb cards and read the sentences aloud.
Mistake hunt: the teacher writes five sentences on the board with hidden agreement errors for teams to find.

Differentiation

Support: give a chart with he/she/it + verb-s and I/you/we/they + verb, and focus on is/are and has/have first. Challenge: practise subjects with of (The box of crayons is...) and indefinite pronouns (Everyone is..., Nobody knows...).

Assessment

Worksheet activities and the quiz check matching verbs to subjects, spelling and correcting errors (answer key included). The routine writing is checked with the rubric.

Teacher Tips

Teach the S rule: if the subject is one (he, she, it, one person), the verb gets an s. Plural nouns already have their s, so the verb does not need one (The dogs run). Students like to say: one s, not two.

What's Included

11-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 6 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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