4th grade subject-verb agreement worksheets
By 4th grade, agreement questions hide the subject: collective nouns (the team practices) and subjects separated from the verb (the box of crayons was full). The skill is finding the true subject first, then matching the verb to it.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.3.1.f.
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The kind of sentences you'll get
Circle the letter of the verb that agrees with the subject.
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The jar of colored pencils to Mateo.
belong · belongs
Answer: belongs
- The recipe for these dumplings for fresh ginger. call · calls
- The choir at the winter concert. sing · singing · sings
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Choose the word. Circle the letter of the verb that agrees with the subject. 10 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Teach subject-hunting explicitly. In "The box of crayons (was/were) on the shelf," have students cross out the prepositional phrase "of crayons" first; what's left is the subject. Collective nouns (team, class, family) act singular in standard American usage, which is worth stating plainly rather than leaving to intuition.
Watch for: The s moves: singular nouns usually have no s while their verb does (the dog barks), and plural nouns have the s while their verb doesn't (the dogs bark). Words between the subject and the verb don't change the match. In 'The box of crayons was full', the subject is box, not crayons.
Common questions about subject-verb agreement
- Why do phrases like "of crayons" confuse students?
- Because the nearest noun to the verb wins by instinct, and it's the wrong one. In "The box of crayons was full," the subject is box. Teach students to bracket the prepositional phrase and match the verb to what's left. Our 4th grade items are built around exactly this trap.
- How is this tested on state assessments?
- Usually just like these items: a sentence with a blank and two or three verb choices. The reasoning they need is the same routine as the worksheet: find the subject, decide one-or-many, pick the verb that matches.
Related worksheets
- 1st grade subject-verb agreement A step easier, same skill
- 2nd grade subject-verb agreement A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade subject-verb agreement A step easier, same skill
- 4th grade adverbs of how, when, and where Same grade, nearby skill
- 4th grade commonly confused words Same grade, nearby skill
- 4th grade comparative and superlative adjectives Same grade, nearby skill
- Subject-verb agreement, all grades The full progression
- All 4th grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 4th grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.3.1.f. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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