Teachers can use this grammar worksheet to teach their students basic rules of subject-verb agreement.
The special verb be
The verb be has five forms – is, am, are, was and were
Forms used in the present tense – is, am, are
Forms used in the past tense – was and were
Study the given table
Subject | Present tense | Past tense |
Singular | Is, am | Was |
Plural | Are | Were |
In the present tense, if the subject is a singular noun or pronoun, use is. If the subject is a plural noun or pronoun, use are.
Exceptions
Use am with I; use are with you.
In the past tense, use was if the subject is singular; use were if the subject is plural. Use were with you.
When the subject is a singular noun or pronoun
Present tense | Past tense |
I am a boy. | I was writing. |
She is my sister. | She was playing in the garden. |
It is raining. | It was raining. |
The dog is hungry. | The dog was hungry. |
The boy is playing with his toy. | The boy was playing with his toy. |
He is my best friend. | He was my best friend. |
When the subject is a plural noun or pronoun
Present tense | Past tense |
You are my best friend. | You were my best friend. |
They are playing in the garden. | They were playing in the garden. |
We are going to the park. | We were playing in the park. |
The boys are doing their homework. | The boys were learning their lessons. |
The girls are singing. | The girls were dancing. |
Grammar exercise
Complete the following sentences using the correct form of be.
1. My sister ………………. an architect. (is / am / are)
2. The students …………………… learning their lessons. (is / am / are)
3. We ………………. working on a new project. (is / am / are)
4. It ……………… a cat. (is / am / are)
5. I ………………… going to school. (is / am / are)
6. She ………………….. writing a letter. (was / were)
7. My brother ………………… playing video games. (was / were)
8. They …………………… dancing. (were / was)
9. That …………………… interesting. (was / were)
10. These ……………………. important lessons. (are / is / am)