A Hands-On Game for Practising Irregular Subject Verb Agreement

Verbs change depending on whether the subject of a sentence is singular or plural. This concept, which can already be quite challenging for our students, is made even trickier by the fact that some verbs are irregular! Irregular verbs are those that don’t follow a predictable pattern for their singular and plural forms, e.g. is/are, was/were, do/does and has/have.

This irregular subject-verb agreement matching game has been designed by our expert teacher team to help reinforce your students’ understanding of how subjects and verbs must agree in number. It contains 18 sentence cards and 18 verb cards. Students are required to match each sentence to the correct verb. For example:

The child was/were excited for the trip. (Sentence card)

Was (Verb card)

These two cards make a match!

This resource contains:

• Instruction page
• 36 matching cards
• Recording sheet
• Answer key

This resource downloads as a full-colour PDF or editable Google Slides file. Whether you’re introducing the concept for the first time or reviewing it later in the term, this flexible resource allows students to practise irregular subject-verb agreement in an enjoyable, student-friendly format.

Activities for Teaching Irregular Verbs in Subject Verb Agreement

This versatile resource can be used in multiple ways to teach your students about irregular verbs in subject-verb agreement. Here are some fun ideas you might like to try with your students:

• Verb Scavenger Hunt – Hide the verb cards around the room, then give each student or group a sentence card. Challenge the students to find the verb card that matches their sentence card. Add a time limit to make the task even more challenging!
• Write It Right – After completing a match, have students write the full sentence in their workbooks and then create an original sentence of their own using the same verb. This reinforces writing and grammar integration.
• Show Me! – Read a sentence from one of the cards, then have the students write the correct verb on their own mini whiteboards. Students then flip their boards to show their answers, allowing teachers to informally assess student understanding.

Download to Teach Irregular Verbs in Subject Verb Agreement

Use the Download button above to access your preferred version of this subject-verb agreement matching game. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template on your personal drive before accessing it.)

Print the cards on cardboard to increase the durability of the resource, then cut and place them into a ziplock bag for safekeeping. You now have an instant grammar lesson!

Complement This Irregular Subject Verb Agreement Resource

Click below to explore more teacher-created resources to use when teaching subject-verb agreement to your students!

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Digital Subject Verb Agreement Activity

Teach subject-verb agreement of irregular verbs with this engaging digital activity, where students will master tricky pairs like was/were, is/are, has/have and do/does.

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Irregular Subject Verb Agreement Worksheet Pack

Download this subject-verb agreement worksheet pack, designed to build confidence in using irregular verbs correctly in sentences.

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Is or Are? Subject Verb Agreement Task Cards

Download these is or are task cards, designed to help students confidently choose the correct verb form while improving their grammar skills.