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The 5-Minute Subject-Verb Agreement Workout

A Little Daily Practice Goes a Long Way

After 25 years of teaching English, I've learned one truth:

Consistent practice beats occasional cramming.

Just 5 minutes of focused listening practice daily will transform your ability to hear subject-verb agreement patterns.

Let's build your daily workout routine.

The Workout Plan

This 5-minute workout has three parts:

  1. Listen (2 minutes)
  2. Shadow (2 minutes)
  3. Dictate (1 minute)

You'll cycle through all five subject-verb agreement patterns we covered this week:

  • Basic subject-verb endings
  • Third-person singular "-s"
  • Collective noun agreement
  • Quantifier agreement
  • Short responses

Workout #1: Basic "Be" Verb Alternation

This exercise focuses on the foundation of subject-verb agreement.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences that alternate singular and plural subjects with be verbs:

  • "He is at home. They are at school."
  • "She was tired. We were excited."
  • "The dog is hungry. The cats are hungry."

Shadow (2 minutes):

  1. Listen to each sentence
  2. Repeat immediately, matching the speaker's rhythm
  3. Pay special attention to "is/are" and "was/were"

Dictate (1 minute):

  1. Listen to three new sentences
  2. Write them down word for word
  3. Check for correct subject-verb agreement

Workout #2: The Invisible "-s" Challenge

This exercise targets the hard-to-hear third-person singular "-s" ending.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences that alternate verbs with and without "-s":

  • "He walks to school. They walk to work."
  • "She talks quickly. I talk slowly."
  • "It costs too much. We cost too much."

Shadow (2 minutes):

  1. Listen to each sentence
  2. Repeat immediately, pronouncing the "-s" ending clearly
  3. Exaggerate the ending slightly as you practice

Dictate (1 minute):

  1. Listen to three new sentences
  2. Write them down word for word
  3. Check if you caught all the "-s" endings

Workout #3: Collective Noun Trainer

This exercise helps you hear both singular and plural verbs with collective nouns.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences with collective nouns:

  • "The team is winning. The team are celebrating."
  • "The family is large. The family are arguing."
  • "The staff is small. The staff are working late."

Shadow (2 minutes):

  1. Listen to each sentence
  2. Repeat immediately
  3. Notice the singular/plural verb patterns

Dictate (1 minute):

  1. Listen to three new sentences
  2. Write them down word for word
  3. Check if you identified the verb form correctly

Workout #4: Quantifier Agreement Practice

This exercise focuses on the tricky agreement patterns with quantifiers.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences with various quantifiers:

  • "Many people are here. Most of the group is here."
  • "All students are studying. All of the class is studying."
  • "Some water is on the floor. Some books are on the table."

Shadow (2 minutes):

  1. Listen to each sentence
  2. Repeat immediately
  3. Pay attention to singular vs. plural verbs

Dictate (1 minute):

  1. Listen to three new sentences
  2. Write them down word for word
  3. Check if you caught the quantifiers and correct verb forms

Workout #5: Short Response Drill

This exercise trains your ear for proper short responses.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to question-answer pairs:

  • "Are you ready?" "Yes, I am." / "No, I'm not."
  • "Does she understand?" "Yes, she does." / "No, she doesn't."
  • "Have they finished?" "Yes, they have." / "No, they haven't."

Shadow (2 minutes):

  1. Listen to each question
  2. Provide your own short response before the recording
  3. Then repeat the recorded response

Dictate (1 minute):

  1. Listen to three new question-answer pairs
  2. Write them down word for word
  3. Check if your short responses match the pattern

Using The Less Said Podcast

The Less Said Podcast is perfect for practicing these patterns:

  1. Choose any episode
  2. Listen for one minute, focusing on one agreement pattern
  3. Try shadow speaking for one minute
  4. Pause and write down three sentences you heard
  5. Check if you caught the subject-verb agreements correctly

Flashcard Alternation Technique

Here's a technique I use in my classroom:

  1. Create flashcards with singular subjects on one side, plural on the other
  2. Flip through them, making a complete sentence with each
  3. Alternate between singular and plural forms

For example:

  • Card shows "He" → "He walks to school"
  • Flip to "They" → "They walk to school"
  • Next card shows "The teacher" → "The teacher explains the lesson"
  • Flip to "The students" → "The students explain the answers"

This trains your brain to switch quickly between agreement patterns.

The Key to Success: Daily Practice

The students who improve most aren't those who study longest.

They're those who practice consistently.

5 minutes every day beats 2 hours once a week.

Make this workout part of your daily routine:

  • While cooking breakfast
  • During your commute
  • Before going to bed

Remember:

Subject-verb agreement isn't just about grammar rules.

It's about training your ear to notice patterns automatically.

Native speakers don't consciously think about these rules.

Their brains automatically detect agreement patterns.

With daily practice, your brain will develop the same ability.

Next week, we'll explore another challenging aspect of English listening: preposition usage. Why do we say "listen TO music" not "listen music"? Why do we use "on weekdays" but never "at weekdays"? And why is "looking forward to seeing you" correct but "looking forward for seeing you" wrong? Stay tuned!