Subject-verb agreement is an essential part of English grammar. It refers to the agreement between the subject and verb in a sentence. In other words, the verb used in a sentence should match the subject in terms of number and person. The subject and verb must agree in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third).

Grade 8 students are at an age where they are expected to have a good grasp of subject-verb agreement. They should be able to identify and correct errors in subject-verb agreement. Here are some exercises that can help them improve their understanding and application of subject-verb agreement.

Exercise 1: Identify the subject and verb in each sentence and check if they agree in number and person.

1. The dogs barks at the mailman. (Error: The verb “barks” should be “bark” to agree with the subject “dogs”)

2. Neither of the boys have finished their homework. (Error: The verb “have” should be “has” to agree with the singular subject “neither”)

3. Each of the students receive a prize. (Error: The verb “receive” should be “receives” to agree with the singular subject “each”)

4. John and his friends is going to the mall. (Error: The verb “is going” should be “are going” to agree with the plural subject “John and his friends”)

5. My sister and I am going to the party. (Error: The verb “am going” should be “are going” to agree with the plural subject “my sister and I”)

Exercise 2: Rewrite the following sentences to ensure that the subject and verb agree in number and person.

1. The cat chase the mouse.

(The cat chases the mouse.)

2. Either the teacher or the students need to bring their textbooks.

(Either the teacher or the students needs to bring their textbook.)

3. One of the cars are red.

(One of the cars is red.)

4. The group of tourists are taking photos.

(The group of tourists is taking photos.)

5. My mom or dad usually cooks dinner for us.

(My mom or dad usually cook dinner for us.)

Exercise 3: Write five sentences with subject-verb agreement errors and correct them.

1. My friend and her sister is going to the beach. (My friend and her sister are going to the beach.)

2. None of the books seems interesting. (None of the books seem interesting.)

3. The students in class is studying for their exams. (The students in class are studying for their exams.)

4. Each of the boys have to wear a tie. (Each of the boys has to wear a tie.)

5. The news on the radio was bad today. (The news on the radio were bad today.)

By consistently practicing these exercises, grade 8 students can master subject-verb agreement and avoid common grammatical errors in their writing and speech.