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Inverted and Tricky Subjects: Subject-Verb Agreement — Grade 8

Grade 8 grammar worksheet on subject-verb agreement with inverted sentences beginning with there or here, questions, and tricky singular subjects.

English sentences do not always place the subject before the verb, and that gap between the subject and the verb is exactly where agreement errors slip in. When a sentence opens with there or here, the grammatical subject follows the verb, so the verb must look ahead to find what it agrees with. In questions, the subject sits between an auxiliary and a main verb, making it easy to latch onto the wrong word. A third trap involves words such as news, series, or economics — they end in what looks like a plural marker, but each takes a singular verb. This worksheet gives Grade 8 students systematic practice identifying these patterns, choosing the correct verb form, repairing errors, and writing their own examples — building the analytical habit that strong academic writing depends on.

Inverted and Tricky Subjects: Subject-Verb Agreement — Grade 8

Work through each section in order. Read every sentence carefully — the subject is not always where you expect it to be.

Remember

  • In sentences starting with there or here, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it, not with there or here: There are three reports.
  • In questions, the subject sits between the auxiliary and main verb — find it first: Does the group of students qualify?
  • Some words ending in -s are singular: news, series, mathematics, economics. They always take a singular verb: Economics is required.

Part A — Find the True Subject

Circle the true subject of each sentence — look past 'there,' 'here,' and any phrase between the subject and verb.

  1. 1.

    There, in the abandoned warehouse near the railroad tracks, are the missing documents from the investigation.

  2. 2.

    Does the panel of independent judges, appointed last month by the committee, have the authority to overturn the ruling?

  3. 3.

    Mathematics, including all branches from basic algebra to advanced calculus, is required for the engineering program.

  4. 4.

    Here, along the northern edge of the campus where the old gymnasium once stood, is the commemorative garden.

  5. 5.

    Were there any credible witnesses to the incident that the investigation committee reviewed last Tuesday?

  6. 6.

    The jury, after deliberating for three days despite significant disagreement among its members, has reached a verdict.

Part B — Choose the Correct Verb

Circle the verb form that correctly agrees with the true subject of each sentence.

  1. 7.

    There ____ both a research paper and a lab report due at the end of the semester.

    1. a)is
    2. b)are
    3. c)was
  2. 8.

    ____ economics offer a satisfying explanation for the housing shortage that the city council is addressing?

    1. a)Do
    2. b)Does
    3. c)Have
  3. 9.

    Here, outside the main entrance of the building, ____ the committee that oversees regional science competitions.

    1. a)wait
    2. b)waits
    3. c)are waiting
  4. 10.

    ____ the group of researchers who traveled to three different continents receive recognition for their findings?

    1. a)Do
    2. b)Does
    3. c)Have
  5. 11.

    There ____ a series of complex regulations governing the certification process that all applicants must complete.

    1. a)are
    2. b)is
    3. c)have been
  6. 12.

    ____ the news from the three competing laboratories confirm what scientists have suspected for decades?

    1. a)Do
    2. b)Does
    3. c)Have

Part C — Correct the Error

Each sentence contains exactly one subject-verb agreement error — rewrite the complete, corrected sentence on the line below.

  1. 13.

    There are a substantial amount of evidence linking the industrial waste to the contamination of the river.

  2. 14.

    Do the team of engineers who redesigned the bridge supports after last year's inspection plan to publish their findings?

  3. 15.

    Here, in the collection of historical artifacts donated by the Nakamura family, are a rare bronze figurine.

  4. 16.

    There was several compelling statistics in the report that the environmental agency released to the public.

  5. 17.

    Do a series of photographs documenting the migration patterns of monarch butterflies appear in the new exhibition?

  6. 18.

    There are neither sufficient funding nor adequate equipment available to complete the research before the deadline.

Part D — Write Your Own

Follow each prompt to write your own original sentence, making sure the subject and verb agree correctly.

  1. 19.

    Write a sentence starting with 'There' whose true subject is plural — place a phrase between the verb and the subject.

  2. 20.

    Write a question whose subject looks plural but is singular. Include a phrase that separates the subject from the verb.

Answer key

Part A — Find the True Subject

  1. 1.documents
  2. 2.panel
  3. 3.Mathematics
  4. 4.garden
  5. 5.witnesses
  6. 6.jury

Part B — Choose the Correct Verb

  1. 7.are
  2. 8.Does
  3. 9.waits
  4. 10.Does
  5. 11.is
  6. 12.Does

Part C — Correct the Error

  1. 13.There is a substantial amount of evidence linking the industrial waste to the contamination of the river.
  2. 14.Does the team of engineers who redesigned the bridge supports after last year's inspection plan to publish their findings?
  3. 15.Here, in the collection of historical artifacts donated by the Nakamura family, is a rare bronze figurine.
  4. 16.There were several compelling statistics in the report that the environmental agency released to the public.
  5. 17.Does a series of photographs documenting the migration patterns of monarch butterflies appear in the new exhibition?
  6. 18.There is neither sufficient funding nor adequate equipment available to complete the research before the deadline.

Part D — Write Your Own

  1. 19.Example: There, on the highest shelves of the reference section, are encyclopedias that no student has opened in years.
  2. 20.Example: Does the series of documentaries about deep-sea exploration, which aired on a local broadcasting channel, continue into next semester?

What this worksheet teaches

  • Identify the true subject in sentences beginning with there, here, or an inverted verb.
  • Select the correct verb form when a phrase separates the subject from the verb in a question.
  • Correct and write sentences using words like news, series, and -ics fields that take singular verbs.

What is on the page

Part B — Choose the Correct Verb prints “There ____ both a research paper and a lab report due at the end of the semester.” with the options “is”, “are” and “was”; the key gives “are”.

In Part C — Correct the Error, “There are a substantial amount of evidence linking the industrial waste to the contamination of the river.” is corrected in the key to “There is a substantial amount of evidence linking the industrial waste to the contamination of the river.”

The language it drills

“There, in the abandoned warehouse near the railroad tracks, are the missing documents from the investigation.” has one answer in the key: “documents”.

Notes for the grown-up

  • Students most often match the verb to the noun closest to it rather than the true subject — expect errors especially in long inverted sentences.
  • When correcting, ask the student to restate the sentence in standard order first, so the subject-verb pair becomes visible before they choose the verb.
  • A student is ready to move on when they can name the true subject and state which rule applies before choosing the verb, not after.

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