Subject-Verb Matching Practice For IELTS Speaking

Instructions: Try the test below to assess your subject-verb matching use. It is designed to check your instinct for matching subjects and verbs in spoken English. Complete both parts below. Try to do it quickly, without overthinking, just as you would when speaking. After that, go through the notes to understand the main mistakes with subject-verb matching.

Mistake 1: The Missing 3rd Person Singular ‘S’ on Main Verbs

He like, She go, It make me, He want ❌

Practice Exercise: Gap-Fill Quick Fire 🔥

Purpose

This drill helps you to quickly choose the verb form that matches the subject.

Instructions: Read the story and verbally fill in the gaps verbally. Start slow and then speed up until it becomes too easy. The first one has been done for you.

Word list:

🏠Live / 💼Work / ❤️Like / 🤩Want / 🙏Need / 🤲Have / 🧠Know / See / 🟢Go / 🤛Take / 🔨Make / 🫴Give / 😌Feel / 🤔Seem / 🏁Start/ 👀Look

Colin 1) 🏠 lives in a small town near the mountains, while Sally and Bella 2) 🏠 ______ near the park on the other side of town. Although they all 3) 💼 ______ at the same bookstore, their schedules are different. Colin 4) 💼 ______ in the afternoon and evening, but Sally and Bella 5) 💼 ______ in the morning. Colin 6) 🤲 ______ a small apartment by the river, and he 7) ❤️ ______ the quiet view because he can 8) 👀 ______ the water from his window. Sally and Bella 9) 🤲 ______ an apartment together, and they 10) ❤️ ______ living near the park since they can walk to work. While Sally and Bella 11) 🟢 ______ to work at 8:00 a.m., Colin usually sleeps because he 12) 😌 ______ tired after working late. They 13) 🤛 ______ their bicycles, but he 14) 🤛 ______ the bus when he 15) 🟢 ______ to work at 2:00 p.m. At the bookstore, Sally and Bella 16) 🔨 ______ coffee and 17) 🫴 ______ friendly service, so customers often say the store 18) 🤔 ______ warm and welcoming. Because they 19) 🤩 ______ to become teachers, they 20) 🏁 ______ studying at the library after work, and they 21) 🤛 ______ their notebooks with them. They 22) 🧠 ______ that they 23) 🙏 ______ good grades, so they work hard even when they 24) 😌 ______ tired. Meanwhile, Colin 25) 🏁 ______ work when the store is quiet, and he 26) ❤️ ______ the calm atmosphere because he can talk to customers about books. He 27) 🧠 ______ many stories, and he often 28) 🔨 ______ recommendations when people ask for advice. After work, Colin 29) 🟢 ______ to a café where he 30) 🤛 ______ his notebook and 31) 🏁 ______ writing. Although he sometimes 32) 👀 ______ at a blank page and nothing happens, he does not stop because he 33) 🤩 ______ to become a writer. He 34) 🧠 ______ that he 35) 🙏 ______ practice, and he believes that hard work will help him improve. Even though their schedules are different, their lives 36) 🤔 ______ connected because they all 37) 🤲 ______ dreams that they work hard to achieve.

Answers

Colin 1) 🏠 lives in a small town near the mountains, while Sally and Bella 2) 🏠 live near the park on the other side of town. Although they all 3) 💼 work at the same bookstore, their schedules are different. Colin 4) 💼 works in the afternoon and evening, but Sally and Bella 5) 💼 work in the morning. Colin 6) 🤲 has a small apartment by the river, and he 7) ❤️ likes the quiet view because he can 8) 👀 see the water from his window. Sally and Bella 9) 🤲 have an apartment together, and they 10) ❤️ like living near the park since they can walk to work. While Sally and Bella 11) 🟢 go to work at 8:00 a.m., Colin usually sleeps because he 12) 😌 feels tired after working late. They 13) 🤛 take their bicycles, but he 14) 🤛 takes the bus when he 15) 🟢 goes to work at 2:00 p.m. At the bookstore, Sally and Bella 16) 🔨 make coffee and 17) 🫴 give friendly service, so customers often say the store 18) 🤔 seems warm and welcoming. Because they 19) 🤩 want to become teachers, they 20) 🏁 start studying at the library after work, and they 21) 🤛 take their notebooks with them. They 22) 🧠 know that they 23) 🙏 need good grades, so they work hard even when they 24) 😌 feel tired. Meanwhile, Colin 25) 🏁 starts work when the store is quiet, and he 26) ❤️ likes the calm atmosphere because he can talk to customers about books. He 27) 🧠 knows many stories, and he often 28) 🔨 makes recommendations when people ask for advice. After work, Colin 29) 🟢 goes to a café where he 30) 🤛 takes his notebook and 31) 🏁 starts writing. Although he sometimes 32) 👀 looks at a blank page and nothing happens, he does not stop because he 33) 🤩 wants to become a writer. He 34) 🧠 knows that he 35) 🙏 needs practice, and he believes that hard work will help him improve. Even though their schedules are different, their lives 36) 🤔 seem connected because they all 37) 🤲 have dreams that they work hard to achieve.

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Mistake 2: Irregular Plural Verb Mismatch (“People”)

People is nice ❌ -> People are nice ✅
I’m the type of people who… ❌ -> I’m the type of person who… ✅
I like that kind of people ❌-> I like that kind of person ✅

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Mistake 3: The “There is” Default

There is many building, and there is lots of people ❌
There are many buildings, and there are lots of people ✅

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Mistake 4: Auxiliary Verb Errors

He don’t like ❌
She have to ❌

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Mistake 5: Generalisation Mismatch (Singular Noun + Singular Verb when meaning Plural)

Phone is convenient ❌

Students want to talk generally, but use a singular noun (“Car is …”) instead of the plural general (“Cars are…”). The following sentences often get confused because they then switch to “they”. This is very common in Chinese 🇻🇳, Slavic, and Japanese speakers.

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6: Indefinite Pronouns & Collective Nouns

Everyone are happy ❌
Nobody know ❌

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Mistake 7: Relative Clause Mismatch

I’m a person who loves sports ❌
They are people who loves sports ❌

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Mistake 8: Uncountable Noun Confusion

The news are bad, The information were wrong, International travel are… ❌

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Mistake 9. Distance/Prepositional Phrase Distraction

One of my best friends are coming ❌
The list of books were long ❌