Editing Persuasive Essays
After making big changes to improve your persuasive essay, you need to make little (but important) changes to correct any remaining errors. When you edit, you look for problems with sentences, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, and spelling. The following activities will help you edit and publish your writing.
Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement
The two past-tense forms of the “be” verb (was and were) often cause problems when it comes to subject-verb agreement. (Was is singular, and were is plural.)
Katrice was in study hall when the first alarm went off.
"Katrice" is a singular subject, and "was" is a singular verb.
The lunch trays were found in a huge cupboard.
“Trays” is a plural subject, and “were” is a plural verb. The subject and verb agree in number.
Note: Always use the plural verb “were” with the subject “you,” whether “you” is singular or plural in number.
You were the hardest worker at the festival.
In this sentence “you” is a singular subject.
You were the last students to finish the test.
In this sentence “you” is a plural subject.
Choose the correct verb.
Highlight or underline the verb that agrees in number with the subject in each of the following sentences. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.