Subject-verb agreement is an essential component of clear and effective writing, but it can be a challenging concept to master. To help reinforce the rules of subject-verb agreement, consider using a relay race activity with your writing students or colleagues.
The basic premise of the subject-verb agreement relay race is to create teams of participants who will race to identify and correct subject-verb agreement errors in sentences. The team that correctly identifies and corrects all errors in the shortest amount of time wins.
To start the activity, provide each team with a set of sentences that contain subject-verb agreement errors. The sentences can be from a variety of sources, such as newspaper articles, blogs, or student essays. The sentences should be challenging enough to require some thought and analysis, but not so difficult that they are impossible to correct.
Once the teams have their sentences, they can begin the relay race. Each team member takes a turn identifying and correcting one error in a sentence before passing it on to the next team member. The race ends when all sentences have been corrected, and the team with the fastest time wins.
To keep the activity engaging and challenging, consider including some variations. For example, you could include sentences with multiple errors or add more complex sentence structures. Additionally, you could require teams to identify and correct other grammatical errors, such as pronoun-antecedent agreement or verb tense consistency.
The subject-verb agreement relay race is a fun and effective way to reinforce the rules of subject-verb agreement and improve writing skills. By creating a competitive and interactive environment, participants are motivated to engage with the material and learn from their mistakes. Give it a try in your classroom or office and see the improvement in your team`s writing skills.