CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1f
The Standard
Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to make the subject and verb match in number, and make pronouns match the nouns they replace. They should catch errors like “The dogs runs” and “Maria lost their pencil,” then revise them correctly.
Mastery looks like students fixing these errors in their own sentences, not just on worksheets. They can explain which word controls the verb or pronoun choice. Students often get stuck when extra words come between the subject and verb, or when the antecedent is in a previous sentence.
Ways to Teach It
- Give pairs sentence strips with mismatched subjects, verbs, nouns, and pronouns, then have them sort, match, and rewrite correct sentences.
- Ask students to write three sentences about a class pet, then underline each pronoun and draw an arrow to its antecedent.
- Use four board sentences, two correct and two incorrect, and have students hold up C or Fix on mini whiteboards.
- Show a short school announcement draft with agreement errors, and ask students to edit it before it is read aloud.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1f
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.1c
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.1a
Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.1d
Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.1d
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.