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Verb Tenses

Third Person Singular -s

The -s that appears on the verb when one other person does something.

Mastered by
Brown places regular third person -s at roughly 3;0 to 3;10, with the irregular forms (has, does) a little later
Practice items
28
Sections
3

What this skill is

English does something odd: it marks the verb when the subject is one single other person or thing. I run, you run, we run, they run - but he runs. The -s is easy to miss because it carries no meaning of its own. Nothing about "runs" tells you more than "run" does; the ending is pure grammar, which is exactly why it is late to arrive and easy to drop.

What to expect

Children usually say "he run fast" for a good while before the -s shows up, and the -s tends to appear on frequent verbs first. Expect has and does to lag behind the regular forms - a child may say "she has" correctly as a memorized chunk months before they can add -s to a new verb they have never inflected.

Try this at home

Sportscast somebody else. Narrating a sibling, a pet or a cartoon character creates an obligatory context for third person: "He climbs. He jumps. He falls!" Talking about the child themselves, or to them, never creates a single obligatory context for this ending.

When to refer

Still omitting -s on frequent verbs after about 4;6, or producing it on the wrong subjects ("they runs", "I runs") past 5.

Print it

Third Person Singular -s worksheet28 items across 3 sections, with answer key · PDF

Add the -s

12 items

Fill in the blank with the right form of the verb in parentheses.

  1. 1.I ride a bike. My sister ____ a bike too. (ride)rides
  2. 2.We eat lunch at noon. Dad ____ lunch at noon. (eat)eats
  3. 3.They play outside. My brother ____ outside. (play)plays
  4. 4.You run fast. The dog ____ fast. (run)runs
  5. 5.I read at bedtime. Mom ____ at bedtime. (read)reads
  6. 6.We walk to school. Grandma ____ to school. (walk)walks
  7. 7.They swim on Saturday. My cousin ____ on Saturday. (swim)swims
  8. 8.I help clean up. My friend ____ clean up. (help)helps
  9. 9.You sing in the car. The baby ____ in the car. (sing)sings
  10. 10.We like pizza. My teacher ____ pizza. (like)likes
  11. 11.I jump on the trampoline. The cat ____ on the trampoline. (jump)jumps
  12. 12.They draw with markers. My sister ____ with markers. (draw)draws

Has and Does

8 items

These two do not just add -s. Fill in the blank with has or does.

  1. 1.I have a red backpack. My friend ____ a blue one.has
  2. 2.We have two dogs. My neighbor ____ three cats.has
  3. 3.They have snack at ten. The baby ____ snack at nine.has
  4. 4.I do my homework after dinner. My brother ____ his before.does
  5. 5.We do the dishes together. Dad ____ them on Sundays.does
  6. 6.You have a loose tooth. She ____ one too.has
  7. 7.They do puzzles at school. He ____ puzzles at home.does
  8. 8.I have a library book. The teacher ____ a whole shelf.has

Find the Mistake

8 items

Each sentence has one wrong verb. Say it the right way.

  1. 1.My dog bark at the mailman.My dog barks at the mailman.
  2. 2.She want a turn on the swing.She wants a turn on the swing.
  3. 3.The bus stop at the corner.The bus stops at the corner.
  4. 4.He runs and I runs.He runs and I run.
  5. 5.My baby brother cry at night.My baby brother cries at night.
  6. 6.They walks to the park.They walk to the park.
  7. 7.The cat sleep on my bed.The cat sleeps on my bed.
  8. 8.Mom make pancakes on Saturday.Mom makes pancakes on Saturday.