SINGULAR, PLURAL, SINGULAR POSSESSIVE OR PLURAL POSSESSIVE - Identify the subject!
The seniors' lockers slam shut one last time, left completely empty for the coming graduation
Plural possessive
We spent the afternoon looking for a pitch black spot in the woods to set up our stargazing telescope.
pitched-black
Everybody in the camp (is / are) responsible for keeping food locked up to avoid attracting raccoons.
is
One hundred dollars (seems / seem) like a reasonable total budget for our campfire groceries this week.
Seems
The Question: How much is the budget?
The Reason: The sentence is looking at the money as a single lump sum or total amount, which takes the singular verb seems.
Where does an apostrophe go in this sentence:
Marsha ate Maggies pancakes, but she did not eat Phils bacon.
Maggie's and Phil's
Excited students cheer loudly while running toward the waiting yellow school buses.
Plural
After hours of trying to put up the tent in the dark, my brother gave me a told you so smirk when it collapsed.
told-you-so
Either of the nearby lakes (provides / provide) a perfect spot for afternoon kayaking and fishing.
provides
Twenty miles (is / are) the grueling distance we have to kayak down the river to reach the next campsite.
is
The Question: How big or how long is the distance?
The Reason: The focus is on one single, total distance from start to finish, which requires the singular verb is.
My brother and my dad (sets / set) up the massive family tent while the rest of us gather firewood.
set
The teachers' lesson plans are finally packed away into desk drawers until September.
Plural possessive
Our accident prone cousin tried to cook a quick to prepare meal over the camp stove but ended up burning the picnic table.
accident-prone
quick-to-prepare
The group of hikers (has / have) finally reached the summit after a steep, four-hour climb.
has
Twenty miles (was / were) marked out individually with wooden stakes along the historic hiking trail.
were
The Question: How many separate, individual miles were marked?
The Reason: The word "individually" signals that the sentence is focusing on twenty separate units of measurement along the trail, requiring the plural verb were.
The camp counselor or the lifeguards (watches / watch) the swimmers closely from the sandy beach.
watch
The principal's loudspeaker announcement dismisses the entire school for the next three months.
Singular possessive
That decision making process for choosing a campsite became a two hour ordeal because of my sister’s larger than life fear of bears.
decision-making process
two-hour ordeal larger
-than-life fear
The swarm of mosquitoes (is / are) buzzing right outside the tent mesh, waiting for us to come out.
is
One hundred shiny new pennies (was / were) scattered across the dirt after the kids broke open their camp piggy bank.
were
The Question: How many physical coins were scattered in the dirt?
The Reason: The focus is on the physical, individual units of currency rather than a total value. You can count them one by one, so it takes the plural verb were.
Where do the hyphens go?
After three months of sleeping in a tent, my brother gave me a not in a million years are we ever doing that again look when I suggested we go winter camping.
After three months of sleeping in a tent, my brother gave me a not-in-a-million-years-are-we-ever-doing-that-again look when I suggested we go winter camping.
The campus's courtyard empties out completely within ten minutes of the final bell and student backpacks are emptied along the way.
singular possessive
My normally easygoing dad became a high stressed drill sergeant while trying to pack our tightly squeezed trunk.
high stressed
The trail crew (has / have) packed up their individual tents and gone to their separate cabins for the night.
have
Five gallons of maple syrup (has / have) been boiled down into a single jar for the camp's pancake breakfast.
has
The Question: How much syrup was used in total?
The Reason: The sentence is measuring a single total volume of a bulk substance (syrup). Because you ask "how much syrup" rather than "how many syrups," use the singular verb has.
Name 10 indefinite pronouns
any, all, some, none, one, everybody, anybody, each, either, neither, everyone, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere, both, few, many, others, several...