I show
You show
It/ she/ he shows = the graph, the report, the Internet shows
We show
They show
Therefore, when you are writing about something and it is singular, you must use ‘s’ on the verb when you are writing in the present simple – in Task 2 you are usually writing in the present simple and if there is no time given in Task 1, then you will probably be writing in the present simple there too.
Look at these examples of mistakes and how they are corrected:
This report refer to a pie chart, which shows the main causes why agricultural land is becoming less productive.
This report refers to…
To conclude this essay, I strongly agree that the high sales of popular consumer goods may affect what society need.
…what society needs.
Important phrases to remember for Task 1 that require ‘s’ on the verb:
The graph illustrates
The table highlights
The report refers to
The number drops
The amount increases
Some phrases for Task 2 that require ‘s’ on the verb:
The government demands
Society needs
History shows
Space has
The Internet plays an important role in
So, remember, if you are writing in the present simple and your noun is not plural, you need to add ‘s’ to your verb!
Try to add the missing ‘s’ in each of the following sentences:
The pie chart show that, there was a high proportion of car sales.
As people get older so the level of support increase.
The problem of drug abuse exist everywhere.
The government should pay is somebody want to go to university.
Answers to the above questions:
The pie chart shows that, there was a high proportion of car sales.
As people get older so the level of support increases.
The problem of drug abuse exists everywhere.
The government should pay if somebody wants to go to university.
Vocabulary:
therefore (adv) = so, thus
require (v) = need