Subject-verb agreement refers to an agreement between the subject of a sentence and the verb used. Subjects and verbs must match in number. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural must be For example, in the sentence “The dog barks” there is subject-verb agreement because “dog” is singular and “barks” is singular. Failure to reach an agreement on subjects and verbs is a common grammatical error.
Here are some examples of subject-verb agreement in sentences:
- “The cat sits on the windowsill.” (singular subject, singular verb)
- “The children play in the park.” (plural subject, plural verb)
- “Neither the dog nor the cats are hungry.” (compound subject, plural verb)
- “Each of the students has their textbook.” (singular subject, plural verb)
- “The committee is meeting today.” (singular subject, singular verb)
- “There goes the bus.” (inverted subject, singular verb)
- “The boy with the red hat walks to school.” (singular subject, singular verb)
- “The movie, along with the popcorn and soda, was enjoyable.” (singular subject, singular verb)
In each of these examples, the subject and verb agree in number, which is essential for proper grammatical structure and clarity of meaning
There are several rules to keep in mind when it comes to a subject-verb agreement:
- Simple Present Tense: In the simple present tense, the verb must agree with the subject in number. For example, “I walk” (singular subject, singular verb) or “They walk” (plural subject, plural verb).
- Compound subjects: When the subject is made up of two or more nouns or pronouns, the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. For example, “He and his friends are going to the movies” (plural subject, plural verb).
- Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns, such as “anyone,” “each,” “someone,” etc. can be singular or plural, depending on the context of the sentence. For example, “Each of the students is responsible for their homework” (singular subject, singular verb), “Each of the cookies is delicious” (plural subject, singular verb)
- Collective nouns: Collective nouns, such as “team,” “family,” “group,” etc. can be singular or plural, depending on whether the focus is on the group as a whole or the individual members. For example, “The team is playing well” (singular subject, singular verb), “The team are divided on the issue” (singular subject, plural verb)
- Inverted subject and verb: When the subject comes after the verb, the verb must agree with the subject in number. For example, “There are three cookies on the plate” (plural subject, plural verb)
- Intervening Phrase: When there is a phrase between the subject and verb, always agree on the verb with the subject. For example, “The man with the hat and his dog, walks in the park every day.”
It’s important to keep these rules in mind to achieve subject-verb agreement in your writing.
Here are some common mistakes that people make when it comes to a subject-verb agreement:
- Using a singular verb with a plural subject: For example, “The dogs bark loudly” should be “The dogs bark loudly”
- Using a plural verb with a singular subject: For example, “The dog barks loudly” should be “The dog barks loudly”
- Forgetting to change the verb form in the present tense: For example, “I walk to school” should be “I walk to school”
- Using a verb form that is not appropriate for the subject: For example “They are going to the store” should be “They are going to the store”
- Using a verb form that is not appropriate for the tense: For example “I walked to the store yesterday” should be “I walk to the store yesterday”
- Forgetting to include the verb in the sentence: For example “The cat (missing verb) on the windowsill” should be “The cat sits on the windowsill”
- Forgetting to change the verb form for the person: For example “I have a book” should be “I have a book”
- Forgetting to change the verb form for the number: For example “I don’t has a book” should be “I don’t have a book”
These are some of the most common mistakes that people make when it comes to subject-verb agreement. Remembering the rules and practicing them regularly can help you avoid these errors in your writing.
