Agreement Basic

Agreement Basics: Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement in Writing

As a writer or copy editor, one of the most important aspects of writing clear and concise content is ensuring proper agreement between the subject and verb in your sentences. Understanding subject-verb agreement can be tricky, but it is an essential part of creating quality content that is grammatically correct and easy to read.

What is agreement?

Agreement refers to the grammatical relationship between two or more words in a sentence. In particular, subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence. The subject is the person, place or thing that performs the action of the verb, while the verb is the action or state of being described in the sentence.

For example, in the sentence “The cat is sleeping,” “cat” is the subject and “is sleeping” is the verb. The subject and verb must agree in number, meaning that if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

The basics of subject-verb agreement

The basic rule of subject-verb agreement is that a singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb. This means that “she cooks” is correct, while “she cook” is incorrect. Similarly, “they eat” is correct, while “they eats” is incorrect.

When a sentence has more than one subject, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it. For example, in the sentence “The dog and the cat are sleeping,” “are sleeping” agrees with “cat” because it is the closest subject to the verb.

When a subject is composed of two or more words connected by “and,” it is considered plural and requires a plural verb. For example, “John and Sarah are going to the store” is correct, while “John and Sarah is going to the store” is incorrect.

When a subject is composed of two or more singular nouns or pronouns connected by “or” or “nor,” the verb should be singular. For example, “Neither John nor Sarah is going to the store” is correct.

Irregular verbs

Some verbs do not follow the regular pattern of adding “-s” to the end of the verb to make it agree with a singular subject. For example, the verb “to be” is irregular and does not follow this pattern. Instead, the singular form is “am,” “is,” or “was,” and the plural form is “are” or “were.”

Other irregular verbs include “have,” “do,” and “go.” It is important to be aware of these irregular verbs and know how they should be conjugated based on the subject of the sentence.

Conclusion

Subject-verb agreement is an important aspect of writing clear and concise content. By understanding the basics of agreement and irregular verbs, writers and copy editors can ensure that their sentences are grammatically correct and easy to read. Remember to pay attention to the number and proximity of subjects, as well as any irregular verbs, to effectively convey your message to your audience.