Subject-verb agreement is an essential grammar rule that ensures clarity and accuracy in one`s writing. It is a rule that dictates that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in person and number. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural.
To help you improve your writing, here are the important rules of subject-verb agreement that you need to remember:
1. Singular subjects require singular verbs. For instance, « The dog barks at the mailman. »
2. Plural subjects require plural verbs. For example, « The dogs bark at the mailman. »
3. Collective nouns can be singular or plural, depending on context. For example, « The team is playing well » versus « The team are arguing with each other. »
4. When the subject is a compound noun, joined by « and, » it is usually plural, and the verb should agree with that. For example, « Tom and Jerry are watching a movie. »
5. When the subject is a compound noun joined by « or » or « nor, » the verb should agree with the noun closest to it. For example, « Neither the teacher nor his students were impressed. »
6. When the subject is a singular noun, but it is composed of multiple parts, it is still singular, and the verb should agree with that. For example, « The group of children is playing in the park. »
7. When using « each » or « every, » the subject should be considered singular. For example, « Each boy wants to play basketball. »
8. When the subject is « everyone, » « anyone, » or « nobody, » the verb should always be singular. For example, « Everybody knows that. »
9. When the subject is a form of the word « none, » the verb should be singular if it is treated as a singular noun, and plural if it is treated as a plural noun. For example, « None of the food was good » versus « None of the employees were happy. »
10. When using a title of a book, movie, or song as the subject, the verb should be singular. For example, « The Lion King is a classic movie. »
Subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of good writing. By knowing and applying these rules correctly, you can ensure that your writing is grammatically sound, easy to understand, and effective. Practice these rules and make them a habit so that you write with confidence.
