Subject-verb agreement is an essential grammatical rule that governs the use of verbs with their respective subjects. It is important to note that the subject of a sentence is the one that performs the action, whereas the verb is the action itself. For instance, in the sentence, “The cat chases the mouse,” the subject is “the cat,” and the verb is “chases.” In this article, we will specifically talk about the subject-verb agreement when dealing with plural subjects.
Plural subjects refer to multiple people, animals, or things, and they usually take plural verbs. For example, “The dogs bark at the mailman.” “Dogs” is the plural subject, and “bark” is the plural verb that agrees with it. However, there are instances when it is easy to get tangled up and commit mistakes when dealing with plural subjects and verb agreement.
One common issue is when a plural subject is joined by “or” or “nor.” The verb agrees with the closest subject to it. For example, “John or his friends are coming to the party.” In this sentence, “friends” is the closest subject, so the verb must agree with “friends.” Therefore, “are” is the correct verb to use, not “is.”
Another issue arises when dealing with collective nouns. Collective nouns refer to a group composed of many individuals. For example, “The team is celebrating their victory.” Although “team” is a singular noun, it refers to a group, and the verb must agree with the group`s members. Therefore, “is” is the correct verb to use, not “are.”
Moreover, when dealing with indefinite pronouns, it can be tricky to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to a specific person or thing. For example, “Everyone wants to succeed.” “Everyone” is an indefinite pronoun, and even though it refers to multiple individuals, it is treated as a singular subject. Therefore, “wants” is the correct verb to use, not “want.”
Furthermore, when using phrases like “along with,” “as well as,” and “together with,” the verb must agree with the subject before the phrase. For example, “The teacher, along with her students, is going on a field trip.” “The teacher” is the main subject, and the verb must agree with it. Therefore, “is” is the correct verb to use, not “are.”
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is a vital grammatical rule that writers and editors must be familiar with. When working with plural subjects, it is crucial to ensure that the verb agrees with the subject in number. By following the guidelines discussed in this article, writers and editors can avoid common mistakes and produce grammatically correct and effective content.