Subject-Verb Agreement

Sentence structure in English follows a certain pattern where subject is followed by verb and object. The most common areas of disagreement between subjects and verbs are number and tense.However, the verb must be singular or plural based on the subject being in singular or plural. 

What is subject verb agreement?

The sentence is grammatically correct if the subject and verb agree. In present-tense sentences, subject-verb agreement is a challenge since it depends on the number of subjects. In the past or future tense, verbs don’t alter based on number. The grammatical idea of subject-verb agreement states that the subject of a sentence must agree with the primary verb of the same sentence. Singular subjects use singular verbs and plural subjects use plural verbs.

The most common verb agreement errors arise when writers lose track of the sentence’s true subject—for example, by mistaking the object of a preposition as part of the subject—and choose the incorrect verb form.

My puppy is waiting for the mailman.

The task is clear to me.

Peter enjoys eating vegetables.

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

• Singular verbs are required for singular subjects.

• Plural verbs are required for plural subjects. 

• Plural verbs are required for compound subjects that include the word “and.”

• Singular or multiple verbs can be used with compound subjects including the words “or” or “nor.”

• Singular and plural collective nouns are both acceptable.

• Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs.

• A pair is a singular noun that must be followed by a singular verb. “That old pair of pants has treated me well,” for example, is the singular topic.

• When offered as a title, plural-form topics are frequently singular. “Physics is an important topic,”.

• Gerunds are frequently used as singular nouns and take singular verbs.

• The phrase “one of __ who” should be treated as a plural noun.”

• The third-person pronoun “they” can be used in both singular and plural forms.

Phrase or Clause between Subject

To appropriately punctuate sentences and avoid fragments, we must understand the distinction between two types of word groups: phrases and clauses.

The following two groupings of words demonstrate the distinction:

1. The Eastmont Mall bus

2. The bus will take you to Eastmont Mall.

We can detect a subject-verb unit in the second collection of words, but not in the first.

Follow these two methods to locate subject-verb components in sentences:

1. Use the time test to find the verb first: change the sentence’s time or tense; the phrase

The verb is you change.

We can alter number two.

The bus will take you to Eastmont Mall.

The bus arrived at Eastmont Mall. (yesterday)

• A clause is a collection of words that contain a subject-verb unit; the bus goes is the subject-verb unit in the second group of words, so it is a clause.

• A phrase is a collection of words that do not form a subject-verb unit. If we attempt to change the time or tense of a sentence,

We can’t use the last group of words since there are no words that alter to indicate time or place.

Tense. It can’t have a subject-verb unit because it doesn’t have a verb. It’s a phrase, to be sure.

What is the difference between phrase and clause?

You can use this approach to see if a bunch of words is a complete sentence: Add Is it correct to say that before the Words. Does the set of words make sense as a complete sentence? Consider the following examples.

1. Is it true that the bus to Eastmont Mall leaves every 15 minutes?

2. Is the bus route to Eastmont Mall correct?

The first question is incomprehensible. It does have a topic (“the bus”) to it. It does not, however, have a Verb, and it isn’t a full concept. It’s a phrase, hence it’s a part of a sentence. The second issue, on the other hand, is reasonable. It is a complete notion with a subject and a verb. As a result, “The bus stops at Eastmont Mall” is both a clause and a complete sentence.

Conclusion

In English, the basic subject-verb agreement rule is relatively straightforward. A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb, according to this rule. However, there are a few flaws in this rule’s wording that must be addressed. Subjects can be challenging at times, so consider whether you’re dealing with a singular noun or plural noun the next time you’re in a bind.