Subject verb agreement is a key element of grammatical correctness in the English language. It refers to the need for the verb in a sentence to agree with the subject in terms of number and person. Put simply, if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb must be singular as well. If the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural too.
For example, the sentence “The dog barks” is correct because the subject “dog” is singular and the verb “barks” agrees with it in number. On the other hand, the sentence “The dogs barks” is incorrect because the subject is plural, but the verb is singular.
One of the common areas where subject verb agreement becomes a challenge is when dealing with collective nouns. These are nouns that refer to groups of people or things, such as “team” or “family”. In such cases, the verb can either agree with the collective noun as a singular entity or with the individual members of the group. For instance, one may write “The family is going on vacation” or “The family members are going on vacation”.
It`s also important to note that subject verb agreement can be affected by other factors such as the presence of intervening phrases and clauses. In complex sentences with multiple subjects and verbs, it`s necessary to ensure that each verb agrees with its respective subject.
In conclusion, subject verb agreement is an essential aspect of good writing and is critical for conveying a message accurately. Grammatical errors can detract from the clarity and effectiveness of written communication, and it`s therefore important to pay close attention to this aspect of language when crafting content. By following the basic rules of agreement, one can ensure that their writing is clear, concise, and effective.