Subject-Verb Agreement in English Grammar

In English grammar, subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of sentence structure. It involves ensuring that the tense of the verb matches the number of the subject. A subject refers to the main noun or pronoun in a sentence that performs an action or is acted upon by another noun or pronoun. This article will explore subject-verb agreement in terms of singular subjects, plural subjects, tricky cases, and subject-verb agreement rules, including how conjunctions can affect these agreements.

Singular Subjects

A singular subject usually requires a singular verb, which means it agrees with 'I' or 'he'. For example:

• Maria walks home every day. (Subject: Maria; Verb: walks)
• My dog barks when I arrive home. (Subject: my dog; Verb: barks)

If the singular subject ends in -s, -es, -x, -z, or -ch, the verb remains unchanged. However, most singular subjects do not end in a vowel sound followed by an -s, so there is rarely a need to change the verb form.

Plural Subjects

When the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural to agree. For instance:

• The teachers play rugby together. (Subject: teachers; Verb: play)
• The students work in groups. (Subject: students; Verb: work)

Tricky cases occur when the subject is formed from two or more words that each have different plurals. Consider examples like "children and their parents," where the verb must agree with the subject "children" (not "parents"), which is plural.

Tricky Cases

In English grammar, singular subjects often require singular verbs, and plural subjects require plural verbs. However, there are some tricky cases where the verb might seem to belong to a different category. Examples of these include:

• Collective Nouns: Collective nouns like "team," "group," or "class" are treated as singular subjects, so they take singular verbs.

• Pro-Nouns: Pro-nouns like "one," "some," and "any" act as singular if they refer to a singular subject.

• Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns like "some," "any," and "none" usually take singular verbs, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

There are several rules to follow when dealing with subject-verb agreement:

1. Singular Subjects: Singular subjects should have singular verbs that agree with them.

2. Plural Subjects: Plural subjects should have plural verbs that agree with them.

3. Collective Nouns: Collective nouns should be considered singular, so they should have singular verbs.

4. Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns should be considered singular, so they should have singular verbs.

5. Pro-Nouns: Pro-nouns should have singular verbs if they refer to a singular subject.

6. Linking Verbs: Linking verbs (also known as "linking words") like "be," "seem," "become," "feel," "appear," and "taste" take the same tense as the subject, whether it is singular or plural.

Conjunctions and Subject-Verb Agreement

Conjunctions like "and," "but," "or," and "so" can affect subject-verb agreement in a variety of ways:

• Combining Singular and Plural Subjects: If a sentence begins with a conjunction, each part of the sentence should be treated as a separate sentence with its own subject and verb.

• Combining Indefinite Pronouns and Verbs: Conjunctions can introduce two subjects that each require their own verb.

For example:

And she was happy she could keep her job. (Correct) She was happy because she could keep her job. (Correct)

However, incorrect uses might look like this:

• She was happy and he kept his job. (Incorrect)
• If she ran faster, she would win and I could help him. (Incorrect).

To avoid errors in subject-verb agreement resulting from conjunctions, always ensure that each part of the sentence has its own subject and verb, treating them separately before joining them with a conjunction.