Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical concept that ensures consistency between subject and verb forms within a sentence. This means using singular verbs when referring to single nouns, and plural verbs when referring to multiple nouns. Here's a breakdown of how this applies to different types of sentences:

Plural Subjects With Plural Verbs

When the subject of a sentence refers to more than one person or thing, it needs to match up with a plural form of the verb. For instance, if you have two friends coming over, you would say "They come tomorrow." Notice here that 'they' is plural because there are multiple people being referred to by the pronoun, so the verb is also made plural ("come") to agree with it.

Another example might be "The students spoke French," where 'students' is plural and the verb 'spoke' matches its number. This helps readers quickly understand the relationship between the subject and the action performed.

Singular Subjects With Singular Verbs

Conversely, if only one person or thing is being mentioned, their corresponding verb should also be singular. Consider the phrase "He walks every day," where the man going for daily strolls is represented by the singular pronoun "he." Since there is just one individual involved, his actions should likewise be described using a singular verb like "walks."

This principle even extends beyond personal pronouns; if we were talking about apples being eaten by someone, we wouldn't say "apples was eaten" since 'apples' is singular while 'eaten' is plural. Instead, we'd correctly state "Apples were eaten."

In summary, whether dealing with singular or plural subjects, ensuring proper subject-verb agreement keeps sentences clear and coherent - making them easier for others to follow. So next time you write or speak, remember this rule of thumb: matching up subjects with appropriate verbs will make your writing much smoother!