Subject-verb agreement is an essential element in English grammar. If you want to write error-free content, you need to master the rules governing subject-verb agreement. Unfortunately, subject-verb agreement errors are widespread, and they can significantly affect your credibility as a writer. Fortunately, there are several exercises you can do to improve your understanding of subject-verb agreement errors.
The first exercise you can do is to identify the subject in a sentence. Remember that the subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. Once you have identified the subject, ensure that the verb agrees with it. For instance, in the sentence “The cat walks on the street,” the subject is “the cat,” and the verb is “walks.” The verb agrees with the subject since the subject is singular, and the verb is in the third-person singular form.
The second exercise you can do is to recognize the difference between singular and plural subjects. Singular subjects take singular verbs, while plural subjects take plural verbs. For example, in the sentence “The students study hard,” the subject is “students,” and the verb is “study.” Since the subject is plural, the verb is also in the plural form.
The third exercise you can do is to avoid subject-verb agreement errors when the subject is separated from the verb by a phrase or clause. For instance, in the sentence “The book that I borrowed from the library is interesting,” the subject is “book,” and the verb is “is.” Even though the subject and verb are separated by the phrase “that I borrowed from the library,” the verb still agrees with the subject “book.”
The fourth exercise you can do is to recognize subject-verb agreement errors when you have compound subjects. Compound subjects are two or more subjects that share the same verb. For example, in the sentence “The cat and the dog fight for the bone,” the compound subject is “the cat and the dog,” and the verb is “fight.” Since the compound subject is plural, the verb is also in the plural form.
The fifth exercise you can do is to pay attention to indefinite pronouns when they are the subject of a sentence. Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified or unknown person or thing. For example, in the sentence “Everyone is responsible for their actions,” the subject is “everyone,” and the verb is “is.” Even though “everyone” is singular, the pronoun “their” is plural, making the sentence incorrect. The correct verb agreement in this sentence should be “Everyone is responsible for his or her actions.”
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement errors can significantly affect the quality of your writing. By doing these exercises, you can improve your understanding of subject-verb agreement and avoid making these common errors. Remember to always check the subject and verb agreement in your sentences to make sure they match in number and person. By doing so, you can write error-free content that will enhance your credibility as a writer.