Subject Verb Agreement Essay

824 Words4 Pages
Subject-Verb agreement The basic subject-verb agreement rule in English is very simple. It states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. However, there are a few problems with this formulation of the rule that need to be mentioned. To begin with, the rule makes it sound as if each and every verb has one singular form that is used with all singular subjects and one plural form that is used with all plural subjects. This is not true. If we disregard the verb be and the modal auxiliaries, all verbs have one form that is used in the third person singular, that is, with the pronouns he, she, and it, and with subjects that could be replaced by one of these three pronouns, as in example (1) below, and one form that is used with all other subjects, i.e. first and second person…show more content…
(2) I have a headache and you have one too. (3) They know her well. The rule also makes it sound as if plural agreement is of importance in all tenses. This is not true either. Except for the case of the verb be, subject-verb agreement only takes place in the present tense. So, what we really need to remember, if we simplify the situation somewhat, is to put an -s on the verb in the third person singular (and to use the correct forms of be,have, do, and verbs like try and deny, which become tries and denies in the third person singular). However, one problem remains. How do we know in each and every case whether the subject is (third person) singular or plural? In most cases, this is not a problem, since if the subject is a single person, animal, or thing, we have singular agreement, and if the subject is more than one person, animal, or thing, we have plural agreement. In other words, as pointed out above, if he, she, or it could be used instead of the subject, we have (third person) singular agreement, but if we could use they instead of the subject, we have plural agreement. This is what is illustrated in the box
Show More
Related

  • English Language Error

    2285 Words  | 10 Pages

    Error Correction for Student’s Task in EFL Classroom I. INTRODUCTION The reasons why the teachers should correct errors and how to give a proper respond to student’s task and activity is still a topic of constant debate in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Should the teacher correct the students’ language errors? Most EFL teachers would answer this question with a ‘Yes’ while at the same time wondering how to do those activity. Although there is research that suggests error correction

    Read More

  • Perfectionism In The Squiggle Game, And Through The Forest

    1739 Words  | 7 Pages

    “Perfection is annihilation, it paralyzes us from working from the heart. Humans by nature are not perfect and imperfections are what make the world beautiful.” -Anonymous Perfectionism is strongly prevalent in all of the works of Ali Noel; “The Squibs,” “The Squiggle Game,” and “Trippin’ Through the Forest.” In all three of these texts there is either direct proof or a hidden reference to striving for excellence, but also the sense of not wanting to leave behind comfort and familiarity. Through

    Read More

More about Subject Verb Agreement Essay

Open Document