Table of Contents
Subject Verb Agreement – How to Get It Right the First Time
Subject Verb Agreement (SVA) is one of the most common mistakes made in English grammar. It is also one of the most widely used. This article will teach you a little about this rule and what to do when it isn’t properly used. Many people are familiar with the idea of object pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “this,” “that,” “they,” etc., however, verbs do not have subject pronouns. A good example would be: Bill said the dumbest thing ever, and Joe said the dumbest thing ever, but they both still said the same thing (even though it wasn’t the same).
In this example we see the problem with subject agreement, but on the bright side, it’s not the biggest problem in English grammar. The biggest problem is grammar rules that make no sense whatsoever! So how do you deal with them? You just learn the rules, change your ways if need be, and start over.
There are three types of agreement: absolute, comparative, and indefinite
Absolute agreement simply says this is a pre-positional phrase; i.e., ‘This is the dog.’ Comparative agreement states that this is one of many things that compares one thing to another; i.e., ‘The dog eats oats.’ And finally, indefinite agreement states that there are more than one things that can be compared to this one thing.
One type of grammatical error you’ll likely see often is broken subject agreement. This mistake comes right out of country grammar lyrics. Everyone knows how this rule goes; the verb should always come before the noun. You’ll also know this by looking at how movies and television shows are written: the verb comes first, and the subject is optional. A good way to show you which version of this grammar rule you’re using is to ask a native English speaker to describe a situation and ask them which rules applies.
The problem with this is that it can lead to some pretty silly sentences
For example, take the following: Jim and Jane both eat breakfast. Jim ate breakfast, so Jane must be eating too. However, the grammar mistake here is that it would have been more appropriate to say, ” Jim ate breakfast, so Jane ate too.” This example is only an example, but hopefully it will help you see where these mistakes are being made.
Another common error in subject agreement is using the word “it” when there’s actually another part of the sentence to be verified. If there’s a doubt about whether or not something exists or it doesn’t exist, always use the word “it” as the subject. “It’s raining,” is a correct sentence, but if you change it to “It’s raining badly” the change is instantly noticeable. It’s important to always verify the subject because it’s very easy to make a grammar error when you’re trying to check for consistency.
One last thing to watch out for when it comes to subject agreement is making exceptions for yourself
For example, it’s perfectly acceptable to mention that ” Jim is going to have lunch with his buddies” as your subject, even though it isn’t a rule. As long as you don’t do it consistently, there’s no problem. However, if you always say it as if it’s an exception, you might be coming across as a little bit self-centered. You can also end up sounding like you don’t really care about other people’s feelings.
These are just a few of the mistakes that people make when it comes to subject verb agreement. There are countless other ways that people can screw up, but these are just a few. You should spend plenty of time learning the proper way to use subject pronouns. Even if you never have to use them, it’s always good to know them. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll sound like a pro.
[…] Subject Verb Agreement – How to Get It Right the First Time […]