Agreement
‘Agreement’ is an extremely
positive word in the English Language. Let us see the intricacies of this concept
of grammar. Just like in a business deal, the client must agree with the
customer; our body must agree with our mind; our thoughts must agree with the
words we speak; similarly, in grammar, the subject must agree with the verb and
the noun must agree with the pronoun.
Let
us concentrate on Subject-Verb agreement and Noun Pronoun Agreement.
Subject
Verb Agreement also termed as SVA
Subject Verb Agreement topic is like the spine of
Grammar. Subject-verb agreement means the subject and verb must agree in
number. This means both need to be singular or both need to be plural.
You must have heard people say – “She don’t know
about the pandemic.”
She goes with the verb ‘Doesn’t’
She doesn’t know about the pandemic.
Singular subject takes Singular verb
Preeti is happy.
He has a
coin.
Praket keeps
his smile.
It is a sticky surface.
I am smart.
(He, She, It, noun – Singular verbs) ‘I’ is
exceptional and uses ‘am’
Plural
Subjects must agree with Plural Verbs
Children
are charming
They are enjoying the Lockdown
We are focused on our goal
You are a positive person
Role
of ‘To be’ in SVA- is, are and am
This
exhibits the state of being
He is excited about the online classes.
They are innovators.
I am invincible
Role
of ‘Do and Does’ in SVA
He does this very often.
They do yoga regularly.
He doesn’t
show any fear.
They don’t believe in social distancing.
So far, we have spoken about irregular verbs. Let us
have a look at regular verbs and their agreement with the subject.
Verbs:
Play, Ponder, Saunter
Conjugate
the above verbs with - He /she/ noun/it
Singular
Subject Singular Verb
He plays chess.
She ponders over her mistakes.
Sheela saunters around in the break time.
It curls
its tail.
Words:
Play, Ponder, Saunter
Conjugate
the above verbs with
Plural
Subject Plural Verb
(I /you /we/ they) Play, Ponder, Saunter
I play
You play
We saunter
They ponder
Important
Note:
Words
like Everyone, No one, someone, Somebody, Everybody, always take a singular
verb
Sentences
with Neither and Nor depend on proximity
Neither the birds, not the big animal was seen during
the lockdown.
Neither the bird nor the big animals were seen
during the lockdown.
Collective
nouns as one unit take singular verbs
The committee is ready with its plan.
Collective
nouns referring to individuals in the group take plural verbs.
The Jury head
to their new car.
Noun
Pronoun Agreement
Just
like the subject and the verb, nouns and pronouns must agree in number in a
given sentence. A pronoun must match its antecedent in gender.
Have you heard people saying this very often-
“Sunil’s mother gave her a piece of her mind.’
This is an incorrect sentence. Sunil is a boy. So the first pronoun should be ‘him’
Correct
sentence: Sunil’s
mother gave him a piece of her mind.
She has a tendency to procrastinate her work.
Leena’s father is proud of his daughter; however,
Lohan’s mother is critical of her son’s hairstyle.
Sentences with ‘Neither’ ‘Nor’ depend on proximity-
Neither
her
sisters nor Jean will bring her
basketball.
Neither
Jean nor her sisters will bring their
basketball.
Some
tricky sentences:
INCORRECT: Those boxes have unbroken lids,
but these need to have its lids replaced.
CORRECT: Those boxes have unbroken lids, but these
need to have their lids replaced.
Questions:
1) Nobody
____ is/are here.
2) Neither
she nor her brothers ____ is/are attending
the party
3) Those
items must be returned to ______ Its/ their
owners.
4) The
native speakers________ speaks/speak fluently.
5) The
foreigner ____ act/acts differently.
Happy Learning J
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Very Useful information. Will these learnings back to my students.
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