Subject Verb Agreement Examples Act

Subject verb agreement is a critical concept in English grammar. It refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. If the subject is singular, then the verb must be singular as well, and if the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural too. This article will provide some subject verb agreement examples to help you understand this essential grammar rule.

1. Singularity: “The cat jumps over the fence.” In this sentence, the subject “cat” is singular, and the verb “jumps” also agrees with the subject in number.

2. Plurality: “The cats jump over the fence.” In this sentence, the subject “cats” is plural, and the verb “jump” matches the subject in number.

3. Agreement with collective nouns: “The audience applauds the performer.” Although “audience” is a collective noun, meaning it is composed of multiple individuals, it is still considered singular. Therefore, the verb “applauds” is singular.

4. Compound subjects: “Tom and Jerry are best friends.” Compound subjects are two or more nouns that function as the subjects of a sentence. In this example, the subjects “Tom” and “Jerry” are plural, so the verb “are” is also plural.

5. Inverted word order: “Up in the tree sits a bird.” Sometimes, the word order in a sentence is inverted for stylistic reasons or emphasis. In this sentence, the subject “bird” comes after the verb “sits,” but it is still singular, so the verb agrees with it in number.

6. Indefinite pronouns: “Everyone has their own style.” Indefinite pronouns, such as “everyone,” “anybody,” and “nobody,” are singular, even though they refer to multiple people. In this sentence, the verb “has” agrees with the singular subject “everyone.”

7. Appositive phrases: “My dog, a golden retriever, loves to play fetch.” An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames or explains the preceding noun. In this sentence, the subject “dog” is followed by the appositive phrase “a golden retriever.” The subject is still singular, so the verb “loves” agrees with it in number.

In conclusion, subject verb agreement is a crucial grammar rule that helps ensure clarity and accuracy in writing. Understanding how to correctly match subjects and verbs can improve the quality of your writing and make it easier for readers to understand your message. By reviewing these subject verb agreement examples, you can become more confident in your ability to apply this rule in your writing.