In the English language, subject-verb agreement is a crucial grammatical rule that ensures that a sentence is coherent and free of errors. This rule dictates that the subject of a sentence must agree with the verb in terms of number, which means that a singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb.
Subject-verb agreement rule 3 is one of the most important rules to understand as a writer or speaker of English. This rule states that when a singular subject is connected by "or" or "nor" to a plural subject, the verb must agree with the closest subject.
For example:
- Neither the teacher nor the students have arrived yet.
In this sentence, the verb "have" agrees with the plural subject "students" because it is closer to the verb than the singular subject "teacher".
Here is another example:
- Either the cat or the dogs are going to the vet.
In this sentence, the verb "are" agrees with the plural subject "dogs" because it is closer to the verb than the singular subject "cat".
It`s important to note that when the subjects connected by "or" or "nor" are both singular, the verb must also be singular.
For example:
- Neither the teacher nor the student understands the question.
In this sentence, the verb "understands" is singular because both subjects are singular.
It`s easy to make mistakes with subject-verb agreement, especially when dealing with more complex sentence structures. However, adhering to rule 3 and other rules of agreement can help ensure effective communication and strong writing.
