Verb agreement in English is one of the fundamental aspects of grammar that needs to be mastered by English learners. It plays a crucial role in effective communication, as it ensures that the verb used in a sentence agrees with the subject, in terms of number and person. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of verb agreement in English.
Number Agreement
The first rule of verb agreement is that a singular subject requires a singular verb, while a plural subject requires a plural verb. For instance, “She walks to the store,” and “They walk to the store.” In these examples, “walks” agrees with “she” which is singular, and “walk” agrees with “they” which is plural.
It’s important to note that some nouns that appear singular can represent a group of people or things. For example, “team”, “committee”, “family” and “audience” are words that are singular in form but represent a group of people. In such cases, a singular verb is still used to agree with the singular noun, even though the meaning is plural. For example, “The team is playing well this season.”
Person Agreement
The second rule of verb agreement is that the verb should agree with the person of the subject. In other words, if the subject is in the first person, then the verb should be in the first person, and so on. For example, “I am going to the store,” and “They are going to the store.” In the first sentence, “am” agrees with “I”, which is in the first person, and in the second sentence, “are” agrees with “they”, which is in the third person.
Tense Agreement
The third rule of verb agreement is that the tense of the verb should match the time frame of the subject. For example, if the subject is in the present tense, then the verb should be in the present tense as well. Similarly, if the subject is in the past tense, then the verb should be in the past tense. For instance, “I am studying English,” and “I studied English yesterday.” In the first sentence, “am studying” agrees with “I” which is present tense, and in the second sentence, “studied” agrees with “I” which is past tense.
In conclusion, verb agreement is a crucial aspect of English grammar that needs to be learned and mastered to ensure effective communication. By following the basic rules of number, person, and tense agreement, English learners can write and speak fluently with confidence. As a professional, it’s important to note that using proper verb agreement is also beneficial in improving the readability and search engine optimization of the content.