{"id":24,"date":"2015-07-20T23:30:31","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T23:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/styleforstudents\/?post_type=chapter&p=24"},"modified":"2015-07-20T23:30:31","modified_gmt":"2015-07-20T23:30:31","slug":"subject-verb-agreement","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hccc-styleforstudents-1\/chapter\/subject-verb-agreement\/","title":{"raw":"Subject \/ Verb Agreement","rendered":"Subject \/ Verb Agreement"},"content":{"raw":"
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\r\n\r\nBy far, the stylistic error I encounter most frequently as a writing teacher and editor is subject\/verb agreement. As you already know, you have to be sure that paired subjects and verbs \u201cgo together\u201d grammatically. What this usually means (especially when you write in present tense) is that if a subject is singular its accompanying verb gets an \u201cs\u201d added to it, but if the subject is plural the verb requires no \u201cs\u201d (i.e., \u201cthe material ages\u201d and \u201cthe materials age\u201d are both correct). Simple, right? Your ear confirms the subject\/verb agreement for you. For many writers, though, confusion arises when the subject and verb are distanced from each other in the sentence. Consider this incorrect example:\r\n
The material applied to the blades of wind turbines age rapidly in tests.<\/blockquote>\r\nDo you see the problem? The word \u201cage\u201d should be \u201cages\u201d in order to be compatible with the sentence\u2019s subject\u2014\u201cthe material\u201d\u2014but since \u201cage\u201d is right next to the plural \u201cturbines\u201d it is easy to get the sentence grammar wrong.\r\n\r\nIn a case such as this, the path to achieving perfect subject\/verb agreement is to dissect the sentence mentally to determine which noun or pronoun goes with which verb. You cannot always trust your ear, especially when the word you are using is a word such as \u201ceverybody,\u201d \u201ceveryone,\u201d or \u201cone\u201d (all of which are singular). Also, even though \u201cUnited States\u201d or \u201cNASA\u201d might sound to you as though it is plural, the United States is considered to be one country, and NASA (like other organizations or corporations) is one entity (i.e., \u201cNASA redesigned its o-rings\u201d is correct while \u201cNASA redesigned their o-rings\u201d is not). In contrast, a sentence subject that includes an \u201cand\u201d as part of the subject (e.g., \u201cRising productivity and long-range profit . . .\u201d) is typically a plural subject, and therefore a verb that goes with a plural subject (e.g., \u201care,\u201d \u201creveal\u201d) must be chosen.\r\n\r\nA simple way to check whether your subjects and verbs are compatible is to supply a mental \u201cthey\u201d for a plural subject and a mental \u201cit\u201d for a singular subject. (Grammatically, the phrase \u201cThe speed of the downdrafts was intense\u201d is the same as \u201cIt was intense\u201d; the phrase \u201cTwo of the variables are incorrect\u201d is the same as \u201cThey are incorrect\u201d). The longer or more complex your sentences are, the more likely you are to have to apply a mental test to your subject\/verb agreement at times.\r\n\r\nEspecially if you find that you are having consistent subject\/verb agreement problems, you must make it a habit to do the following:\r\n