Mastering Subject-Verb Agreement: Tips And Strategies For English Learners

Mastering subject-verb agreement is absolutely indispensable for effective English language communication – yet, it can be a struggle. As an English learner, you might notice yourself making common errors such as using the incorrect verb or putting it in the wrong position in your English sentences. In this article, we will uncover some of these most frequent mistakes with subject-verb agreement and provide useful advice to steer clear of them!

Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Verb Form

Making a common mistake in the subject-verb agreement is unfortunately all too frequent; this blunder typically occurs when the noun of the sentence is solitary but its verb takes on a plural form or vice versa. To illustrate:

Incorrect: The dog bark loudly. (should be “The dog barks loudly”)
Incorrect: The children plays in the park. (should be “The children play in the park.”)

To ensure you don’t make any errors, it’s critical to understand the fundamental verb forms in English. For regular verbs, the present tense is formed by adding -s or -es for singular form—for instance “he walks” and “she talks”. As opposed to that, when we use irregular verbs in sentences that are placed in past-tense form, their base form should be changed — such as “I write” (present) versus “I wrote” (past). The best way to learn these rules could be memorization of them followed with practice.

A way to successfully tackle this issue is by always remaining mindful of the subject’s plurality when constructing a sentence. For instance, “The cat sleeps” (singular subject, singular verb) or “The cats sleep” (plural subject, plural verb). This ensures that both your grammar and meaning remain intact.

Mistake 2: Using the Wrong Verb Position

A frequent error in subject-verb agreement is using the wrong verb position, particularly when the subject comes before the verb. For instance:

Incorrect: In the garden, a frog jump. (should be “In the garden, a frog jumps”)
Incorrect: Along the river, the ducks swims. (should be “Along the river, the duck’s swim”)

To prevent grammatical errors, it is essential to be mindful of the placement of the subject and verb in a sentence. Unless using passive voice, the noun should always appear before its accompanying verb; for example: “Him wrote the book” (passive voice).

To avoid making any mistakes, start by perfecting the art of writing simple sentences and gradually progress to more complex ones while paying extreme attention to subject-verb agreement.

Mistake 3: Using Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns like anyone, everyone, nobody, and somebody can lead to subject-verb agreement errors. Let us take a look at an example:

Incorrect: Everyone has their own opinion. (should be “Everyone has his or her own opinion”)
Incorrect: Nobody know the answer. (should be “Nobody knows the answer”)

To prevent any error, keep in mind that indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence’s context. To verify if your verb form is appropriate, replace the indefinite pronoun with a specific noun and then assess its accuracy. For example: “Every individual (singular) has their own opinion” or “The scholars (plural) have their respective opinions.”

Mistake 4: Using Collective Nouns

It is easy to commit errors in subject-verb agreement when it comes to collective nouns, like group, family, and team. Just take a look at this example:

Incorrect: The team are getting ready for the game. (should be “The team is getting ready for the game”)
Incorrect: The group are having a meeting. (should be “The group is having a meeting”)

To avoid making a mistake with collective nouns, it is wise to remember that such nouns can be either singular or plural depending on the context. A useful tip for verifying if you have employed the correct verb form is to decide whether this particular collective noun refers to a single unit or an individual member. For instance, “The team is practicing” implies acting as one entity, whereas “the team is discussing their strategies” suggests each member’s contribution.

To avoid this error, remember that when the collective noun is being addressed as a unitary entity, use a singular verb form. On the other hand, if you are referring to its individual members, then utilize a plural verb tense.

Practice Makes Perfect

To truly excel at subject-verb agreement, you must devote time and effort to the practice. Read in English whenever possible, write down sentences that are grammatically correct, and speak with others who can help refine your understanding of this concept. You’ll soon see an improvement in your ability to use these rules correctly!

To augment your subject-verb agreement knowledge, you can also test yourself with online and book quizzes. Then, obtain feedback from English natives or a teacher to help identify any errors and amend them accordingly.

In Conclusion…

Ultimately, honing your English subject-verb agreement is imperative to becoming a fluent speaker and writer. With the use of the approaches discussed in this article combined with an understanding of widespread mistakes, you can strengthen your grammar as well as communicate more efficiently in English.