As a copy editor, one of the most important rules that I come across is the agreement of verbs and subjects. This may sound like a simple concept, but it is essential to the clarity and effectiveness of writing.
Simply put, the agreement of verbs and subjects means that the verb in a sentence must agree with the subject in terms of number and person. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.
For example, in the sentence „The cat chases the mouse,“ the subject, „cat,“ is singular, so the verb, „chases,“ is also singular. If we change the subject to a plural form, such as „cats,“ the verb should also change to „chase.“
This rule may seem simple enough, but there are some instances where it can become more complicated. For example, in sentences that include compound subjects, we need to ensure that the verb agrees with the subject as a whole rather than just one of the individual subjects.
For example, in the sentence „The cat and the dog chase the mouse,“ we have a compound subject made up of „the cat“ and „the dog.“ In this case, the verb should be plural to agree with both subjects, so it should be „chase“ instead of „chases.“
Another instance where the agreement of verbs and subjects can become tricky is with collective nouns. Collective nouns refer to a group of individuals as a single entity, such as „team,“ „family,“ or „group.“ In these cases, we need to consider whether the group is acting as a singular unit or as individuals.
For example, in the sentence „The team is playing well today,“ the subject, „team,“ is a singular collective noun, and the verb, „is playing,“ should also be singular to reflect the fact that the team is acting as a singular entity. On the other hand, in the sentence „The family are all going on vacation,“ the subject, „family,“ is still a collective noun, but the verb, „are going,“ should be plural to reflect the fact that each member of the family is going on vacation individually.
In addition to grammatical correctness, the agreement of verbs and subjects also plays a role in search engine optimization (SEO). When we write content for the web, we need to consider the keywords that people are likely to use when searching for information. By using the correct verb forms that match the subject, we can improve the relevance and ranking of our content in search engine results.
In conclusion, the agreement of verbs and subjects is a fundamental rule of grammar that should not be overlooked. By ensuring that verbs and subjects agree in terms of number and person, we can improve the clarity and effectiveness of our writing, as well as its relevance and ranking in search engine results. So next time you`re editing your writing, make sure to double-check this important rule!