Introduction

One of the most basic, yet confusing, rules of grammar are that the number of the verb and the number of the subject must be the same in the present tense. Simply expressed, it shows that whether the subject is solitary or plural, we must always remember to connect the verb with a subject. As long as we are unable to identify the statement's subject and verb, it is not hard to apply this rule.

Let's evaluate the provided verbs:

At a concert, Rohan performs a song.

My brother sings a song at a concert

Both verbs are in the present tense and describe the present or ongoing verb, however, the first verb ends in - while the second verb has a different ending. Can you explain why this disparity exists?

The first sentence's subject (merdin) is singular, so the verb (hangs) must be pluralized with a -s. The second sentence's verb, sing, is left without a final since the subject, sisters, is plural. However, keep in mind that only verbs in the present tense are covered by this criterion.

You can see that following the basic rule of subject-verb agreement relies on your ability to correctly identify subjects and verbs in sentences. To put into practice the rule that the verb and subject must agree in number, consider the following four recommendations.

Add a -s to the verb if the subject is a singular noun, such as a name for a person, place, or thing.

• Mr. Charlie makes pizza.

• Bamboo grows in humid regions.

Add a -s to the verb if any of the third-person singular pronouns are the subject: he, she, it, it, and that.

• If the subject pronouns are I, you, we, or they, don't add an -s to the verb.

• I set my guidelines.

• You make a difficult trade.

Common Verbs

When there are two subjects involved, the verb should not receive a -s.

Bob and Stuart have frequent fights.

Consequently, is accepting subjects and verbs so simple? 

So, is it that easy to just accept subjects and verbs?

No, I don't think so. One explanation is that the way we express agreement in conversation can make it awkward at times. If we tend to forget the last word when we talk, we should be more careful to remember it when we write.

Additionally, while conjugating verbs that finish in a letter, we need to remember a specific spelling rule: most of the time, we must replace y before adding y. Examples of this transformation include the verbs try (which becomes carries) and quickly (which becomes carriers). Where do the above clauses not apply? Undoubtedly. If the letter preceding the final one is a vowel, we merely maintain the y and add a -s (i.e., the letter a, e, I o, or u). S makes a statement while having fun.

Finally, as we see in our article on Tricky Cases of Subject-Verb Contracts, extra care must be taken when the subject is an indefinite pronoun or when it is positioned between the subject and the verb. The problems, though, can wait.

How to identify subject-verb agreement errors?

If Words separate the subject and verb 

Error: One of my coworkers enjoys leading the meeting. 

(Error: one is singular and like is plural.)

Correct sentence: One of my coworkers enjoys leading the meeting.

If the adjective clause's verb does not correspond to the noun it is referring to.

The folks who want to stand here can let me know, the error.

 (Error: lives is singular whereas people is plural.)

Correct sentence: People who want to stand up can correct me, please.

If the verb comes before the subject 

Error: There are various reasons for the revolt. 

(Error: Reasons = plural / is = singular) 

Correction: There are various reasons for the revolt.

If the subject is an abstract idea 

Error: The number of members in the team varies. 

(Error: number = singular / vary = plural) 

Correct sentence: The number of members in the team varies. 

If the subject ends in an –s but is singular in meaning

Error: Mathematics make our life interesting. 

(Error: Mathematics = singular / make =singular) 

Correct sentence: Mathematics makes our life interesting.

If the subject is an indefinite pronoun 

Error: Everyone have to attend the class. 

(Error: Everyone = singular / have = plural) 

Correct sentence: Everyone has to attend the class.

If the subject is an uncountable noun (Examples: Sugar, Sand, time) 

Error: Time seem to go quickly during an examination. 

(Error: time = singular / seem = plural) 

Correction: Time seems to go quickly during an examination.

Conclusion

One of the most prevalent grammatical faults in English is a lack of subject-verb agreement. Incorrect number agreement between a sentence's subject and verb. For instance, a singular subject requires a singular verb. The verb also has to be plural if the subject is. Finding faults in subject-verb agreement typically requires locating the subject of the sentence. The subject of a sentence is the word or pronoun that the verb refers to. The verb's number must match that of the subject it's referring to.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are there varying numbers of participles?

They have certain characteristics with verbs, but they also have some characteristics in common with nouns and adjectives, which you've studied about in previous lessons.

Each participle conveys the following information: (1) the tense form; (2) the voice; (3) the case; (4) the gender; and (5) the number.

2. Why is a participle important in grammar? 

A participle can be used as an adjective and an adverb to form some progressive, tenses like past perfect tense, present perfect tense, future perfect tense, present continuous tense, future continuous tense, etc.

3. What kind of results do infinitives produce?

A sentence may employ an infinitive either as the subject or as the direct object of the clause it is constructing. It is also possible for it to appear in the predicate of a sentence as a subject complement, which offers information on the subject, and it does this by coming after a linking verb (such as is).