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Definition
 There must be grammatical logic or coherence in the
links between parts of a sentence.
This is called 'agreement' or 'concord'.
EXAMPLES
The boy is swimming.
[singular subject, singular verb form]
The boys are swimming.
[plural subject, plural verb form]
USE
Agreement
may be required in tense, number, or case.
Problems
are more likely to occur in writing than
in speech.
If
the subject of a sentence is singular,
then the verb form must be singular as
well:
The shop [singular] opens at nine o'clock.
On Thursdays the shops [plural] open late.
Sometimes
confusion occurs because a statement begins in the singular but
then drifts into the plural:
wrong
It can be argued that a person has the right to know when they are dying.
The
easiest solution to this problem is to make the subject plural
and its verb plural as well:
correct
It can be argued that people have the right to know when they are
dying.
Sometimes
a singular noun is used to denote a plural
or a collective thing - such as 'government' or 'parliament'.
Either
the singular or the plural verb form may
be used - but the important thing is to be consistent.
wrong
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events may make them change
their minds.
correct
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events
may make it change its mind.
correct
The government prefer to let matters rest, but events may make them change their minds.
Agreement
is necessary in English because the language is 'uninflected'.
That
is, most words are not given separate endings to indicate which
part of the statement they represent.
English
relies very heavily on grammatical rules
and syntax [word order] to make sense.
[In
some languages – classical Latin, for instance – word
order is not important.] |
