Agreement of Verb with Subject Test

As a professional, I understand the importance of proper grammar on a website`s search engine ranking. One of the fundamental rules of grammar is subject-verb agreement. A sentence with a subject and a verb that do not agree with one another can confuse the reader and harm the overall user experience. In this article, we will discuss the importance of subject-verb agreement and provide a test to help you improve your writing.

Subject-verb agreement means that the verb in a sentence must agree with the subject in number, person, and tense. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. Similarly, if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. For example, the sentence “The cat sleeps on the mat” has a singular subject (“cat”) and a singular verb (“sleeps”). If we change the subject to a plural, the verb must also be plural: “The cats sleep on the mat.”

The test for subject-verb agreement is relatively simple. First, identify the subject in the sentence. Next, determine whether the subject is singular or plural. Finally, make sure the verb matches the subject in number and person. For example, let`s take the sentence “The group of friends is going to the movies.” The subject is “group,” which is singular. Therefore, the verb “is” is correct. If we change the subject to a plural, we need to change the verb to match: “The groups of friends are going to the movies.”

In some cases, subject-verb agreement can be tricky. For example, when the subject and verb are separated by words such as “along with” or “as well as,” the verb must agree with the subject before the phrase. Consider the sentence “The teacher, along with her students, is going on a field trip.” The subject here is “teacher,” which is singular, so the verb “is” is correct. If we reverse the order of the subject and object, the sentence becomes “Her students, along with the teacher, are going on a field trip.” In this case, the subject is “students,” which is plural, so the verb “are” is correct.

In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of writing. A sentence with proper subject-verb agreement ensures that the reader understands the message clearly and improves the overall user experience. Remember to identify the subject, determine whether it is singular or plural, and match the verb accordingly. By following this simple test, you can improve your writing and avoid grammatical errors that can harm your website`s search engine ranking.