Subject Verb Agreement

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What is subject-verb agreement?

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Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its verb.

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When should a singular verb be used?

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A singular verb should be used when the subject is singular, meaning it refers to one person, place, thing, or idea.

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When should a plural verb be used?

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A plural verb should be used when the subject is plural, meaning it refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

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What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with collective nouns?

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Collective nouns can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit (singular) or as individuals (plural).

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How does subject-verb agreement work with compound subjects joined by 'and'?

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When subjects are joined by 'and', they typically take a plural verb.

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How does subject-verb agreement work with compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

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When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

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What is an example of subject-verb agreement in a sentence?

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In the sentence 'The dog barks,' 'dog' is singular and 'barks' is the singular verb that agrees with it.

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What is an example of incorrect subject-verb agreement?

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An example of incorrect subject-verb agreement is 'The group are meeting today,' where 'group' is singular and should take the singular verb 'is' instead.

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How do indefinite pronouns affect subject-verb agreement?

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Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone' and 'somebody' are considered singular and take singular verbs.

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What is the subject-verb agreement rule for 'each' and 'every'?

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When 'each' or 'every' is used, the verb should be singular, as in 'Each of the students is ready.'