Agreement of the Verb with the Subject Rules: The Basics

English grammar can be tricky, especially when it comes to the agreement of the verb with the subject. As a professional, I understand the importance of not only having grammatically correct content but also content that is optimized for search engines. In this article, we will discuss the basic rules of subject-verb agreement and how they can help improve your writing and SEO.

Let us begin by defining the subject and the verb. The subject is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about. The verb, on the other hand, is the action or state of being that the subject is performing. For example, in the sentence “My cat loves to sleep,” “my cat” is the subject and “loves” is the verb.

Now that we have defined the subject and the verb, let us discuss the rules of subject-verb agreement.

Rule 1: The verb must agree with the subject in number.

This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. Similarly, if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. For example, in the sentence “The cat sleeps on the couch,” the subject “the cat” is singular, and the verb “sleeps” is singular. However, in the sentence “The cats sleep on the couch,” the subject “the cats” is plural, and the verb “sleep” becomes plural as well.

Rule 2: In sentences with compound subjects joined by “and,” the verb is plural.

When two or more subjects are joined by the conjunction “and,” the verb should be plural. For example, in the sentence “John and Jane are going to the party,” the subjects “John” and “Jane” are joined by “and,” making the verb “are” plural.

Rule 3: In sentences with compound subjects joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

When two or more subjects are joined by the conjunctions “or” or “nor,” the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. For example, in the sentence “Neither the dog nor the cat likes the rain,” the subject “the cat” is singular, so the verb “likes” is also singular.

Rule 4: Collective nouns may be singular or plural, depending on the context.

Collective nouns refer to groups of people or things, such as “team,” “family,” or “audience.” In some cases, collective nouns are treated as singular subjects, and in others, they are treated as plural subjects. For example, in the sentence “The team is playing well,” “team” is singular, so the verb “is” is also singular. However, in the sentence “The family are arguing about politics,” “family” is plural, so the verb “are” is also plural.

Now that we have covered the basic rules of subject-verb agreement, let us discuss how this knowledge can benefit your writing and SEO.

Having proper subject-verb agreement can improve the readability and clarity of your writing, making it easier for your readers to understand your message and engage with your content. Furthermore, using proper grammar can also improve your website`s SEO by signaling to search engines that your content is high-quality and relevant to the user`s search query.

In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is a fundamental aspect of English grammar that should not be overlooked. By following the simple rules outlined in this article, you can improve both the quality of your writing and the SEO of your website. Remember to always double-check that your verb agrees with your subject before publishing, as errors in subject-verb agreement can detract from the overall effectiveness of your content.