2023年2月
2023年2月19日
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As a copy editor, one of the most common grammatical errors I come across in my work is subject-verb agreement. This error occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence do not match in terms of their number or person. In other words, if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb should be singular as well, and if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural.
Here are a few examples of subject-verb agreement errors:
1. The team of players are ready to take the field.
2. The cat and the dog is sleeping on the couch.
3. The books on the shelf needs to be organized.
In the first example, the subject “team” is singular and requires a singular verb, “is,” instead of the plural verb “are.” In the second example, the subject “cat and dog” is plural and requires a plural verb, “are,” instead of the singular verb “is.” In the third example, the subject “books” is plural, but the verb “needs” is singular, causing a disagreement.
To identify a subject-verb agreement problem in a sentence, first, identify the subject and the verb. Then, determine if they match in terms of their number and person. If not, the sentence needs to be revised.
Corrected versions of the above examples would be:
1. The team of players is ready to take the field.
2. The cat and the dog are sleeping on the couch.
3. The books on the shelf need to be organized.
By being aware of subject-verb agreement and taking the time to review sentences for this common grammatical error, you can improve both the clarity and professionalism of your writing.