{"id":2529,"date":"2018-04-19T16:30:09","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T22:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content.principia.edu\/teaching-excellence\/?p=2529"},"modified":"2018-04-23T15:29:43","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T21:29:43","slug":"lets-agree-to-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/content.principia.edu\/teaching-excellence\/lets-agree-to-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s agree to agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mackenzie Batten<\/p>\n

One of my most traumatic writing experiences in high school was when my literature teacher senior year told me that for each incorrect subject-verb agreement, he would take off ten percent of my final paper grade. When I graduated, I thought the harsh grading was over\u2014but here at Principia, I have had professors with similar rules and grading patterns as my high school teacher.<\/p>\n

Subject-verb agreement is when the subject and the verb of a sentence match\u2014that is, a singular subject must have a singular verb and a plural subject must have a plural verb. I believe that subject-verb agreement is crucial because it helps the clarity and the flow of your writing. If you write using a singular subject and then use a plural verb, it might confuse the reader as to how many people you are writing about. So to avoid confusion and impress your teachers\u2014here are some of the rules I have learned while trying to master this skill.<\/p>\n

Here are the four main scenarios where confusion arises. To help demonstrate these concepts, the subjects will be bolded<\/strong> and the verbs will be italicized<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. In a sentence where the subject includes more than one noun and there is an \u201cand\u201d between them, use a plural verb.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Nancy<\/strong> is<\/em> selling her house this summer.<\/p>\n

    Nancy<\/strong> and<\/u> Bruce<\/strong> are<\/em> selling their house this summer.<\/p>\n

    In the first sentence, \u201cNancy,\u201d singular, agrees with \u201cis,\u201d because \u201cis\u201d is also singular. But in the second sentence, there is an \u201cand\u201d between the two singular nouns, making them a plural subject, so the plural \u201care\u201d is used. That wasn\u2019t so hard, was it? But it gets trickier, so stick with me.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. In a sentence where the subject uses more than one singular noun and there is an \u201cor\u201d between them, use a singular verb.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Emily <\/strong>or <\/u>Ava <\/strong>is<\/em> in the room with Barrett\u2019s guinea pig.<\/p>\n

      In this example, the use of \u201cor\u201d makes the singular nouns of \u201cAva\u201d and \u201cEmily\u201d a singular subject, so \u201cis,\u201d a singular verb, is correct. I know that that idea can be confusing, but just remember that the use of \u201cor\u201d between two singular subject means a singular verb!<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. In a sentence where \u201cor\u201d is used in between a singular noun and a plural noun, the verb should agree with the closest noun.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Either Charlie<\/strong> or<\/u> his friends<\/strong> work<\/em> at the pub every day.<\/p>\n

        In the first sentence, the verb agrees with the plural \u201chis friends\u201d because it is closer to the verb. Just remember\u2014whichever subject is closer is the one that needs to be in agreement.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. In a sentence where there is a quantifier\u2014a single subject that refers to multiple people\u2014have the verb agree with the quantifier, rather than the noun it is referring to.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Everybody<\/strong> knows<\/em> about Principia\u2019s rugby team.<\/p>\n

          \u201cEverybody\u201d is a quantifier, since it is a singular subject, it is correct to use a singular verb. I know that seems backwards because \u201ceverybody\u201d refers to multiple people, but it is actually singular!<\/p>\n

          I hope this helped! Please come to visit any of the writing tutors if you have any more questions!<\/p>\n

          Mackenzie is a political science and economics double major. She enjoys competing in Principia\u2019s Moot Court and on the Mediation Team.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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