What Does Subject Verb Disagreement Mean

Subject-verb disagreement is a common grammatical error that occurs when the subject and verb of a sentence do not match in terms of their number. This type of error can cause confusion for readers and affect the overall clarity and accuracy of your writing.

Simply put, subject-verb disagreement occurs when the subject of a sentence is singular, but the verb used to describe it is plural, or vice versa. For example, “The dog barks loudly” is correct because the subject (dog) is singular and the verb (barks) agrees with it. However, “The dogs bark loudly” would be incorrect because the subject (dogs) is plural, but the verb (bark) is singular.

Subject-verb disagreement can occur in many different types of sentences, including simple statements, questions, and complex sentences with multiple clauses. Some common causes of this error include:

– Using a collective noun as a singular subject: Collective nouns, such as “team” or “family,” refer to a group of people or things, but they are often treated as singular subjects in sentences. However, this can lead to confusion if the verb used is plural. For example, “The team are ready to play” should be “The team is ready to play.”

– Confusing subjects that look plural but are singular: Some subjects may look plural because they end in “s,” such as “news” or “mathematics.” However, these subjects are actually singular and require a singular verb. For example, “The news is reporting on the event” should be “The news are reporting on the event.”

– Failing to match the subject and verb in complex sentences: In sentences with multiple clauses or phrases, it can be easy to lose track of the subject and verb and end up with a mismatch. For example, “The cat, along with his toys, were left in the yard” should be “The cat, along with his toys, was left in the yard.”

To avoid subject-verb disagreement in your writing, it’s important to pay close attention to the subject and verb of each sentence and ensure that they agree in terms of number. If you’re unsure, try reading the sentence aloud to see if it sounds correct. Additionally, be aware of common causes of this error, such as collective nouns and confusing subjects that look plural but are actually singular.

By taking the time to double-check your subject-verb agreement, you can improve the clarity and accuracy of your writing and avoid potential confusion for your readers.