3-2-2 Recognizing and Correcting Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Key Concepts

• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Common Errors
• Correction Techniques

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject of a sentence and the verb must match in number. If the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.

Example:

• Singular: The cat sleeps.
• Plural: The cats sleep.

Common Errors

Common errors in subject-verb agreement occur when:

• The subject is separated from the verb by other words.
• A plural noun is used as a subject, but the verb is singular.
• A singular noun is used as a subject, but the verb is plural.

Example:

• Incorrect: The book on the table are interesting.
• Correct: The book on the table is interesting.

Correction Techniques

To correct subject-verb agreement errors, follow these steps:

• Identify the subject and verb in the sentence.
• Determine if the subject is singular or plural.
• Choose the correct verb form that matches the subject.

Example:

• Incorrect: The group of students is playing.
• Correct: The group of students are playing.

Examples and Analogies

Think of the subject and verb as a pair of shoes. Just like you need the right shoe for each foot, the subject and verb need to match to fit together correctly.

Example:

• Singular: The dog barks.
• Plural: The dogs bark.

Practical Application

To practice recognizing and correcting subject-verb agreement errors, try the following exercises:

• Write a sentence with a subject-verb agreement error and correct it.
• Identify the subject and verb in a sentence and determine if they agree.
• Read a passage and underline any subject-verb agreement errors you find.