Subject-verb agreement is an essential grammar rule that every writer must know. It refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence, which means that the verb must agree with the subject in terms of number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third).
Here are some sentence examples of subject-verb agreement:
1. Singular subject with singular verb: The dog barks loudly.
In this sentence, the subject (dog) is singular, and the verb (barks) is also singular.
2. Plural subject with plural verb: The dogs bark loudly.
In this sentence, the subject (dogs) is plural, and the verb (bark) is also plural.
3. Singular subject with plural verb: The boy and his friends play basketball in the park.
In this sentence, the subject (boy and his friends) is singular, but the verb (play) is plural because the subject is a compound subject.
4. Plural subject with singular verb: The news is good.
In this sentence, the subject (news) may sound plural, but it is a collective noun, and it takes a singular verb (is).
5. Indefinite pronoun with singular verb: Someone is calling me.
In this sentence, the subject (someone) is an indefinite pronoun, and it takes a singular verb (is).
6. Collective noun with plural verb: The audience were clapping their hands.
In this sentence, the subject (audience) is a collective noun, but the verb (were clapping) is plural because it refers to the individuals within the collective noun.
7. Compound subject with plural verb: The cat and the dog chase each other in the garden.
In this sentence, the subject (cat and dog) is a compound subject, and it takes a plural verb (chase).
8. Subject with a modifier between them: The book, along with its sequels, is very popular.
In this sentence, the subject (book) has a modifier (along with its sequels) between them, but it still takes a singular verb (is) because the subject is singular.
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement is an essential grammar rule. Following this rule will improve your writing and make it more effective and grammatically correct. By practicing these sentence examples of subject-verb agreement, you will become more confident in your writing skills.