Verb Concord
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Subject-verb concord is simply when the subject and the verb of a sentence "agree" with each other.
In other words, if the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject of a sentence is plural, the verb must be plural. Easy as that.
Ex. The boy is standing. — subject: boy (singular) = verb: is (singular)
Ex. The boys are standing. — subject: boys (plural) = verb: are (plural)
Verb concord, also known as subject-verb agreement, refers to the grammatical rule that dictates that a verb must agree in number and person with its subject. This means that the form of the verb should change according to whether the subject is singular or plural, and whether it is in the first, second, or third person.
To determine the correct verb form for a given subject, you can follow these steps:
1. Identify the subject of the sentence: The subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described by the verb.
2. Determine whether the subject is singular or plural: If the subject refers to one person, animal, thing, or concept, it is singular. If the subject refers to more than one person, animal, thing, or concept, it is plural.
3. Consider the person of the subject: The person of the subject indicates who is performing the action. There are three persons: first person (referring to the speaker or writer), second person (referring to the person being spoken to or written to), and third person (referring to someone or something other than the speaker or the person being spoken to).
4. Choose the appropriate verb form: Based on the number and person of the subject, select the corresponding verb form.
Here are some examples of verb concord:
1. Singular subject with third-person verb: "She writes a book." (The subject "she" is singular, and the third-person singular verb form "writes" agrees with it.)
2. Plural subject with third-person verb: "They write books." (The subject "they" is plural, and the third-person plural verb form "write" agrees with it.)
3. Singular subject with first-person verb: "I am going to the store." (The subject "I" is singular, and the first-person singular verb form "am" agrees with it.)
4. Plural subject with second-person verb: "You are going to the store." (The subject "you" is plural, and the second-person plural verb form "are" agrees with it.)
By following these steps and understanding the rules of verb concord, you can ensure that your sentences have grammatically correct subject-verb agreement.