Chapter 9- Agreement and Concord

Topic 1- Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (the action word) must agree with each other in number (singular or plural).

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1. What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

When you make a sentence, the subject and the verb should match. If the subject is singular (one), the verb should also be singular. If the subject is plural (more than one), the verb should be plural too.

• Singular subject = singular verb
• Plural subject = plural verb

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2. Singular and Plural Subjects

• A singular subject means one person or one thing.
  • Example: The dog runs fast.
    • Here, “dog” is singular, so we use “runs” (singular verb).
• A plural subject means more than one person or thing.
  • Example: The dogs run fast.
    • Here, “dogs” is plural, so we use “run” (plural verb).

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3. Rule for “He,” “She,” and “It”

When the subject is he, she, or it, we use a singular verb.

• Example:
  • He is my friend.
  • She has a cat.
  • It works well.

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4. Rule for “I” and “You”

• The word “I” always takes a singular verb, even though it’s one person.
  • Example: I am happy.
• The word “you” can be singular or plural, but it always takes a singular verb.
  • Example (singular): You are my friend.
  • Example (plural): You are all invited to the party.

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5. Rule for Plural Subjects

When the subject is more than one person or thing, we use a plural verb.

• Example:
  • The boys are playing outside.
  • The cars need washing.

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6. Some Special Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement

• When the subject is a compound subject (two or more subjects joined by “and”), we use a plural verb.
  • Example:
    • Tom and Jerry are friends.
• When the subject is joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.
  • Example:
    • Either the cat or the dog is going outside.
    • Neither the cat nor the dogs are going outside.

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Quick Review

1. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb.
   • Example: The girl reads a book.
2. If the subject is plural, use a plural verb.
   • Example: The girls read books.
3. Use singular verbs with he, she, or it.
   • Example: She has a dog.
4. Use plural verbs when the subject is more than one person or thing.
   • Example: The dogs bark loudly.

Topic 2- Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-antecedent agreement means that a pronoun (a word that replaces a noun, like “he,” “she,” “it,” “they”) must agree with its antecedent (the noun it is replacing) in two ways: number (singular or plural) and gender (he, she, or it).

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1. What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Instead of repeating the same noun over and over, we use pronouns.

• Example:
  • Tom went to the store. He bought some bread.
    • Here, “he” is the pronoun, and it takes the place of Tom.

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2. What is an Antecedent?

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun is referring to. The pronoun replaces the antecedent.

• Example:
  • The dog barked loudly. It ran fast.
    • “Dog” is the antecedent, and “it” is the pronoun that replaces “dog.”

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3. Rules for Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

• 1. Number Agreement (Singular or Plural)

The pronoun must agree with the antecedent in number. This means if the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must also be singular. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

• Singular Example:
  • The teacher explained the lesson. She was very clear.
    • “Teacher” is singular, so we use “she”.
• Plural Example:
  • The students worked hard. They finished their projects.
    • “Students” is plural, so we use “they”.

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• 2. Gender Agreement (He, She, or It)

The pronoun must match the gender of the antecedent. If the antecedent is male, we use he. If it is female, we use she. If it is neutral or unknown, we use it.

• Male Example:
  • John lost his keys. He looked everywhere for them.
    • “John” is male, so we use “he”.
• Female Example:
  • Emma loves her cat. She takes care of it every day.
    • “Emma” is female, so we use “she”.
• Neutral Example:
  • The dog is tired. It needs rest.
    • “Dog” is neutral, so we use “it”.

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• 3. Collective Nouns

A collective noun is a noun that names a group of people or things. Even though it refers to many, we usually treat it as singular.

• Example:
  • The team played well. It won the game.
    • “Team” is a collective noun, so we use “it”.

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• 4. Plural Antecedents

If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must also be plural.

• Example:
  • The dogs chased the cat. They were very fast.
    • “Dogs” is plural, so we use “they”.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Incorrect: The dog wagged its tail. They were happy.
  • Correct: The dog wagged its tail. It was happy.
    (Because “dog” is singular, we use “it.”)
• Incorrect: Tom and Jerry went to the park. It was fun.
  • Correct: Tom and Jerry went to the park. They had fun.
    (Because “Tom and Jerry” are two people, we use “they.”)

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Quick Review

1. Pronoun replaces a noun (called the antecedent).
2. The pronoun must match the antecedent in:
   • Number: Singular or Plural
     • Singular: He is my friend.
     • Plural: They are my friends.
   • Gender: He, She, or It
     • He is my brother.
     • She is my sister.
     • It is my dog.
3. Collective nouns (groups) usually take singular pronouns.
4. Always use the right pronoun for plural subjects.

PLEASE GO AND READ CHAPTER 10. *#THANKS FOR VISITING, VISIT AGAIN#* 😊