Subject-verb agreement is an essential aspect of grammar that all writers and editors must master. When constructing a sentence, it is crucial to ensure that the subject and the verb agree in terms of number and person. In English, there are four kinds of subject-verb agreement: simple present, present continuous, simple past, and past continuous.
The simplest form of subject-verb agreement is the simple present tense. In this kind of agreement, the verb that follows the subject must match the number of the subject. For singular subjects, we use the singular form of the verb (e.g., She runs), and for plural subjects, we use the plural form of the verb (e.g., They run). It`s important to note that some verbs do not follow this pattern. For example, when using the verb “to be,” we say “I am,” “you are,” “he/she/it is,” “we are,” and “they are.”
The second kind of subject-verb agreement is the present continuous tense. This kind of agreement is used to describe an ongoing action that is happening right now. To form this agreement, we use a form of “to be” as the auxiliary verb, followed by the present participle of the main verb. For example, “She is running” describes an action that is currently happening.
The third kind of subject-verb agreement is the simple past tense. In this kind of agreement, we use a different form of the verb to indicate that the action took place in the past. For regular verbs, we add -ed to the base form of the verb (e.g., He walked), but for irregular verbs, we use the past tense form (e.g., She went).
The fourth and final kind of subject-verb agreement is the past continuous tense. This kind of agreement is used to describe actions that were in progress in the past. To form the past continuous, we use the past tense of “to be” (i.e., was or were) as the auxiliary verb, followed by the present participle of the main verb. For example, “She was running” describes an action that was in progress in the past.
It`s important to note that subject-verb agreement is a crucial component of effective writing. Not only does it help to convey meaning clearly and concisely, but it also makes the text easier to read and understand. As a skilled professional, you must ensure that all content you review adheres to the subject-verb agreement rules. Doing so will help to improve the overall quality of the content and make it more likely to rank highly in search engine results.