Word agreement is an essential aspect of writing that is crucial for conveying meaning accurately and effectively. It is a basic rule in grammar, and every writer should master it. Word agreement refers to ensuring that the subject and verb, pronoun and antecedent, and adjective and noun agree in number and gender. Poor agreement can cause confusion and mislead readers, making writing less effective.
Subject-verb agreement
Subject-verb agreement is perhaps the most crucial aspect of word agreement. The subject and verb must agree in number. This means that a singular subject must have a singular verb, while a plural subject requires a plural verb. For instance, “The cat plays with a ball,” is correct because both the subject and verb are singular.
However, incorrect subject-verb agreement can cause confusion. For example, “The cat plays with balls,” is incorrect because the verb “plays” is singular while the noun “balls” is plural. Instead, it should be, “The cat plays with a ball.”
Pronoun-antecedent agreement
Another aspect of word agreement is pronoun-antecedent agreement. This means that the pronoun and antecedent must agree in gender and number. An antecedent is a word that refers to a noun previously mentioned. For example, “John went to the store, and he bought a new car.” In this case, “he” refers to John and agrees in gender and number.
Adjective-noun agreement
Adjective-noun agreement, on the other hand, requires that adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For example, “The blue sky,” is correct because the adjective “blue” agrees with the singular noun “sky.” However, “The blue skyes,” is incorrect because the adjective is singular while the noun is plural.
In conclusion, word agreement is an essential aspect of writing that writers should take seriously. Poor agreement can lead to confusion and misinterpretation of meaning, which undermines the effectiveness of writing. Writers should always pay attention to subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and adjective-noun agreement to ensure clarity and accuracy in their writing.
