Learn Agreement: The Importance of Proper Subject-Verb Agreement in Writing

As copy editors, we understand the importance of proper grammar and syntax to create a clear and concise message. One of the most important aspects of writing is subject-verb agreement, which refers to the relationship between a verb and the subject of the sentence. Understanding and mastering this concept is essential to produce high-quality content that is easy to read and understand, and also to optimize your content for search engines.

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject of a sentence and the verb that describes it must agree in number (singular or plural), tense (past, present, or future), and person (first, second, or third person). This means that a singular subject should have a singular verb, and a plural subject should have a plural verb. For example, ”The cat jumps on the table” is correct because ”cat” is singular, so the verb ”jumps” should also be singular.

However, subject-verb agreement can get tricky when writing complex sentences, using compound subjects or dealing with nouns that are not easy to classify as singular or plural. For instance, when dealing with collective nouns, which are nouns that refer to a group of people, animals or things acting as one unit, it may be difficult to determine whether the noun should take a singular or plural verb. For example, ”The team is playing well” should take a singular verb because ”team” is a collective noun that refers to a group acting as a single entity. However, ”The team members are playing well” should take a plural verb because ”members” refer to individual people.

Proper subject-verb agreement not only ensures that your writing is grammatically correct, but it also helps in optimizing your content for search engines. Search engines like Google use algorithms to analyze content and rank it based on different factors, including readability and coherence. Consistent and correct use of subject-verb agreement can help improve your content`s readability and coherence, which can indirectly improve its search engine ranking.

In conclusion, mastering subject-verb agreement is an essential skill for copy editors and writers alike. By ensuring that the subject and verb agree in number, tense, and person, we can produce content that is not only grammatically correct but also easy to read and understand. Additionally, ensuring proper subject-verb agreement can help in optimizing the content for search engines, indirectly improving its ranking.