Subject-verb disagreement occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence do not agree in number. This grammatical error can be quite common and can affect the clarity of your writing. Below are three examples of subject-verb disagreements and how to correct them.
Example 1: The group of dancers is practicing their routine.
The subject of this sentence is “group,” which is a collective noun and should be treated as a singular entity. However, the verb “are” is in the plural form. To correct this error, we can change the verb to the singular form “is”: The group of dancers is practicing its routine.
Example 2: The company`s profits has increased this year.
In this sentence, the subject is “profits,” which is a plural noun. However, the verb “has” is in the singular form. To make the subject and verb agree, we should change the verb to the plural form “have”: The company`s profits have increased this year.
Example 3: My friend and I is going to the concert tonight.
This sentence contains a compound subject, “my friend and I.” The verb “is” is in the singular form, but it should be in the plural form to agree with the subject. The correct verb would be “are”: My friend and I are going to the concert tonight.
In conclusion, subject-verb disagreement is a common grammatical error that can affect the clarity of your writing. It is important to ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number. By paying attention to these examples and correcting errors accordingly, you can improve the quality of your writing and communicate your ideas more effectively.