Subject-Verb Agreement and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: The Basics
As a copy editor, there are few things more critical to ensuring clear and effective writing than subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement. These two grammar concepts often go hand in hand and are essential pillars of the English language.
Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that dictates that the subject and verb of a sentence must agree in number, typically singular or plural. For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural as well. Failing to adhere to this rule can result in a sentence that is confusing or deemed grammatically incorrect.
Here is an example of subject-verb agreement: „The cat chases the mouse.“ In this sentence, „cat“ is the singular subject, and „chases“ is the singular verb. Conversely, „The cats chase the mice“ follows the same rule, with the plural „cats“ and „chase.“
Pronoun-antecedent agreement, on the other hand, refers to the grammatical rule that specifies that the pronoun (a word that replaces a noun) must agree with its antecedent in gender, person, and number. This means that if the antecedent is singular and feminine, the pronoun that replaces it must be singular and feminine, and so on.
For example: „She is my best friend.“ In this case, „she“ is the pronoun that replaces the feminine, singular antecedent (i.e., the woman being referred to).
In addition to singular and plural, pronouns can be classified as first, second, or third person. As such, how the pronoun corresponds to the antecedent depends on its person. For instance, if the antecedent is first-person singular („I“), the corresponding pronoun would be „me“ or „myself.“
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement are critical to effective writing. Even minor errors in these areas can detract from the clarity and persuasiveness of a piece of writing. As a copy editor, it is crucial to be familiar with these grammar concepts and to ensure that they are consistently applied in all written works.