Mastering Subject-Verb Agreement in English Grammar
Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of English grammar that ensures the subject and verb in a sentence are in harmony. When the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular; when the subject is plural, the verb must be plural as well. Failure to maintain proper subject-verb agreement can lead to grammatically incorrect sentences.
Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?
1) the leaves on the maple tree has fallen to the ground.
2) the leaves on the maple tree seems to have changed color.
3) the leaves on the maple tree is fluttering in the wind.
4) the leaves on the maple tree have turned red.
Final answer:
The sentence with correct subject-verb agreement is option 4) "The leaves on the maple tree have turned red." Here, the plural subject "leaves" correctly pairs with the plural verb "have turned."
Explanation:
The sentence with correct subject-verb agreement is: "The leaves on the maple tree have turned red." In this sentence, "the leaves" is the plural subject, and "have turned" is the corresponding plural verb form, correctly matching each other.
When checking for subject-verb agreement, you must ensure that a singular subject is paired with a singular verb, and a plural subject with a plural verb. Phrases that come between the subject and verb do not affect their agreement.
For instance, in the sentence "The soft and damp pink-flowers of the Dogwood tree smelled sweetly in the cool spring air as the wind whistled through its yellow-green leaves," the verb "smelled" is singular, and it correctly agrees with the singular compound subject "soft and damp pink-flowers."