As a copy editor who has worked extensively in the realm of SEO, I have come across many writers who struggle with subject verb agreement. This grammatical rule is crucial to producing high-quality content that is free of errors, and it is important to understand how to use it correctly.

The first rule of subject verb agreement is simple: the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular as well. For example, “The dog barks” is correct, while “The dog bark” is incorrect because the subject “dog” is singular, and the verb “bark” is plural.

On the other hand, if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. For instance, “The dogs bark” is correct, while “The dogs barks” is incorrect since the subject “dogs” is plural, and the verb “barks” is singular.

It is easy to mix up subject verb agreement when dealing with complicated sentence structures. However, a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is to identify the subject first, then check whether the verb agrees with it. Sometimes, a prepositional phrase interrupts the subject and verb, making it difficult to determine which one is which. In these cases, it is essential to focus on the subject and determine whether it is singular or plural before deciding on the verb.

Another important aspect of subject verb agreement is the use of collective nouns. Collective nouns refer to a group of individuals or objects, such as “team,” “family,” or “herd.” When using collective nouns, it is essential to keep in mind that they can be singular or plural depending on the context. For example, “The family is going on vacation” is correct, while “The family are going on vacation” is incorrect because “family” is a collective noun and is therefore singular.

In conclusion, subject verb agreement is an important grammatical rule that should not be underestimated. As a writer, it is essential to practice using it correctly to produce high-quality content that is free of grammatical errors. Remembering the basic rule of matching the subject and verb in number is key to mastering subject verb agreement.