Agreement of the Subject with the Verb Exercise: Improve Your Writing Skills
The agreement of the subject with the verb is an important rule in English grammar. It ensures that the sentence is clear and concise, and therefore, improves the readability of the text. Understanding and following this rule will enhance your writing skills and make your content more professional and polished. In this article, we will provide an exercise that will help you practice this rule.
First, let us briefly explain the agreement of the subject with the verb rule. The agreement states that the verb in a sentence should always agree with the subject in number and person. Therefore, if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.
Here is an example:
Incorrect: The group of women is cheering for their team.
Correct: The group of women are cheering for their team.
In the first sentence, the subject “group” is singular, but the verb “is cheering” is plural. In the second sentence, we correct the sentence by changing the verb to “are cheering.”
Exercise:
Now let us practice the agreement of the subject with the verb with the following sentences. Identify the subject and the verb, and then determine if they agree in number and person.
1. The pack of wolves (is/are) howling at the moon.
2. The bouquet of flowers (look/looks) beautiful on the table.
3. The committee (has/have) decided on the new policy.
4. The couple (are/is) planning to get married in Hawaii.
5. The herd of cows (are/is) grazing in the field.
Answers:
1. The pack of wolves are howling at the moon.
2. The bouquet of flowers looks beautiful on the table.
3. The committee has decided on the new policy.
4. The couple is planning to get married in Hawaii.
5. The herd of cows is grazing in the field.
Conclusion:
The agreement of the subject with the verb is an essential rule to follow when writing in English. It makes the sentence clearer and easier to understand. Therefore, it is crucial to practice this rule to improve your writing skills. Use the exercise provided to test your knowledge and continue to practice to become proficient in using this rule.