Concord Error: Easy Grammar Fixes for Students

Understanding subject-verb agreement is crucial for correct grammar.Subject-verb agreement means subjects and verbs must match in number.Let's look at some basic examples to understand this better.The dog runs fast is correct because the singular subject dog requires the singular verb runs.The dog run fast is incorrect because the singular subject dog cannot take the plural verb run.The students run quickly is correct because the plural subject students requires the plural verb run.The students runs quickly is incorrect because the plural subject students cannot take the singular verb runs.Some subjects can be tricky when it comes to agreement.Indefinite pronouns like everyone, somebody, and each are always singular and need singular verbs. Collective nouns like team can be singular or plural depending on context.A helpful tip for identifying subject-verb agreement is to ask who or what is performing the action.Let's examine more complex examples to practice subject-verb agreement.In the sentence The box of pencils sits on the desk, the subject is box, not pencils. Since box is singular, we use the singular verb sits.In The committee disagree about the proposal, committee is treated as plural because we're emphasizing the individual members, so we use the plural verb disagree.Remember, always match your verbs to your subjects in number. This will help you avoid one of the most common grammar errors.Let's continue our exploration of grammatical agreement.Let's now examine consistency in tense and number, another crucial aspect of grammatical concord.Consistency errors occur when writers shift inappropriately between different verb tenses or between singular and plural treatments of nouns.Let's look at tense consistency first. In this example, the sentence shifts inappropriately from present tense to past tense.The verb 'debates' is in present tense, but then 'voted' shifts to past tense.For consistency, we should keep both verbs in the same tense. Either both present or both past.Now, let's examine number consistency. In this example, 'jury' is treated as singular with the verb 'reaches', but then as plural with the pronoun 'their'.Notice how 'jury' is paired with the singular verb 'reaches', but then referred to with the plural pronoun 'their'.For consistency, if we treat 'jury' as singular, we should use 'its' instead of 'their'.Alternatively, we could rewrite the sentence to use plural forms throughout, using 'jurors' with 'reach' and 'their'.To maintain tense consistency, it helps to create a mental timeline. This lets you visualize when events occur in relation to each other.Different tenses can be used in the same sentence when they accurately reflect the sequence of events. For example, past actions use past tense, current actions use present tense, and future actions use future tense.Here are some practical tips for maintaining consistency in your writing.First, read your writing aloud to catch awkward tense shifts that your eyes might miss.Second, choose a perspective, either past or present tense, and stick with it unless there's a logical reason to shift.Third, decide whether collective nouns like 'team' or 'committee' are being treated as singular units or plural groups, then be consistent.Finally, always check that pronouns match their antecedents in number throughout your writing.Let's put everything together with a complete revision example.This sentence contains both tense and number consistency errors. The collective noun 'team' is treated as singular with 'plays', but then as plural with 'lose'. There's also a shift from present to past tense with 'made'.In the revised version, we maintain singular treatment of 'team' throughout, and keep all verbs in present tense for consistency.To sum up what we've learned about consistency in tense and number:By maintaining consistency in tense and number, your writing will flow more smoothly and your meaning will be clearer to readers.