How to Have Agreement

When it comes to writing, having agreement is essential to ensuring clarity and coherence in your text. Agreement refers to the consistency between different parts of a sentence – for instance, between a subject and its verb, or a pronoun and the noun it replaces. By following a few simple rules, you can make sure that your writing is grammatically correct and easy to understand.

1. Subject-verb agreement

One of the most common types of agreement is between a subject and its verb. This means that the verb must agree with the subject in terms of number (singular or plural). For instance, you would say, “The dog barks” (singular subject and verb) but “The dogs bark” (plural subject and verb). Remember that some subjects can be tricky, such as collective nouns (e.g. “the team” or “the government”), which may be singular or plural depending on the context.

2. Pronoun-antecedent agreement

Another important type of agreement is between a pronoun and the noun it refers to, known as the antecedent. This means that the pronoun must agree with the antecedent in terms of gender, number, and person. For example, you would say, “She washed her car” (feminine singular antecedent and pronoun) and “They washed their cars” (plural antecedent and pronoun).

3. Adjective-noun agreement

Adjectives must also agree with the noun they describe in terms of number and gender. For instance, you would say, “The yellow flower” (singular feminine noun and adjective) but “The yellow flowers” (plural feminine noun and adjective).

4. Consistent verb tense

Finally, it`s important to ensure that verb tense is consistent throughout a sentence or paragraph. This means that if you start in the past tense, you should stay in the past tense unless there is a clear reason to switch to another tense. Inconsistent verb tense can be confusing for readers and make your writing seem unorganized.

In conclusion, having agreement in your writing is crucial to ensuring that your message is clear and understandable. By paying attention to subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, adjective-noun agreement, and verb tense consistency, you can improve the quality of your writing and make it easier for your readers to follow along.