What Is the Cause of Both Agreement Errors
Agreement errors in writing occur when the subject and verb in a sentence do not match in number. This can happen when a writer is not paying attention to the grammar rules surrounding subject-verb agreement, or when the writer is unsure of the correct form to use. Two common agreement errors are subject-verb disagreement and pronoun-antecedent disagreement.
Subject-verb disagreement occurs when the subject of a sentence is singular and the verb is plural, or vice versa. For example, “The group of students are studying for their exams” is incorrect because “group” is a singular subject that should be paired with the singular verb “is studying”. Instead, the correct sentence would be “The group of students is studying for its exams”.
Pronoun-antecedent disagreement occurs when a pronoun (such as “he”, “she”, or “they”) does not match the noun it is replacing (known as the antecedent) in number or gender. For example, “The student left their backpack in the classroom” is incorrect because “student” is singular, while “their” is plural. Instead, the correct sentence would be “The student left his or her backpack in the classroom”.
One cause of both of these agreement errors is a lack of understanding of basic grammar rules. Many writers do not pay close attention to subject-verb agreement or the rules surrounding pronoun-antecedent agreement, leading to mistakes in their writing. This is often due to a lack of education in grammar or a lack of attention to detail.
Additionally, writers may use informal language in their writing, such as colloquialisms or slang, which can lead to agreement errors. This is because informal language often does not follow the rules of standard English grammar. To avoid agreement errors, writers should stick to formal language and always check their work for agreement errors before submitting it.
In conclusion, agreement errors in writing occur when the subject and verb or pronoun and antecedent in a sentence do not match in number or gender. These errors can be caused by a lack of understanding of grammar rules or the use of informal language. By paying close attention to grammar and avoiding informal language, writers can avoid these common mistakes in their writing.
Posted: November 8th, 2022 under Uncategorized.