To me, the usage of correct grammar is vital when writing an essay. It is of no use trying to use bombastic vocabulary and adjectives to write an essay but with a lot of grammatical errors. One of my common grammar mistakes is the subject word agreement. Subject word agreement is the correct matching of a subject and a verb, singular or plural. This may seem very easy on the surface but some of the rules are actually quite confusing. The two points below are some of the more confusing structures that I need to take note of in the future.
Firstly, the pronouns ‘neither’ and ‘either’ are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring to two different things. For example: Either is fine. However, when ‘either or’ or ‘neither nor’ is used, the subject closer to the ‘nor’ or ‘or’ determines whether the verb is singular or plural. For example: Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
Sometimes, nouns have weird forms and can fool us into thinking that they are plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Collective nouns such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural and require plural verbs unless they are preceded with ‘pair’ where the word pair becomes the subject. Example: My glasses were on the bed; a pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.
To conclude, grammatical mistakes must be avoided as far as possible when writing an essay. We need to deduce for ourselves to match the correct verb to the subject where subject word agreement is concerned. These skills can be improved through practice on writing or during normal conversation.
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3 comments:
You have some very good examples of troublesome subject-verb agreement errors. I see these errors often, so you are not the only one who has difficulty with them.
I share similar grammar errors as you. The confusing thing of "pair" is when you're describing an item but "pair" represents 2 item. However with regular and extensive readings, such grammar error can be minimized. With more exposure and exercise, we can improve! =)
This is a common mistake of mine as well.Sometimes, it is very confusing whether to use 'is' or 'are'.Is it decided by the subject or object? Practice ,practice~~~.Practice makes perfect.
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