LoginAgreement
In this lesson you will learn about complex grammatical agreement rules to ensure harmony between sentence elements. Gain expertise with clear explanations.
What Does Agreement Mean in Grammar?
'Agreement' (also called concord) means that the person, number, gender, case, etc. of the related verbs, subjects, predicates, and antecedents must be the same.
Agreement: Types
There are different types of agreements in English grammar:
Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject has to agree with the verb. This is particularly important when the subject is third-person singular and the verb is in present simple tense or there is an auxiliary verb. Check out the examples:
She plays soccer really well.
subject-verb agreement with a main verb
He has been in a bad mood all day.
subject-verb agreement with an auxiliary verb
Dependent Clauses as Subject
Nominal dependent clauses, including that-clauses, nominal relative clauses, present participle clauses, and to-infinitive clauses are always treated like third-person singular subjects and the verb follows third-person singular rules.
What she wants matters a lot.
A nominal relative clause as the subject takes a third-person singular form verb
Eating vegetables is good for health.
A present participle clause as the subject
Indefinite Pronouns and Determiners as Subject
Indefinite pronouns and determiners such as 'each', 'each one', 'either', 'neither', 'every', 'everyone', 'everybody', 'anyone', 'anybody', 'nobody', 'somebody', 'someone', and 'no one' are singular and require a singular verb. Pay attention to the examples:
Everyone hates her.
Each nail was done in a particular shape.
Collective Nouns as Subject
When referring to 'collective nouns' as a single unit, singular verbs are used. However, when referring to the members of the collective noun, a plural verb is used. Here are some examples:
The team is getting ready for the match.
The staff write their work reports everyday.
Units of Measurement as Subject
When units of measurement of time, distance, money, etc. are the subject, the verb remains singular, even if a plural number is used with these units. Look at the examples:
Five miles of dirt road is ahead of us.
Two hours is a long time to be waiting for an appointment.
Coordinated Subjects
When two or more subjects are linked to each other using "and", the verb is naturally plural. However, when two subjects are coordinated using "or"/"nor"/"but", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Check out the examples:
Ed and Karen are coming over for dinner.
Sam or his brothers are going to fix the car.
Since the noun after "or" is plural and is closer to the verb, the auxiliary "be" agrees with it.
Neither studying abroad nor staying here makes me happy.
Demonstrative-Noun Agreement
Demonstratives must agree with the nouns they are modifying, especially in number. In other words, plural demonstratives are used with plural nouns, and singular demonstratives are used with singular nouns.
This is a Christmas tree.
These flowers are supposed to be set on the tables.
Noun-Pronoun Agreement
If a singular noun is used, the pronoun has to be singular, and if the noun is plural, the pronoun has to be plural as well. Remember, the noun and pronoun should agree in terms of person and gender as well as number. For example:
My friends went to a party last night; they think it was a waste of time.
Hanna was sitting alone. She seemed sad.
The relative pronouns "who" and "which" require a different kind of agreement with the noun which is not a matter of gender or number, but a matter of being animate or inanimate. In other words, while "which" is used with inanimate nouns, "who" is used with animate nouns.
The boy who was running down the street is my brother.
The house which is being renovated belongs to my friend.
Review
Agreement refers to the correspondence of different parts of a sentence. There are agreements between:
nouns and pronouns
subjects and verbs
demonstratives and nouns
Quiz:
Which sentence correctly follows subject-verb agreement rules?
Everyone have finished their assignments.
Five miles seem like a short distance to walk.
Neither car are fast enough.
The family is gathering for a celebration this week.
Which sentence demonstrates correct demonstrative-noun agreement?
This flowers are blooming beautifully.
These book is very interesting.
Those chairs need to be repaired.
That cars are parked illegally.
Sort the words to form a sentence.
Match each sentence with the type of agreement it demonstrates.
Fill the blanks with the correct word. (There are three extra options.)
Neither the teacher nor the students
prepared.
The house with the red shutters
up for sale.
are my favorite shoes.
Those are the books
I need to return to the library.
I like the these pants.
very warm.
The teacher asked if anyone
finished the assignment yet.
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