What is a subject-verb agreement error? Provide examples.

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What is a subject-verb agreement error? Provide examples.

A subject-verb agreement error occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence do not match in terms of their number (singular or plural). In English grammar, the subject and verb must agree in number, meaning that a singular subject should be paired with a singular verb, and a plural subject should be paired with a plural verb. Here are some examples of subject-verb agreement errors:

1. Incorrect: The dog barks loudly.
Explanation: In this example, the subject "dog" is singular, but the verb "barks" is in the plural form. The correct sentence should be "The dog barks loudly."

2. Incorrect: The students is studying for their exams.
Explanation: Here, the subject "students" is plural, but the verb "is" is in the singular form. The correct sentence should be "The students are studying for their exams."

3. Incorrect: Each of the books have interesting plots.
Explanation: In this case, the subject "each" is singular, but the verb "have" is in the plural form. The correct sentence should be "Each of the books has an interesting plot."

4. Incorrect: My brother and sister likes to play soccer.
Explanation: Here, the subject "brother and sister" is plural, but the verb "likes" is in the singular form. The correct sentence should be "My brother and sister like to play soccer."

5. Incorrect: The company, along with its employees, is celebrating its anniversary.
Explanation: In this example, the subject "company" is singular, but the verb "is" is in the singular form. However, since the phrase "along with its employees" is included, the subject becomes plural. The correct sentence should be "The company, along with its employees, are celebrating their anniversary."

These examples demonstrate how subject-verb agreement errors can occur when the subject and verb do not match in terms of their number, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. It is important to ensure subject-verb agreement to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness in writing.