English Grammar Questions Long
Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental rule in English grammar that states that the subject of a sentence must agree with the verb in terms of number and person. Inverted subjects occur when the subject comes after the verb in a sentence, which is commonly seen in questions or sentences beginning with negative adverbs or adverbial phrases.
Inverted subjects can be singular or plural, and the verb must correspond accordingly. Let's look at some examples to better understand this concept:
1. Is the dog barking?
- In this question, the subject "dog" is singular, and the verb "is" agrees with it.
2. Are the dogs barking?
- Here, the subject "dogs" is plural, and the verb "are" agrees with it.
3. Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
- In this sentence, the subject "I" is singular, and the verb "have" agrees with it. The inverted subject "I" comes after the verb "have" due to the use of the negative adverb "never."
4. Rarely do they go to the movies together.
- The subject "they" is plural, and the verb "do" agrees with it. The inverted subject "they" follows the verb "do" because of the adverb "rarely."
5. Not only does she sing, but she also dances.
- In this sentence, the subject "she" is singular, and the verb "does" agrees with it. The inverted subject "she" appears after the verb "does" due to the use of the adverbial phrase "not only."
It is important to note that when the subject and verb are inverted, the verb always comes before the subject. This inversion does not change the basic rule of subject-verb agreement; the verb must still match the subject in terms of number and person.
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement with inverted subjects in English grammar requires the verb to agree with the subject, whether it is singular or plural, even when the subject appears after the verb due to inversion.