English Grammar Questions Long
Subject-verb split, also known as subject-verb disagreement or subject-verb agreement error, refers to a grammatical mistake that occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence do not agree in terms of number or person. In English grammar, the subject and verb must agree in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third).
Examples of subject-verb split errors:
1. Incorrect: The cat on the table is scratching their paws.
Correct: The cat on the table is scratching its paws.
In this example, the subject "cat" is singular, so the verb "is scratching" should also be singular. The pronoun "their" is plural and does not agree with the singular subject.
2. Incorrect: The students in the class was studying for their exams.
Correct: The students in the class were studying for their exams.
Here, the subject "students" is plural, so the verb "were studying" should also be plural. The verb "was studying" is singular and does not agree with the plural subject.
3. Incorrect: She and I is going to the party together.
Correct: She and I are going to the party together.
In this case, the subject "She and I" is plural, so the verb "are going" should also be plural. The verb "is going" is singular and does not agree with the plural subject.
Subject-verb split errors can occur in various tenses, such as present, past, and future, and can also involve auxiliary verbs. It is important to ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in terms of number and person to maintain grammatical correctness.