Grammar Agreement Questions Long
Agreement in tense and voice with verbs refers to the grammatical rule that states that the verb in a sentence must agree with its subject in terms of tense and voice. Tense refers to the time at which an action or state of being occurs, while voice refers to the relationship between the subject and the action being performed.
In terms of tense agreement, the verb in a sentence must be in the same tense as the subject. This means that if the subject is in the present tense, the verb should also be in the present tense. For example, in the sentence "She walks to school," the subject "she" is in the present tense, and the verb "walks" agrees with it. Similarly, if the subject is in the past tense, the verb should also be in the past tense. For instance, in the sentence "They played soccer yesterday," the subject "they" is in the past tense, and the verb "played" agrees with it.
In terms of voice agreement, there are two main voices in English: active voice and passive voice. In active voice, the subject performs the action, while in passive voice, the subject receives the action. The verb must agree with the voice chosen for the sentence. For example, in the active voice sentence "John eats an apple," the subject "John" performs the action, and the verb "eats" agrees with it. On the other hand, in the passive voice sentence "The apple is eaten by John," the subject "the apple" receives the action, and the verb "is eaten" agrees with it.
It is important to note that tense and voice agreement can become more complex in certain situations, such as when using auxiliary verbs, modal verbs, or in conditional sentences. However, the basic principle remains the same: the verb must agree with the subject in terms of tense and voice. By ensuring agreement in tense and voice, we maintain clarity and coherence in our writing and speaking.