Grammar Agreement Questions Medium
Agreement with adverb clauses depends on the verb tense and subject of the main clause. Adverb clauses are subordinate clauses that modify the verb in the main clause and provide additional information about time, place, manner, condition, or reason.
In terms of subject-verb agreement, if the subject of the main clause is singular, the verb in the adverb clause should also be singular. Similarly, if the subject of the main clause is plural, the verb in the adverb clause should be plural as well. For example:
- The teacher insists that he study every day. (singular subject in the main clause, singular verb in the adverb clause)
- The students insist that they study every day. (plural subject in the main clause, plural verb in the adverb clause)
Regarding verb tense agreement, the verb tense in the adverb clause is usually determined by the verb tense in the main clause. If the main clause is in the present tense, the verb in the adverb clause can be in the present or future tense. If the main clause is in the past tense, the verb in the adverb clause can be in the past or past perfect tense. For example:
- She will go to the party if she finishes her work. (present tense in the main clause, present tense in the adverb clause)
- He went to the store after he had finished his homework. (past tense in the main clause, past perfect tense in the adverb clause)
It is important to ensure that there is agreement between the main clause and the adverb clause to maintain grammatical correctness and clarity in sentence construction.