Grammar Agreement Questions Medium
The rule for agreement with indirect opinions is that the verb should agree with the subject of the sentence, not the object of the opinion. In other words, the verb should be in agreement with the person or thing expressing the opinion, rather than the person or thing being talked about. This means that if the subject of the sentence is a singular noun or pronoun, the verb should be in the singular form. Similarly, if the subject is a plural noun or pronoun, the verb should be in the plural form. For example:
- Incorrect: The majority of the students believes that homework is unnecessary.
- Correct: The majority of the students believe that homework is unnecessary.
In the incorrect example, the verb "believes" does not agree with the plural subject "students." However, in the correct example, the verb "believe" agrees with the plural subject "students."
It is important to pay attention to the subject of the sentence and ensure that the verb agrees with it, even when there is an indirect opinion involved.