Subject-verb agreement is an essential aspect of English grammar, and it is a vital tool for effective communication. This rule of grammar governs the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence. It ensures that the verb agrees with the subject in number, person, and tense. Here are some important points to keep in mind when editing for subject-verb agreement.

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

For example, “The dog barks” is correct, while “The dog bark” is incorrect.

2. When a sentence contains a compound subject, use a plural verb.

For example, “Tom and John are playing soccer” is correct, while “Tom and John is playing soccer” is incorrect.

3. Use a singular verb with collective nouns when the noun refers to a group as a whole.

For example, “The team is playing well” is correct, while “The team are playing well” is incorrect.

4. If there are intervening words or phrases between the subject and the verb, the verb still agrees with the subject.

For example, “The book on the shelf is interesting” is correct, while “The book on the shelf are interesting” is incorrect.

5. Use a singular verb after each, either, neither, every, and many a.

For example, “Every day is a new beginning” is correct, while “Every day are new beginnings” is incorrect.

6. When the subject of the sentence is a relative pronoun (who, whom, that, which), the verb agrees with the antecedent of the pronoun.

For example, “The woman who is singing is my friend” is correct, while “The woman who are singing is my friend” is incorrect.

7. When the subject of the sentence is a collective noun that can be either singular or plural, the verb should agree with how the noun is used.

For example, “The jury is still deliberating” is correct, while “The jury are still deliberating” is incorrect.

Subject-verb agreement is an important rule of grammar that can impact the clarity and credibility of your writing. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and grammatically correct.