Agreement
Subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and other consistency rules
What is Agreement?
Agreement (concord) means that related words match in number, person, or gender. The most important rule is subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Types of Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb. Tricky with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and compound subjects.
The cat sleeps on the sofa.
The cats sleep on the sofa.
Each student has a textbook.
The five sisters walked together through the streets of Meryton.
From novelPronoun-Antecedent Agreement
A pronoun must match its antecedent in number, person, and gender.
Every girl must bring her own lunch.
Common Agreement Errors
Watch out for: 1) Intervening phrases between subject and verb, 2) Collective nouns (family, team) — usually singular in American English, 3) "Neither...nor" / "Either...or" — verb agrees with the nearer subject, 4) Indefinite pronouns (each, every, everyone) are singular.
The list of items is on the desk. (not "are")