Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule that dictates how a subject and its verb must agree in terms of number. When a subject is singular, its verb must be singular too, and when a subject is plural, its verb must be plural too. However, this rule can be challenging to apply in certain situations, especially when dealing with compound subjects that are joined by conjunctions like “and” or “or.”
One of the subject-verb agreement rules that can be particularly confusing is rule 9. This rule states that when a collective noun is used as the subject of a clause, it can either take a singular or plural verb, depending on the context.
Collective nouns refer to groups of people, animals, or things that are treated as a single entity. Examples of collective nouns include “team,” “family,” “herd,” “committee,” and “staff.”
In some cases, collective nouns can take a singular verb if the emphasis is on the group as a whole. For instance, in the sentence “The team is playing well this season,” “team” is a collective noun that takes a singular verb “is” because the emphasis is on the entire group playing well.
However, there are contexts where collective nouns can take a plural verb, especially when the emphasis is on the individual members of the group. For example, in the sentence “The committee are divided in their opinions,” “committee” is a collective noun that takes a plural verb “are” because the emphasis is on the various members of the committee having different opinions.
Another example of rule 9 in action is the sentence “The family is going on vacation,” where “family” is a collective noun that takes a singular verb “is” because the emphasis is on the entire family going on vacation together.
On the other hand, in the sentence “The staff are holding a meeting,” “staff” is a collective noun that takes a plural verb “are” because the emphasis is on the individual members of the staff holding a meeting.
In conclusion, subject-verb agreement rule 9 applies to collective nouns and whether they take a singular or plural verb depends on the context of the sentence. When the emphasis is on the group as a whole, a singular verb is used, and when the emphasis is on the individual members of the group, a plural verb is used. As a copy editor, it`s essential to be familiar with this rule to ensure that your writing is grammatically correct and coherent.