Write to the Point

CGrammar and Usage Review

Subject and Verb Agreement

A subject and verb must agree in number and person.

	Singular	Plural
First person:	I walk	we walk
Second person:	you walk	you walk
Third person:	he walks
	she walks	they walk
	it walks

Most writers have little problem with typical sentences that have either a clearly singular or plural subject, such as the following sentences:

The Brooklyn Bridge connects Brooklyn with Manhattan.

Martha writes and edits medical reports.

The cars are parked across the street.

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns refer to a group of people or objects. They take singular form verbs when indicating a single group or unit. For example:

assembly

association

audience

board

cabinet

class

commission ...