Questions tagged [agreement]

For questions about how words change depending on other words in a sentence. Also called concord.

Oxford Living dictionaries defines concord as:

"Agreement between words in gender, number, case, person, or any other grammatical category which affects the forms of the words."

126 questions
6
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3 answers

What form of "to be" to use with "former/latter"?

Consider this: Universities and polytechnics are actively encouraged by the government of this country. The former are to provide academic education based on research, and the latter are to provide higher-level vocational education and promote…
Ol'Joe
  • 199
1
vote
0 answers

Nouns following the verb "turn"

I am wondering why we use a singilar noun in the following construction: -The two brothers turned "terrorist". Is there any explanation for using the singular form?
Mohamed Ali
  • 1,442
1
vote
0 answers

"What Seem" vs "What Seems" with plural

I have prayed what seem like the same prayers for so long. OR I have prayed what seems like the same prayers for so long.
1
vote
2 answers

One among the few shops that offer or offers

One among the few shops in London that offer or offers designer clothes.
1
vote
1 answer

"are each" + singular/plural noun?

The boxes are each containers of uniquely colored balls. So, to get two balls of the same color, two boxes need to be opened. or The boxes are each a container of uniquely colored balls. So, to get two balls of the same color, two boxes need to…
1
vote
1 answer

Is 'the most remarkable thing that can be readjusted by environmental cues is our body clocks' grammatical?

The most remarkable thing that can be readjusted by environmental cues is our body clocks I think the subject and the compliment do not match and look awkward. What do you think?
0
votes
1 answer

Amy is friends with many trees

First of all, I'm not a native speaker. When I read the RAZ book with my son, we came across a sentence that puzzled me: Amy is friends with many trees. here. The grammar rule I know is the Subject-Verb agreement,therefore it should be: Amy is a…
Andrew Li
  • 161
0
votes
0 answers

Singular or plural verb form with 'What Ø the cause, progress and result of your actions?'

What is the cause, progress and result of your actions? Which verb should be used here, is or are?
0
votes
0 answers

a large amount of the population speaks/speak?

Can you say "a large amount of the population" or should it be "a large number of the population? And if you CAN say "a large amount of the population" is this amount considered singular or plural?
0
votes
2 answers

"one (or many!) thing" vs. "one (or many!) things"

I understand that, without the parentheses, the correct form would be "one or more things". However, if one wants to make "(or many!)" a parenthetical remark, should that affect the agreement of the noun? The latter form "one (or many!) things"…
0
votes
1 answer

Correct use of are/is

I usually hear people incorrectly using are/is such as in the sentences "I don't know what is that" or "Do you know what are the examples?" What is the correct use of grammar called in these instances? Some sort of agreement?
0
votes
1 answer

members get to train their ability/abilities to

"Members get to train their ability to..." "Members get to train their abilities to..." The first one sounds more "natural", but how am I supposed to explain this in terms of agreement? By the way how can I learn more about the intricacies of this…
-1
votes
1 answer

Agreement: Isn't or aren't

Complaining about the quality of the flight and the two requisite glasses of chardonnay before takeoff aren't reasons to sound any alarms. Here, Grammarly is suggesting I change it to "Isn't." "Aren't" seems correct to me because it refers to the…
-1
votes
1 answer

Make/Makes Confusion

Can anyone help explain to me why the answer to the following question is what it is. The Navajo language is complex, with a structure and sound that makes it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure to it. On the answer key, it states…
G.B
  • 83
-2
votes
2 answers

Why do my legs (plural) ache (singular) but my back (singular) aches (plural)

I couldn't think how to word the title without writing my whole question, I am a native English speaker so while I understand saying "my legs aches" is wrong and sounds weird, I have no idea why. Same as saying "my back ache" is also weird. "Leg"…