📚 Subject-Verb Agreement: Conquering Intervening Phrases in MLA Style
Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental principle of English grammar, ensuring that the verb in a sentence agrees in number (singular or plural) with its subject. Intervening phrases, which are groups of words that come between the subject and the verb, can sometimes obscure the true subject and lead to errors in agreement. Mastering this skill is essential for clear and effective writing, especially in academic contexts like MLA-formatted papers.
While the concept is universal, its consistent application elevates the clarity and professionalism of academic writing, a hallmark of the Modern Language Association (MLA) style.
📜 A Brief History
The principles of subject-verb agreement have been present in English grammar since its early stages. Over time, grammarians have refined these rules to promote clarity and precision in writing. Intervening phrases, because of their potential to cause confusion, have always been a key focus in discussions of subject-verb agreement.
🔑 Key Principles to Remember
- 🔍 Identify the True Subject: The first step is to identify the main subject of the sentence, ignoring any intervening phrases.
- 🧱 Ignore Intervening Phrases: Intervening phrases, often set off by commas, parentheses, or dashes, do not affect subject-verb agreement. These phrases can be prepositional phrases (e.g., of the students), clauses (e.g., who are interested), or appositives (e.g., a renowned scholar).
- ✅ Match Verb to Subject: Once you've identified the true subject, make sure the verb agrees with it in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.
- 💡 Pay Attention to Compound Subjects: Subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb. However, if the subjects refer to a single entity or idea, a singular verb is used.
- ⚠️ Be Aware of Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns like "each," "every," "either," "neither," "someone," "anyone," "everyone," "nobody," "one," and "body" are singular and take singular verbs.
- 🤝 Collective Nouns: Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, committee) can be singular or plural, depending on whether they are acting as a single unit or as individual members.
✍️ Real-World Examples
Let's look at some examples to illustrate these principles:
- Incorrect: The box of chocolates, which were a gift, are on the table.
Correct: The box of chocolates, which was a gift, is on the table.
- Incorrect: The students, along with the teacher, is going on a field trip.
Correct: The students, along with the teacher, are going on a field trip.
- Incorrect: Every student in the class, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed.
Correct: Every student in the class, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.
- Incorrect: The team, despite their differences, have decided to work together.
Correct: The team, despite their differences, has decided to work together (acting as a unit). Or, The team, despite their differences, have decided on their individual roles. (acting as individuals).
📝 Conclusion
Mastering subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases is crucial for producing clear, accurate, and professional writing, especially when adhering to MLA style. By carefully identifying the true subject and disregarding intervening phrases, you can ensure that your verbs agree with their subjects and that your writing is free of grammatical errors. Keep practicing, and you'll master this skill in no time!
🧪 Practice Quiz
Choose the correct verb form in each sentence:
- The leader of the expedition, along with two guides, (is/are) planning the route.
- Each of the participants (has/have) a unique perspective.
- The committee, after long deliberation, (has/have) reached a consensus.
- The quality of the recordings (is/are) essential for accurate analysis.
- My dog, who loves to eat socks, (is/are) outside.
Answers:
- is
- has
- has or have (depending on whether acting as a unit or individuals)
- is
- is