Subject-Verb Agreement with Interrupting Words

When it comes to writing, subject-verb agreement is one of the most important grammatical rules to follow. In simple terms, it means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. However, things can get a bit tricky when there are interrupting words in the sentence. In this article, we’ll discuss what interrupting words are and how to ensure subject-verb agreement when using them.

What are Interrupting Words?

Interrupting words, also known as parenthetical elements, are words or phrases that are inserted into a sentence to provide additional information or clarification. They are set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses and can be removed from the sentence without changing its overall meaning. Examples of interrupting words include however, in fact, therefore, and of course.

Subject-Verb Agreement with Interrupting Words

When using interrupting words in a sentence, it’s important to make sure that the subject and verb still agree in number. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural. Let’s take a look at an example:

Incorrect: The dog, along with the cats, were chasing the ball.

This sentence is incorrect because the subject (dog) is singular, but the verb (were) is plural, which doesn’t agree in number. To fix this, we can either change the subject to a plural noun or change the verb to singular:

Correct 1: The dog and the cats were chasing the ball.

Correct 2: The dog, along with the cats, was chasing the ball.

In the first correct sentence, we changed the subject to a plural noun (dog and cats) to ensure subject-verb agreement. In the second correct sentence, we kept the singular subject (dog) and changed the verb to singular (was) to make sure the subject and verb agreed in number.

Another example:

Incorrect: The book, along with the pen, were on the desk.

This sentence is incorrect because the subject (book) is singular, but the verb (were) is plural. To fix this, we can either change the subject to a plural noun or change the verb to singular:

Correct 1: The book and the pen were on the desk.

Correct 2: The book, along with the pen, was on the desk.

In the first correct sentence, we changed the subject to a plural noun (book and pen) to ensure subject-verb agreement. In the second correct sentence, we kept the singular subject (book) and changed the verb to singular (was) to make sure the subject and verb agreed in number.

Conclusion

Interrupting words can add clarity and additional information to a sentence, but it’s important to make sure that subject-verb agreement is maintained. By keeping the subject and verb in mind and adjusting them accordingly, you can ensure that your writing is grammatically correct and easy to understand.