Subject-verb agreement errors are a common problem encountered by writers, particularly those who are not native speakers of the English language. These errors occur when the subject and the verb in a sentence do not match in terms of number. For instance, when a singular subject is paired with a plural verb, or vice versa.

An example of a subject-verb agreement error is the following sentence: „The group of students was studying hard for their exams.“ Here, the subject „group of students“ is singular, but the verb „were studying“ is plural. The correct version of the sentence would be „The group of students was studying hard for its exams.“

Another example of a subject-verb agreement error is: „Each of the employees have their own locker.“ Here, the subject „each of the employees“ is singular, but the verb „have“ is plural. The correct version of the sentence would be „Each of the employees has their own locker.“

It is crucial to pay attention to subject-verb agreement because errors can negatively impact the clarity and meaning of a sentence. It can cause confusion and undermine the credibility of the writer. In addition, subject-verb agreement affects the overall flow of the text, thus affecting its readability.

To avoid subject-verb agreement errors, writers should identify the subject and the verb in a sentence and ensure that they match in terms of number. One way to do this is to rewrite the sentence using a plural version of the subject and verb to see if they still make sense. Using grammar-checking tools or consulting with a professional copy editor can also help in identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement errors.

In conclusion, subject-verb agreement errors can impact the quality of writing and must be avoided. By paying attention to subject-verb agreement, writers can improve the clarity and readability of their work, enhancing the overall quality of their writing.