Common Agreement Mistakes in English Grammar

English grammar can be tricky, and one area where mistakes commonly occur is in subject-verb agreement. It's important to ensure that the subject and the verb in a sentence agree in number. Let's look at some common agreement mistakes and how to correct them.

Mistake 1: Using the wrong pronoun with singular subjects

When referring to a singular subject, it's crucial to use a singular pronoun. However, many people make the mistake of using plural pronouns. For example:

• Incorrect: Each of the students took their books to the library.
• Correct: Each of the students took his or her books to the library.

In this case, the word "students" is the plural subject. However, when we use the phrase "each of the students," it becomes singular and requires a singular pronoun ("his or her") instead of the plural pronoun "their".

Mistake 2: Failing to match the verb with the subject

Another common mistake is not choosing the correct verb form to match the subject. This often happens with indefinite pronouns like "everyone," "everybody," "either," and "neither." These pronouns are always singular and require a singular verb. For example:

• Incorrect: Everyone at the party were having a great time.
• Correct: Everyone at the party was having a great time.

In this case, the subject "everyone" is singular, so the verb "was" (singular) should be used instead of "were" (plural).

Using Linguix grammar checker can be beneficial in catching and correcting these agreement mistakes. It's an advanced tool that provides real-time suggestions and explanations to help users improve their writing skills and avoid such errors.