But there are times when the determination for what counts as agreement is not as obvious
because what sounds like a singular noun is really plural or what sounds like a plural noun is essentially singular depending on how it's constructed.
Coming up on Word Matters, when the grammar of subject verb agreement is muddled by meaning.
I'm Emily Brewster and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Marian Webster editors Neil Servin, Amin Shea, Peter Sokolowski,
and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
Most of the time, native speakers have no trouble with their subject-verb agreement.
I am, but we are.
But in a number of situations, it's unclear what the verb is supposed to agree with.
Is it a parade of revelers was, or a parade of revelers were?
Here's Neil Servin with an investigation into just what is going on with those tricky subject-verb cases.
On the grammatical side of things,
we often get questions pertaining to the matter of subject-verb agreement.
Now,
most English speakers know the basic rules that when you have a subject that is a singular noun,
it takes a singular Verb and when you have a subject that is a plural noun it takes a plural verb.
It's corresponding conjugated plural So you say for the singular cat you would say the cat is in the garage
if there were plural you would say the cats are in the garage and the same rule applies when the construction is inverted there is a cat in the garage or there are cats in the garage but there are times when the determination for what counts
as agreement is not as obvious because What sounds like a singular noun is really plural,
or what sounds like a plural noun is essentially singular depending on how it's constructed.