Untuk meraih skor tinggi dalam tes IELTS Writing dan Speaking, penting sekali untuk menguasai grammar, salah satunya subject-verb agreement. Kesalahan dalam subject-verb agreement dapat dikatakan sebagai basic error sehingga akan terlihat mencolok bagi examiner.
Di bawah ini adalah contoh paragraf dalam essay IELTS Writing Task 2. Kamu bisa menemukan kesalahan (dalam bold) yang merupakan kesalahan subject-verb agreement:
Some people argue that leaving people in prison for a long time mean that they will mix with other criminals and so their character will not improve. The alternative are community service. This gives an offender the opportunity to give something positive back to society, and so it may improves their character. Also, the government could focus its resources on the causes of crime, which would leads to less crime in the future.
Jadi apa sih itu subject – verb agreement?
Memahami Subject-Verb Agreement
Sederhananya, subject-verb agreement adalah peraturan dalam grammar yang membuat subject dan verb harus saling menyesuaikan. Contohnya seperti ini:
Dara runs to the train station
My brother and I are best friends, we always played together when we were younger
Kata-kata yang di-bold di contoh atas adalah subject – verb agreement. Dara (singular) disesuaikan sama verb berakhiran -s, “runs” (singular). Lalu “My brother and I” (plural) disesuaikan sama “are” (plural).
Nah, subject-verb agreement itu punya 11 aturan nih Sob. Apa aja ya?
11 Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement
| No. | Rules | Example |
| 1 | Singular subjects require singular verbs | “The train runs from Phoenix to El Paso,”
-> “the train” is the singular subject taking on the singular verb “runs.” |
| 2 | Plural subjects require plural verbs | “The trains run all night long,”
-> the plural “trains” necessitates the plural verb “run.” |
| 3 | Compound subjects with the word “and” require plural verbs. | “Pizza and cauliflower taste great together”
-> “pizza” and “cauliflower” are grouped together to create a compound subject. |
| 4 | Compound subjects with the word “or” or “nor” can take either a singular verb or a plural verb. |
“Either Jeff or Jane knows the answer.”
“Either Jeff or his sisters know the answer.” |
| 5 | Collective nouns can be singular or plural. |
|
| 6 | Indefinite pronouns are singular and take singular verbs. The indefinite pronouns “anything,” “anywhere,” “anybody,” etc. | “Nobody likes fondue anymore.” |
| 7 | A pair is a singular noun and takes a singular verb. | “Pair” is the singular subject in “That old pair of jeans has treated me well.” |
| 8 | Plural-form subjects are often singular when presented as a title | “Physics is an essential subject.” |
| 9 | Gerunds often function as singular nouns, and they take singular verbs. | “Swimming was the sport that taught me how to win.” |
| 10 | The phrase “one of the [plural noun] who/that” requires a singular verb. | “Mr. Lee is one of the teachers who coaches sports after school.”
“One of the dogs is wagging its tail.” |
| 11 | “They” is a third-person pronoun that can be both singular and plural. |
Source: Masterclass.com
Nah itu dia penjelasan tentang subject-verb agreement. Semoga bisa membantu kamu buat improve kualitas Writing dan Speaking ya!
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