In the English language, subject-verb agreement is a crucial aspect of sentence construction. It refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. Intervening prepositional phrases, however, can often make this task challenging.
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and includes a noun or pronoun, known as the object of the preposition. For example, in the sentence “The book is on the table,” the prepositional phrase is “on the table,” with the preposition being “on” and the object of the preposition being “the table.”
When prepositional phrases come between the subject and the verb in a sentence, it can be easy to lose track of the subject`s number, making it difficult to maintain proper subject-verb agreement.
Consider the sentence, “The team of players is playing well.” In this sentence, “The team of players” is the subject, and “is playing” is the verb. The intervening prepositional phrase, “of players,” can be confusing because it includes a plural noun. However, the subject is still singular, as it refers to a singular team, so the verb must also be singular.
Similarly, in the sentence “One of the dogs is barking loudly,” “One of the dogs” is the subject, while “is barking” is the verb. The prepositional phrase “of the dogs” includes a plural noun, but since the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular.
It is crucial to note that not all prepositional phrases can interrupt subject-verb agreement. For example, in the sentence “The boys are playing outside,” the prepositional phrase “outside” does not affect the subject-verb agreement since there is no intervening object.
To ensure proper subject-verb agreement, it is essential to identify the subject and verb in a sentence and pay attention to any intervening prepositional phrases. Keep in mind that the subject`s number should determine the verb`s number, as prepositional phrases cannot alter this agreement.
In conclusion, intervening prepositional phrases can create subject-verb agreement challenges. However, by identifying the subject and verb in a sentence and paying attention to prepositional phrases, writers can ensure their sentences are grammatically correct. As a copy editor, it is important to recognize and address subject-verb agreement issues to improve the quality of written content.