Agreement with Subject and Predicate Nominative: A Guide for Effective Writing
Agreement between the subject and predicate nominative is an essential aspect of grammatically correct sentence construction. Mastering this concept can help improve the quality of your writing, ensuring clarity and effectiveness in your message. In this article, we`ll explore the importance of agreement with subject and predicate nominative and provide tips and examples to help you achieve it.
What is a Subject and Predicate Nominative?
The subject of a sentence refers to the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about or that performs the action in the sentence. On the other hand, a predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or explains the subject.
For instance, let`s take the sentence “John is a doctor.” Here, John is the subject, and doctor is the predicate nominative. The linking verb “is” joins the two together, and doctor renames John, explaining what he does.
Why is Agreement with Subject and Predicate Nominative Important?
Agreement between the subject and predicate nominative is essential because it helps maintain the grammatical structure and clarity of your writing. When there is disagreement between the two, it can lead to confusion, making your message difficult to understand. Additionally, incorrect usage of agreement can make your writing appear unprofessional and unpolished.
Tips for Achieving Agreement with Subject and Predicate Nominative
1. Identify the subject and predicate nominative in the sentence.
Before attempting to achieve agreement with subject and predicate nominative, it`s essential to identify them in the sentence. Once you`ve identified them, you can determine if there is agreement.
2. Determine the number and gender of the subject.
The subject of the sentence must agree with the predicate nominative in terms of number and gender. If the subject is singular, the predicate nominative should be singular as well. The same applies to plural subjects. Similarly, if the subject is masculine, the predicate nominative should be masculine, and if the subject is feminine, the predicate nominative should also be feminine.
3. Use correct verb conjugation.
The linking verb in a sentence with a predicate nominative must agree with both the subject and the predicate nominative. For example, “She is a teacher” is correct, whereas “She am a teacher” is incorrect.
4. Be careful with compound subjects.
When there are two or more subjects in a sentence, the predicate nominative must agree with the subject closest to it. For instance, “My sister and I are students” is correct because the predicate nominative “students” agrees with the plural subject “My sister and I.”
Examples of Correct Usage
1. I am a writer. (Correct usage of a singular subject and predicate nominative agreement)
2. She and her friends are musicians. (Correct usage of compound subject and predicate nominative agreement)
3. The dog and the cat are sleeping. (Correct usage of plural subject and predicate nominative agreement)
Conclusion
Agreement with subject and predicate nominative is an essential aspect of grammatically correct sentence construction. By following the tips and examples provided in this article, you can improve the clarity and effectiveness of your writing. When you achieve agreement with subject and predicate nominative, your writing will appear more professional, polished, and easy to read.
