As a copy editor, one of the most important aspects of my job is ensuring that a piece of writing flows well and is grammatically correct. One of the key elements of correct grammar is subject-verb agreement, which can cause confusion for even the most experienced writers. Luckily, there is a simple tool that can help identify subject-verb agreement errors: the subject-verb agreement identifier.

The subject-verb agreement identifier is a tool that can be used to help identify errors in subject-verb agreement. This tool works by highlighting the subject and the verb in a sentence, allowing you to quickly identify whether they agree in number. For example, in the sentence “The cat eats its food,” the subject-verb agreement identifier would highlight “cat” and “eats” to show that they agree in number (both are singular).

However, subject-verb agreement can become more complicated when dealing with more complex sentences or with subject-verb pairs that are not immediately adjacent to each other. In these cases, it can be helpful to use the subject-verb agreement identifier to help identify errors.

For example, in the sentence “The group of students are working on their project,” the subject-verb agreement identifier would highlight “group” and “are” to show that they do not agree in number (one is singular and one is plural). The correct version of this sentence would be “The group of students is working on its project.”

In some cases, subject-verb agreement errors can be more subtle. For example, in the sentence “The book on the table, as well as the pen and the notebook, needs to be put away,” the subject-verb agreement identifier would highlight “book” and “needs” to show that they do not agree in number (one is singular and one is plural). The correct version of this sentence would be “The book on the table, as well as the pen and the notebook, need to be put away.”

Overall, the subject-verb agreement identifier is a useful tool for copy editors and writers alike. By highlighting subject-verb pairs, it allows for easy identification of errors in subject-verb agreement, helping to ensure that written work is grammatically correct and easy to read.