Have you ever wondered if you’re using the right subject and verb agreement in your writing? Concord is all about matching certain parts of a sentence so they logically fit together. But there are a few different types of concord that you need to know about to make sure your sentences flow properly.
In this article, we’ll break down the types of concord in English grammar and look at examples of each one. Getting familiar with these concord rules will help you write and speak more clearly.
What Is Concord in English Grammar?
Concord refers to the agreement between words in a sentence. It means that words that belong together share the same features, like number, gender, and person. For example, if a subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If a possessive determiner like “their” is plural, the noun it modifies must also be plural. Concord helps make sentences clear and logical.
Types of Concord Explained
Concord simply means agreement. In English grammar, concord refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence.
To understand concord, you need to know the different types. Here are main types of concord in English grammar:
Grammatical Concord
Grammatical concord refers to the agreement between the subject and verb in a sentence. There are three types of concord to keep in mind:
Subject-Verb Concord
This refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. The verb changes form based on the subject. For example:
- I walk (singular subject – singular verb)
- You walk (singular subject – singular verb)
- He/She walks (singular subject – singular verb)
- We walk (plural subject – plural verb)
- You walk (plural subject – plural verb)
- They walk (plural subject – plural verb)
- The student studies hard. (singular subject, singular verb)
- The students study hard. (plural subject, plural verb)
As you can see, singular subjects take singular verbs, while plural subjects take plural verbs. This concord is important to maintain parallelism in sentences.
Noun-Pronoun Concord
This refers to the agreement between a noun and its replacing pronoun. The pronoun should match the noun in number, gender and person. For example:
- The teacher (singular noun) – she (singular pronoun)
- The students (plural noun) – they (plural pronoun)
- The managers (plural noun) – they (plural pronoun)
- The company (singular noun) – it (singular pronoun)
- The king sat on his throne. (the pronoun ‘his’ refers to the singular noun ‘king’)
- The queens sat on their thrones. (the pronoun ‘their’ refers to the plural noun ‘queens’)
Using the incorrect pronoun can confuse the reader and obscure the meaning.
Noun-Adjective Concord
This refers to the agreement between adjectives and nouns in number. For example:
- The red car (singular noun – singular adjective)
- The red cars (plural noun – plural adjective)
- My big house (singular noun – singular adjective)
- My big houses (plural noun – plural adjective)
- The big elephant stomped through the jungle. (‘big’ describes the singular noun ‘elephant’)
- The big elephants stomped through the jungle. (‘big’ describes the plural noun ‘elephants’)
Adjectives should match the nouns they modify in number. Failing to do so creates a lack of concord and can be jarring to the reader.
To achieve concord in your writing, identify the subject and verb in each sentence and make sure they agree in number. Double check that any pronouns refer clearly to the proper noun and that adjectives are accurately depicting the nouns they modify. Keeping your subjects, verbs, nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in agreement will allow your writing to sound polished, intelligent and cohesive. If you find yourself struggling with concord, examine some examples to clarify the rules and practice them in your own sentences. With regular use, achieving concord will become second nature.
Proximity Concord
Proximity concord refers to when two words agree in number, gender, case, or person based on their proximity or closeness to each other in a sentence rather than based on strict grammatical rules.
When using proximity concord, words that are near each other agree in certain grammatical features, even if they are not logically related. For example:
- The book and the pens is on the table. (is agrees with the nearest subject, pens)
- Either my friends or my sister have done this. (have agrees with the nearest subject, sister)
- Neither the teachers nor the student were present. (were agrees with the nearest subject, student)
- The book together with the notes are missing. (are agrees with notes)
- Either the CEO or the managers approves the decision. (approves agrees with managers)
- Neither the players nor their coach were happy with the decision. (were agrees with coach)
- The poet and philosopher are admired for their wisdom. (are agrees with philosopher)
- Either the children or their guardian attends the meeting. (attends agrees with guardian)
To summarize, proximity concord means that words agree in certain grammatical features based primarily on their closeness to each other in a sentence. Grammatical rules are secondary. This is common in English and many other languages. Keeping an eye out for proximity concord can help you better understand the grammar and structure of the sentences you read and write.
Errors in concord, like subject-verb disagreement, are considered grammatical mistakes. Maintaining concord is an important part of constructing clear and cohesive sentences. By understanding the rules of concord, you can improve your writing and speaking.
In summary, concord refers to matching related words in sentences by number, an important grammatical rule in English to follow for clarity and coherence. Be sure to check that subjects agree with verbs and nouns agree with pronouns. With practice, concord can become second nature!
Notional Concord
Notional concord refers to agreement based on meaning rather than grammatical form. In other words, the verb agrees with the noun according to the sense or notion and not the actual number or form. For example:
- The committee were divided in their opinion. Here, the verb ‘were’ agrees with the notion of ‘committee’ as a group of people rather than its grammatical form as a singular noun.
- The majority of students have done their assignments. Here, the verb ‘have done’ agrees with the notion of ‘majority’ implying many students rather than its grammatical form as a singular noun.
- A number of books were stolen from the library.
Here, the verb ‘were stolen’ agrees with the notion of ‘number’ implying many books rather than its grammatical form as a singular noun. - No news is good news.
Here, the verb ‘is’ agrees with the notion of ‘news’ as information in general rather than its grammatical form as an uncountable noun. - Either of these roads lead to the station.
Here, the verb ‘lead’ agrees with the notion of ‘either’ implying one out of two rather than its grammatical form as a singular pronoun.
In short, notional concord considers the meaning or notion of the subject rather than its grammatical number. It gives more importance to the sense of the subject rather than its form. The usage of notional concord makes the writing more meaningful, versatile and interesting.
Indefinite Pronoun Concord
Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific people or things. Indefinite pronouns relate to things vaguely rather than specifically. They teach us how to communicate about people, objects, and quantities in abstract words.
In English grammar, indefinite pronouns take either singular or plural verbs depending on the sense in which they are used. This is known as indefinite pronoun concord. When an indefinite pronoun refers to a singular noun, it takes a singular verb. When it refers to a plural noun, it takes a plural verb.
For example:
- Anyone who wants to attend the party should RSVP by Friday.
Here, ‘anyone’ refers to people in a singular sense, so it takes the singular verb ‘wants’.
- All of the cake has been eaten.
‘All’ refers to the singular noun ‘cake’, so the singular verb ‘has’ is used.
- Many of the students have signed up for the field trip
‘Many’ refers to the plural noun ‘students’, so the plural verb ‘have’ is used.
Some common indefinite pronouns are:
- somebody, anyone, no one
- something, anything, nothing
- everybody, anyone, none
- all, any, most, much, more, little, less
- few, several, many, enough
To determine whether an indefinite pronoun should take a singular or plural verb, identify what specific noun the pronoun refers to. If the noun is singular, use a singular verb. If the noun is plural, use a plural verb. By following this simple rule, you’ll master indefinite pronoun concord in no time!
Measurement Concord
Concord refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in number and in person. Measurement concord occurs when the verb agrees with the noun which is the measured object rather than the noun which is the measure word. In other words, the verb agrees with what is being measured, not the unit of measurement.
For example:
- Three miles is a long distance to walk. Here the subject ‘three miles’ is plural but the verb ‘is’ is singular. This is because the verb agrees with ‘distance’ which is the measured object.
- Ten kilograms of sugar was required to make the cake. Though ‘ten kilograms’ is plural, the verb ‘was’ is singular. This is because the verb agrees with ‘sugar’ which is the measured object.
- A large number of students have registered for the event.
Here the subject ‘a large number’ is singular but the verb ‘have registered’ is plural. This is because the verb agrees with ‘students’ which is the measured object. - Fifty percent of the land remains barren.
Though ‘fifty percent’ is plural, the verb ‘remains’ is singular. This is because the verb agrees with ‘land’ which is the measured object. - A variety of books were displayed at the book fair.
Here the subject ‘a variety’ is singular but the verb ‘were displayed’ is plural. This is because the verb agrees with ‘books’ which is the measured object.
To summarize, in measurement concord the verb agrees with the measured object and not with the measure word. This is to give importance to what is being measured rather than the unit of measurement. With practice, applying measurement concord will become second nature.
Why is concord important in English?
Concord makes communication clear and precise. Without concord, meaning can be obscured or misinterpreted. For example:
- “The student study hard.” – It is unclear if there is one or many students.
- “The teachers finished her work.” – It is unclear if the teacher is male or female.
- “I saw three rats fat.” – It is unclear if there were three fat rats or if three rats were fat.
What are some common concord mistakes?
Some frequent concord mistakes are:
- Subject-verb disagreement: “The news are shocking.” (should be “The news is shocking.”)
- Pronoun-antecedent disagreement: “The team captain gave their speech.” (should be “his speech” or “her speech”)
- Adjective-noun disagreement: “I saw two rat fat.” (should be “I saw two fat rats.”)
- Collective noun confusion: “The committee were arguing.” (should be “The committee was arguing.”)
- Indefinite pronoun confusion: “Everyone did their homework.” (should be “Everyone did his or her homework.”)
To avoid these concord mistakes, pay close attention to the number and gender of subjects, pronouns, nouns and their modifiers. Following the rules of concord will make your writing clear, precise and grammatically sound.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the different types of concord and how to use them properly. Whether it’s subject-verb agreement or pronoun agreement or noun-adjective agreement, following the rules of concord makes your writing flow smoothly and sound polished.
By understanding concord, you can construct clear and logical sentences in English. Be sure to check that the subjects, verbs, determiners, and nouns in your sentences match in terms of number, gender, and person. Following the rules of concord will make you a better writer and communicator.