Distance Between Subject & Verb

Mistakes in grammar happen to all of us, so it’s a good idea to become familiar with common trouble spots so they happen less often. A lot of grammar mistakes are caused by grammar rules that are downright confusing. Let’s discuss some of the most widely known grammar issues.

First, the distance between a subject and a verb. These errors happen when the subject and verb are separated by word-groups or phrases. For example: ”The horses in the pasture next to the barn needs water.”

The common grammar mistake in this sentence is that the verb and subject, which are separated by a group of words, do not match. The word ”needs” should be ”need.” Since the subject ”horses” is plural, it should have a plural verb ”need” for agreement.

Collective Noun Confusion

Collective nouns are nouns that refer to groups. American English treats collective nouns (like crowd, jury, faculty, committee, etc.) as singular, and so they take a singular verb, which can be confusing. British English uses a plural verb for collective nouns, because they consider such nouns plural. Let’s look at an example sentence: ”The search committee is ready to vote.”

The subject ”committee” agrees with the singular verb ”is,” which is correct according to American English grammar. In British English, the correct form of this sentence would be, ”The search committee are ready to vote.” The subject ”committee” is considered a plural noun in British English, and so it takes the plural verb ”are.”

Indefinite Pronoun Confusion

Indefinite pronouns are words that replace something non-specific. Examples of indefinite pronouns are:

• anyone
• anything
• everyone
• everybody
• nobody
• nothing
• somebody
• someone

Even though indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific amounts of something, they should be treated as singular nouns. For example: ”Everyone on the staff feels the same way.”

”Everyone” is the indefinite pronoun, and it uses the singular verb ”feels.”

Exceptions to this rule include the words all, any, none, and some, which are indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural. For example: ”Some of the jewelry was stolen.” ”Some” is the singular subject and requires the singular verb ”was.” ”Some of the purses were left untouched.” ”Some” is the plural subject and requires the plural verb ”were.”

Neither/Nor & Omitting -ed

”Neither” and ”nor” (and ”either” and ‘~or”) are correlative conjunctions, meaning they are used together. People often misuse the neither/nor correlative conjunction. They may incorrectly couple the word ”neither” with ”or” rather than ”nor” when you’re describing two or more similar things.

”Neither rain or snow fell all winter long.” This sentence mistakenly uses ”or” instead of ”nor.” This sentence correctly uses ”neither” and ”nor:” ”Neither rain nor snow fell on the desert.”

People often leave the ending off of past tense regular verbs when they speak, which can lead to the same error in writing. A regular verb is one that can change from present to past tense by adding ”-d” or ”-ed,” such as ”loved” and ”ended.” If you leave this part of the verb off, it confuses the reader, and it’s also grammatically incorrect. ”After we move the furniture, we had plenty of room.” In this sentence, the verb ”move” is missing the -d.

If I Were vs. If I Was

Using ”if I were” versus ”if I was” is a very common grammar mistake because ”if I were” and ”if I was” are both correct in different cases. However, the correct way to use each one depends on the context. For example, if you’re referring to something contrary to fact, use ”if I (or he, she, it) were.” This use of the verb ”were” is the known as the past subjunctive mood. ”If I were ten years old, I would like that show a lot.”

If you’re referring to something that’s possibly true, use ”if I was”: ”If I was wrong, then please correct me.”

Lesson Summary

Common grammar mistakes happen. Remember, collective nouns are nouns that refer to groups and, in American English, are treated as singular and so should take a singular verb. Indefinite pronouns are words that replace something non-specific and should be treated as singular nouns. ”Neither” and ”nor” and ”either” and ”or” are correlative conjunctions, meaning they are used together.

A regular verb is one that can change from present to past tense by adding ”-d” or ”-ed.” If you leave this part of the verb off, it confuses the reader and is grammatically incorrect. When referring to something contrary to fact, use ”if I were,” but when referring to something that’s possibly true, use ”If I was.”