Which of the following describes what it means when subjects and verbs agree?
1. They describe the same things
2. They are not separated by interrupting words
3. They have the same ending
4. They are both singular or both plural
4. They are both singular or both plural
The correct answer is 4. They are both singular or both plural. When subjects and verbs agree, it means that they match in number. If the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural.
The correct answer is option 4: "They are both singular or both plural."
To understand what it means for subjects and verbs to agree, we need to clarify what we mean by subjects and verbs.
A subject is the part of a sentence that typically indicates who or what is performing the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence "The dog is barking," the subject is "the dog."
A verb, on the other hand, is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. In the same sentence, "is barking" is the verb.
When we say that subjects and verbs need to agree, we mean that they should match each other in terms of number. In English, this means that a singular subject goes with a singular verb, and a plural subject goes with a plural verb.
For example:
- In the sentence "The dog is barking," the singular subject "the dog" is matched with the singular verb "is barking."
- In the sentence "The dogs are barking," the plural subject "the dogs" is matched with the plural verb "are barking."
So, option 4, which states that subjects and verbs should be both singular or both plural, accurately describes what it means for subjects and verbs to agree.