Concord simply means agreement. The question then may arise: which agreement? Well, basically, agreement between a subject and a verb.
The first law of concord/agreement states that:
A singular subject will agree with a singular verb. (The subject will be underlined while the verb will be in bold typeface)
Suggested reading: how singular verbs are formed.
The subject can be a noun, a pronoun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause. Some examples are shown below.
The boy is my friend.
The boy has a friend.
The boy reads every day.
He reads every day.
Suggested reading: examples of nouns, pronouns, noun phrases and noun clauses functioning as subject.
Still on the first law of concord or agreement, you must be careful with the use of pronoun I and you. Why?
The pronoun I is a singular pronoun but only agrees with two singular verbs:
I am a teacher.
I was a sinner.
In other words, am and was are only the singular verbs that the pronoun I agrees with. You will find out in the examples below that the pronoun I will usually agree with a plural verb.
I have a school.
I write a lot.
I need some money.
On the other hand, the pronoun you can be used in reference to one person or more. Whether it refers to one person or more than one person, it is the plural verb that must be used with you, not a singular verb. For example:
You are welcome.
not
You is welcome.
You have to come right away.
not
Your has to come right away.
Please note that when you is used in a sentence, it is the how it is used in context that will suggest if it is singular (referring to one person) or plural (referring to two or more persons).
To be continued.
The blogger, Olabanji O. Odurombi, can be contacted on 08037699294 (WhatsApp/Voice Call).
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