HOW TO MAKE CORRECT SENTENCES (Part 2)
HOW TO MAKE CORRECT SENTENCES (Part 2)
Let us continue with discussion of more rules of subject-verb concord
in this article.
Rules of
Subject-Verb Concord
Rule 4: The words that come between the
subject and verb do not affect agreement or concord.
The implication of this rule is that we should not be confused or get
carried away about the number of words that come between the subject and verb
in a sentence, and thus feel that if there are many words or superfluous
expressions in-between, they might affect agreement. No, the number of words in-between a subject
and a verb in a sentence, do not affect agreement.
Examples:
(i)
Jemienyo, the street boy, who is very
playful and unkempt, does not respect his seniors.
(ii)
The principal of Ekuevugbe Grammar
School, who has been in the teaching profession even before the parents of some
his students were born, treats the students with much dignity as they are his
contemporaries.
(iii)
Late Chief K.O. Mbadiwe, who was famous
for coinage and usage of expressions like ‘men
of timber and calibre’, ‘juggernauts’, ‘rod and caterpillar’ etc, was
appointed as ‘Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary’ during Nigeria’s 2nd
Republic.
(iv)
The River Niger, which is very long and meanders
through several West African countries, meets in a confluence with River Benue
at Lokoja.
(v)
The Urhobo Voice newspaper, in spite of
barrage of rivalry from its ungrateful beneficiaries, has continued to be a
veritable channel of development.
Rule
5: Subjects don't always come before
verbs in questions; it could be either way.
This rule acts as a guide to help us
know that when asking questions, the subject could come before the verb or the
verb could come before the subject. But
we have to make sure that we accurately identify the subject before deciding on
the proper verb form to use.
Examples:
(i)
Did Jack eat
all the bones put into this bowl today?
(ii)
Were all the
bones put into this bowl today, eaten by Jack?
(iii)
Who won the recent
election for the post of UPU President-General?
(iv)
The recent election
for the post of UPU President-General was won by who?
(v)
Has DELSU
admitted all the candidates needed for the 2016/2017 Academic Session?
(vi)
Have all the candidates
needed for the 2016/2017 Academic Session been admitted by DELSU?
Rule
6 If two
subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing, then the
verb will be singular.
This
rule helps us to ensure that we do not use plural verb for a singular (one)
person or thing even though two subjects separated by and are used to describe that person or thing.
Examples:
(i)
The Publisher
and Managing Editor of The Urhobo Voice newspaper, is a very humane and
philosophical person.
(ii)
Dr. Tom West,
who is my HOD and project supervisor, is very kind to me.
(iii)
He was recently
appointed as Dean and Acting Provost of the new college.
(iv)
Palm oil soup (oghwoevwri)
and starch is my favourite dish.
(v)
The Queen of
England and Head of Commonwealth visited Nigeria in 1956.
(vi)
The Chairman of
Ibru Organisation and patriarch of the Ibru dynasty was buried at Agbarha-Otor,
Delta State.
Comments
Post a Comment