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Case agreement in essay writing

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1. Case agreement is a grammatical term. It means that if the subject of a sentence is singular, then the verb form must be singular as well:

The shop [singular] opens at nine o’clock.
On Thursdays the shops [plural] open late.

2. Sometimes confusion occurs because a statement begins in the
singular but then drifts into the plural:

wrong
It can be argued that a person has the right to know when they are dying.

3.The easiest solution to this problem is to make the subject
plural and its verb plural as well:

correct
It can be argued that people have the right to know when they are dying.

4. Sometimes a singular noun is used to denote a plural or a collective thing – such as the government or parliament. Either the singular or the plural verb form may be used – but the important thing is to be consistent.

wrong
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events may make them change their minds.
correct
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events may make it change its mind.
correct
The government prefer to let matters rest, but events may make them change their minds.

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