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Agreement

Learn about subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and the correct usage of the word "data" in this comprehensive guide.

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Agreement

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  1. Agreement Subject–verb Pronoun–antecedent DATA is a Plural word

  2. Subject-Verb Agreement • The subject of the sentence must agree with the verb that describes the behavior of the subject: • The boywants to go to the movies. • The boyswantto go to the movies. • The dogis playing. • The dogsare playing.

  3. Subject-Verb Agreement with a Twist Correct Incorrect A random sampleof 100 female studentswas selected for the study The sample and was are in agreement with each other. The prepositional phrase (of 100 female students) is irrelevant to the determination of agreement. • A random sample of100 female students were selected for the study • The subject (the random sample) and the verb (were) are not representing the same number.

  4. Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement • Antecedent = A word that comes before and “refers to” the pronoun (antecedent, 2014, definition 1) . • The pronoun and antecedent must agree, which means they must be the same in number. • Lisalooks through the APA manual, which shecherishes dearly. • The students look through the APA manual, which theycherish dearly.

  5. Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement Correct Agreement Incorrect • I will assign each participantto complete the survey at his or her own desk. • The antecedent (the participant) is singular and is in agreement with the singular pronoun (his or her). • I will assign each participantto complete the survey at their own desk. • The antecedent (the participant) is singular and is NOT in agreement with the pronoun (their), which is plural.

  6. Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement Correct Agreement Incorrect • The researcher instructed the participantsto eat one apple each day for 2 weeks at theirhomes. • Participants and their are plural; therefore, they are in agreement with each other. • Each student turned in their papers on time. • The antecedent (student) and the pronoun (their) are not representing the same number. • Student = singular • Their = plural

  7. Data • The word data is a plural noun: • The data are ready for analysis • Very few people are aware of this fact; you will see people treating data as a singular noun all the time. • The singular form of data is datum, but I have never heard this word used except to state the fact that this is the singular form. • Data is a mass noun, so: • Less data, but fewer data points • A large amount of data, but a large number of data points

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