Agreement by omission is a common grammatical error that many people make unknowingly. It occurs when there is a lack of agreement between different parts of a sentence, and this lack of agreement is not made explicit by the use of words. In other words, the agreement is implied, leading to an incorrect sentence structure.
To understand the concept better, let us consider an example. Consider the following sentence:
“The group of students were studying for their exams.”
In this sentence, the subject is “group,” which is singular, but the verb “were” is plural, resulting in an agreement by omission. The sentence should be rewritten as “The group of students was studying for its exams,” to ensure there is proper agreement between the subject and verb.
Agreement by omission can occur in different parts of a sentence, such as with adjectives, pronouns, and prepositions. For example:
– “The team of researchers were presenting their findings.” Here, “team” is singular, and “were” is plural, making the sentence incorrect. To fix it, we can say, “The team of researchers was presenting its findings.”
– “Each student takes their own notes.” In this sentence, “each student” is singular, while “their” is plural. To make it correct, we can say, “Each student takes his or her own notes.”
– “The company hired a new employee without checking his or her references.” In this sentence, “his or her” is a solution to the agreement by omission problem, as the gender of the employee is unspecified.
Agreement by omission can also occur when subjects are separated from their verbs by phrases or clauses. These phrases and clauses can be complex, lengthy, or contain multiple ideas, making it hard to discern the correct verb to use. For example:
– “A significant number of people, including myself, were late for the meeting.” Here, “including myself” is a phrase that interrupts the agreement between the subject “a significant number of people” and the verb “were.” To fix the error, we can say, “A significant number of people, including myself, was late for the meeting.”
To avoid agreement by omission, it is crucial to understand the grammatical rules of subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and adjective-noun agreement. Careful attention must be given to the sentence`s structure, tense, and context to ensure it is grammatically correct and flows logically.
In conclusion, agreement by omission is a common grammatical error that can easily be avoided by paying close attention to the sentence structure and ensuring proper agreement between subjects, verbs, pronouns, and adjectives. As a copy editor, it is essential to recognize these errors and correct them to ensure the final content is readable, accurate, and free from grammatical errors.