Subject-verb agreement is an essential skill for copy editors to have in order to ensure the grammar and readability of a text. Compound sentences are a type of sentence that contains two or more independent clauses, which are clauses that can stand alone as complete sentences. In compound sentences, it is important to pay attention to subject-verb agreement to avoid confusion and grammatical errors.

The subject of a sentence is the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb. The verb is the action word that shows what the subject is doing. In a compound sentence, each independent clause has its own subject and verb, and they must agree in number and tense.

For example, consider the sentence: “The cat meows and the dog bark.” This sentence contains two independent clauses: “The cat meows” and “the dog bark.” However, there is a subject-verb disagreement in the second clause. The subject “dog” is singular, but the verb “bark” is plural. To correct the sentence, we can change “bark” to “barks,” making the sentence read, “The cat meows and the dog barks.”

Another example of subject-verb disagreement in a compound sentence is: “She sings and dances to her favorite songs.” In this sentence, “sings” and “dances” are both verbs, but they are in different tenses. “Sings” is in the present tense, but “dances” is in the past tense. To correct the sentence, we could change “dances” to “danced,” making the sentence read, “She sings and danced to her favorite songs.”

It is important to note that subject-verb agreement in compound sentences becomes more complex when coordinating conjunctions such as “and,” “but,” and “or” are used. When “and” is used, the subjects are usually plural, and the verb should be as well. When “or” or “nor” are used, the verb agrees with the closest subject, whether it is singular or plural.

For example, consider the sentence, “Tom, Dick, and Harry eat lunch together every day.” The conjunction “and” shows that all three subjects are performing the same action, so the verb “eat” is plural to match the subjects. However, in the sentence, “Neither the cat nor the dogs bark at strangers,” the verb “bark” agrees with the closest subject, “dogs,” which is plural.

In conclusion, subject-verb agreement in compound sentences is crucial for both clarity and grammatical accuracy. Copy editors can ensure this agreement by making sure each independent clause has a subject and verb that agree in number and tense, especially when coordinating conjunctions are used. Paying attention to subject-verb agreement in compound sentences will help writers create clear and well-constructed sentences that are easy to understand.