As a copy editor, one of the most common mistakes I come across is incorrect subject-verb agreement. And one particular instance that stands out is the “beaver subject-verb agreement.”
The beaver subject-verb agreement is a grammatical error that occurs when a singular subject is followed by a plural verb, or vice versa. This is often seen with the word “beaver,” as it is a homonym for both a singular animal and a plural group of animals.
For example, consider the following sentence: “The beaver builds dams to create its habitat.” In this sentence, the singular subject “beaver” is followed by the singular verb “builds,” which is correct.
However, in this sentence, “The beaver build dams to create their habitat,” the singular subject “beaver” is incorrectly followed by the plural verb “build,” which should be “builds” to maintain subject-verb agreement.
Similarly, consider this sentence: “The beavers build dams to create their habitat.” In this case, the plural subject “beavers” is correctly followed by the plural verb “build.”
But if you were to say, “The beavers builds dams to create their habitat,” this would be incorrect as the plural subject “beavers” should not be paired with the singular verb “builds.”
It is important to note that the beaver subject-verb agreement error can also occur with other words that have both singular and plural forms, such as “deer” or “sheep.”
To avoid making this grammatical error, it is essential to ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb should be singular as well, and if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural.
In conclusion, correct subject-verb agreement is crucial for effective communication and to avoid confusion. The beaver subject-verb agreement error is a common example of this grammatical mistake, but it can be avoided by paying attention to the number of subjects and verbs in a sentence. As a professional, I always ensure that my clients’ content is free from this error and other grammatical errors to help improve their online presence.
