Concord in English Grammar

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Concord refers to the agreement between different parts of a sentence, especially between the subject and the verb. In English, words must agree in number, person, gender, and sometimes tense to ensure grammatical correctness.

Types of Concord

1. Subject-Verb Concord

The verb must agree with the subject in number and person.

Singular Subject – Singular Verb:

  • She plays the piano.
  • The dog barks loudly.

Plural Subject – Plural Verb:

  • They play football every weekend.
  • The birds sing in the morning.

2. Pronoun-Antecedent Concord

A pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces in number and gender.

Singular Antecedent – Singular Pronoun:

  • John loves his car.
  • A student must submit his or her assignment on time.

Plural Antecedent – Plural Pronoun:

  • The students love their school.
  • The players wore their uniforms.

3. Concord of Number

Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Correct:

  • The boy is happy.
  • The boys are happy.

Incorrect:

  • The boy are happy.
  • The boys is happy.

4. Concord of Person

The verb must agree with the subject in person (first, second, or third person).

  • I am a teacher. (First person singular)
  • She is my friend. (Third person singular)
  • They are my neighbors. (Third person plural)

5. Concord of Collective Nouns

A collective noun can take a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning.

  • The team is winning. (Refers to the team as a single unit)
  • The team are arguing among themselves. (Refers to individuals in the team)

6. Concord of Correlative Conjunctions

When using correlative conjunctions like either...or, neither...nor, and not only...but also, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

  • Either John or his friends are coming.
  • Neither the teachers nor the principal is available.

7. Concord of Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns such as everyone, somebody, nobody, and each take singular verbs.

  • Everybody wants to be happy.
  • Someone is knocking at the door.

Conclusion

Concord is essential in English grammar to ensure that sentences are grammatically correct and clear. It involves agreement between the subject and verb, pronouns and antecedents, number, person, and special cases like collective nouns and indefinite pronouns.

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