Agreement in English refers to agreement in number and gender. Every sentence in English can be divided into two parts: the subject and the predicate. The subject is a person, place, or thing about which a statement is made. The predicate is the statement that contains the verb.
- Cockatoos live in Australia.
- The subject: Cockatoos.
- The predicate: Australia
- The subject is plural, so the verb must agree in number.
Complete subjects
To find the complete subject of a sentence, ask a who or what question. The answer to that question will be the complete subject.
- One of my best friends has a cockatoo!
- Question: Which of my best friends has a cockatoo?
- Answer: One of my best friends (the complete subject).
Main subjects
The main subject is the subject that controls the verb in the sentence. Once you have identified the complete subject, find the word that the other words modify.
- One of my best friends has a cockatoo.
Compound subjects
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