Grammatical Relation Agreement: Why it Matters and How to Get it Right

As a copy editor, one of the most important aspects of your job is to ensure that the grammar used in the content you`re editing is correct. One area in which it`s particularly important to pay close attention is grammatical relation agreement.

What is Grammatical Relation Agreement?

Grammatical relation agreement refers to the agreement of grammatical components in a sentence. This includes making sure that the subject and verb agree in number (singular or plural), ensuring that pronouns match the gender and number of the antecedent, and maintaining consistency in tense throughout the sentence or passage.

Why Does Grammatical Relation Agreement Matter?

Grammatical relation agreement is important for a few reasons. First, it ensures that the content is easy to read and understand. When there are inconsistencies in agreement, it can be confusing for readers to follow the flow of the sentence or passage. It can also lead to ambiguity and misinterpretation of meaning.

Second, grammatical relation agreement is important for SEO. Search engine algorithms are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are able to recognize when content is poorly written or contains errors. This can negatively impact search engine rankings and make it more difficult for the content to rank well.

How to Get Grammatical Relation Agreement Right

Getting grammatical relation agreement right can be challenging, but there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of success:

1. Pay close attention to subject-verb agreement. Make sure that the verb matches the number of the subject. For example, “The dog barks” (singular subject) and “The dogs bark” (plural subject).

2. Use pronouns carefully. Ensure that pronouns match the gender and number of the antecedent. For example, “He took his hat off” (masculine singular antecedent) and “They took their hats off” (plural antecedent).

3. Maintain consistency in tense. Make sure that the tense used throughout the sentence or passage is consistent. For example, “She walked to the store and bought some milk” (past tense) and “He is walking to the store to buy some milk” (present continuous).

4. Read aloud. One of the best ways to catch errors in grammatical relation agreement is to read the content aloud. This allows you to hear the flow of the sentence and identify any potential problems.

In conclusion, grammatical relation agreement is an important aspect of copy editing that can have a significant impact on the readability and SEO performance of content. By paying close attention to subject-verb agreement, using pronouns carefully, maintaining consistency in tense, and reading aloud, you can improve your chances of getting grammatical relation agreement right.