Concord

Definition:
Concord is the agreement between sentence elements.
1. Different types
+) S – V concord He/ She agrees. I agree.

It doesn’t agree. We/ They don’t agree.

+) Pronominal concord

She looked at herself in the mirror.

They are teachers of English.

2.Concord …… A) grammatical concord

B) notional concord
C) concord by proximity
D) concord with coordinated subject

A. Grammatical concord

a) S_V
S singular + V singular (V-s/was)
The boy/ He likes football.

S plural + V plural (V/ were)

The boys/ They like football/ were there yesterday.

b) S_C

The child was an angel

The children are angles

c) S_O
He injured himself

d) Pronoun

The boy likes his toy

B.Notional concord
Definition: The verb agrees with the idea of plural rather than the
actual singular form of the noun

* S = nominal relative clause + V singular/ plural

What he says isn’t true  The things he says...

What they like best are tea and coffee  The things they like best...

* S = collective nouns

+ V plural ~ members of the group

The government are having a rest.
+ V singular ~ the whole group
The government has approved of his plan.

* S = none + V singular (non – count N)

V plural (plural count N)

C. Concord of proximity
Definition: The verb tends to agree with whatever noun or pronoun
closely precedes it, instead of the head word of the subject.
* In set phrases

One in ten take drugs.

None of them agree to go.
* In existential sentence with there

There are two chairs and a desk there.

There is a desk and two chairs there.

* With either...or...

Either your brakes or your eyesight was at fault.

Either your eyesight or your brakes were at fault.

D. Concord with coordinated subject

- normally takes a plural verb.
- Coordinated subject representing a single entity.

Eg: The hammer and the sickle was flying on top of the building.

- When the NPs refer to the same thing/ person.

Eg: His lawyer and former college friend, Max Weber, was with him at
his death.