Concordance of agreement, or simply known as agreement, is a grammatical rule that governs how words in a sentence must agree with each other in terms of tense, gender, number, and person. This rule plays an essential role in ensuring the clarity and coherence of a sentence, making it easier for the reader to understand and follow the message of the text.

One of the common forms of agreement is subject-verb agreement. This agreement dictates that the verb used in a sentence must match the number and person of the subject. For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. Conversely, if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. Consider the following examples:

Correct: The dog barks at the stranger. (singular subject and verb)

Incorrect: The dog bark at the stranger.

Correct: The dogs bark at the stranger. (plural subject and verb)

Incorrect: The dogs barks at the stranger.

Another form of agreement is noun-adjective agreement. This agreement states that the adjective used in a sentence must match the gender and number of the noun it modifies. For example:

Correct: The black cat is playful. (singular noun and adjective)

Incorrect: The black cats is playful.

Correct: The black cats are playful. (plural noun and adjective)

Incorrect: The black cats is playful.

In some cases, pronoun-antecedent agreement is also necessary. This agreement refers to the relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent, or the noun it replaces. Pronouns must agree with the gender and number of their antecedents. For instance:

Correct: John said he would come to the party. (masculine singular pronoun and antecedent)

Incorrect: John said she would come to the party.

Correct: The girls said they would come to the party. (feminine plural pronoun and antecedent)

Incorrect: The girls said he would come to the party.

Apart from ensuring grammatical correctness, agreement is also crucial in optimizing content for search engine optimization (SEO). Proper agreement helps search engines understand the content and rank it accordingly, making it more visible to the target audience and improving the overall user experience.

In summary, concordance of agreement is an essential grammatical rule that ensures proper construction of sentences. Correctly applying agreement rules can enhance the clarity and coherence of a piece of writing, making it more understandable to the reader. Additionally, agreement is crucial in optimizing content for SEO, making it more visible and user-friendly. As copy editors, it is our responsibility to ensure that the content we work on complies with the rules of agreement to ensure its effectiveness and clarity.