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The Agreement Chain
Three rings, one turned, three distortions.
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Turn one ring and the chain fails in three places, not one.
Learner applies every number and agreement decision to unmarked text, where nothing says which fault is present.
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Why one countability error shows up three times, and the two reflexes you now have.
The noun's box decides three things: the noun, the word in front, the verb.
✗ many informations are useful
✓ much information is useful
One wrong decision, three visible errors. That is why examiners read number errors as a single weakness.
Three rings, one turned, three distortions.
Turn one ring and the chain fails in three places, not one.
Four chains across the noun, the determiner and the verb.
1. Many informations are available online.
Is the noun countable?
So the word in front should be , and the verb .
2. Each of the student have a laptop.
What does each of need after it?
And the verb?
3. The number of applicant are rising.
The noun after the number of should be .
The subject of the verb is , so the verb is .
4. Hundreds of peoples attends every year.
Which word already carries its plural?
And the verb should be .
Fourteen positions. Six are already correct.
Universities are under pressure from several directions at once.
Many () student () now arrive with debts before they begin. The number of applicants from low-income households have () fallen for three years running, and much () research () suggest () that cost is the reason.
Each of the largest universities have () responded differently. Hundreds of () people () applies () for the small number of bursaries available. Every () applicant () is interviewed, which takes staff away from teaching. The effects of this on a two-hours () tutorial is () obvious to anyone who has sat through one.
Four sentences, reported back under six headings.
Prompt: Should university education be free for everyone?
Write four sentences giving your view.
At least one sentence must put four or more words between its subject and its verb.
Four sentences.
Name the place in the chain you get wrong most.