Pathological Agreement Meaning: Understanding the Concept and Its Importance in Writing
As a copy editor, one of the important aspects that I have to deal with is ensuring grammatical consistency throughout the content. One of the common grammatical errors I often encounter is a phenomenon called “pathological agreement.” So, what does pathological agreement mean, and how does it impact the readability and effectiveness of your writing?
Pathological agreement is a grammatical error that occurs when a noun or pronoun agrees with another noun or pronoun in a sentence instead of the intended subject or verb. This error commonly occurs when there are multiple nouns in a sentence, and the writer mistakenly applies the agreement to the wrong noun. This leads to awkward and confusing sentences that are difficult to understand.
For instance, consider the following sentence: “The book of poems were written by a famous poet.” Here, the noun “book” is singular, but the verb “were” is plural, which causes the sentence to be grammatically incorrect. The correct version of the sentence should be, “The book of poems was written by a famous poet.”
Pathological agreement not only affects the clarity and readability of your content but also impacts your website`s SEO. Google`s algorithm prioritizes content that is grammatically correct, concise, and easy to read. If your content is riddled with grammatical errors, it will not rank well on search engines, and users are likely to bounce off your page.
Therefore, it is important to avoid pathological agreement in your writing and ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct. Here are a few tips to help you avoid pathological agreement:
1. Identify the subject and verb: Always identify the subject and verb in a sentence to ensure that they agree in number and tense.
2. Proofread your work: Always proofread your content before publishing it to ensure that it is grammatically correct.
3. Use proofreading tools: Use online proofreading tools like Grammarly and Hemingway to help you identify and correct grammatical errors.
In conclusion, pathological agreement is a common grammatical error that can impact the readability and effectiveness of your writing. As a professional, it is my responsibility to ensure that the content I edit is free of such errors to ensure that it ranks well on search engines and engages the readers. So, make sure you`re using the right subject and verb agreement to make your writing more coherent and easy to read!