Compensating errors do not affect the agreement of verbs and subjects
In English grammar, the agreement of verbs with their subjects is an essential rule that dictates how sentences are structured and understood. It is this agreement that determines whether a sentence is grammatically correct or not. However, sometimes, errors can occur in sentences, and these errors can affect the agreement of verbs and subjects. But in some cases, compensating errors can come into play, and these errors do not affect the agreement of verbs and subjects.
What is a compensating error?
Compensating errors are grammatical errors that are made in sentences but are corrected by the use of other words or phrases within the same sentence. These errors do not change the meaning of the sentence or affect the agreement of verbs and subjects. In most cases, compensating errors are made unintentionally and can occur due to the structure of the sentence or the writer`s lack of knowledge of grammar rules.
How compensating errors do not affect the agreement of verbs and subjects
The agreement of verbs and subjects is an essential rule in grammar, and it stipulates that the verb in a sentence must agree with its subject in number and person. In other words, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. However, in some cases, errors can be made in the sentence structure, and these errors can affect the agreement of verbs and subjects. However, compensating errors can come into play, and these errors do not affect the agreement of verbs and subjects.
For example, let`s take the following sentence: “The crowd of fans, including their leader, was cheering for their team.” In this sentence, the subject is the crowd of fans, which is singular. However, the phrase “including their leader” is plural. If we were to remove this phrase, the sentence would read, “The crowd of fans was cheering for their team.” This sentence is grammatically correct since the verb “was” agrees with the subject “crowd.” However, if we leave the phrase “including their leader” in the sentence, the sentence would read, “The crowd of fans, including their leader, was cheering for their team.” This sentence is still grammatically correct even though the phrase “including their leader” is plural. This is an example of a compensating error where the phrase “including their leader” compensates for the agreement error in the sentence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, compensating errors are an essential aspect of English grammar, and they can come into play when errors are made in the agreement of verbs and subjects. Compensating errors do not affect the agreement of verbs and subjects and are often used to correct errors in the sentence structure. As copy editors, it is essential to understand the concept of compensating errors to ensure that the sentences we edit are grammatically correct and convey the intended meaning.