Syntactic Agreement in English Grammar: A Study of Students in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri

Abstract

Syntactic agreement within the framework of English grammar holds a position of considerable significance and constitutes a formidable linguistic construct. Its valuable and significant functions make a noticeable influence on daily interactions in both written and spoken forms of English, particularly among non-native users. This paper is specifically designed to highlight various categories of syntactic agreement, with a focused examination on the principles that govern subject-verb concord. It aims to illuminate the purpose and importance of subject-verb agreement in linguistic communication. Furthermore, it intends to explore the challenges posed by syntactic agreement to second language users. An extensive review of both local and international literature was conducted. The theoretical underpinnings of this study are grounded in Chomsky's (1981) principles and parameters theory, as well as Mbah's (2016) Binarity principle. A structured questionnaire was employed to sample responses from 100 students across three institutions within Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. The resultant data were subjected to analysis through the simple percentage statistical methods. Findings reveal that students were not conversant with the use of subject verb agreement. The paper therefore, recommend that great attention be paid to the nuances of grammar, especially with regard to subject verb agreement.