Introduction: Verbal Agreement - General Rule and Special Cases

Relevance of the Topic

Verbal agreement is one of the pillars of Portuguese grammar. Without it, our words and sentences would lose harmony and meaning. Mastering the rules of verbal agreement is essential for clear and precise communication, whether in writing a text or in oral expression.

The importance of verbal agreement stems from its direct impact on text comprehension. Inadequate verbal agreement can significantly alter the meaning of a sentence, leading to misunderstandings. Therefore, understanding the general rules and special cases of verbal agreement is crucial for effective communication.

Contextualization

In the vast universe of grammar, verbal agreement occupies a central place. It refers to the mandatory correspondence between the verb and its subject, in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third), being one of the fundamental concepts for correct understanding and expression in the Portuguese language.

In the Portuguese curriculum of the 3rd year of high school, we place Verbal Agreement after the study of Morphosyntax and Period Syntax, as this is where students acquire the necessary foundation to understand and apply the rules of agreement.

Verbal Agreement is also the starting point for more complex grammatical topics, such as verbal and nominal government, and crasis. To venture into these other areas, one must first master the concept of verbal agreement. Therefore, an in-depth study of verbal agreement is a crucial step in the development of students' language skills.

Theoretical Development: Verbal Agreement - General Rule and Special Cases

Components

• General Rule of Verbal Agreement: The general rule of verbal agreement states that the verb must agree in number and person with the subject of the sentence. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must agree in plural.

  • For example, in the sentence "The boy studies for the exam", the subject "the boy" is singular, so the verb "studies" is in the third person singular.

• Cases of Agreement with Compound Subject: In the case of a compound subject (when the sentence has two or more subject nuclei), the general rule of verbal agreement may have some variations.

  • When the compound subject consists of synonymous nuclei, the verb can agree in plural with each of the nuclei or in singular with the nearest nucleus. This is called synesis of number.

    • For example, in the sentence "The sun and the moon shine", the compound subject is "the sun and the moon", however the verb "shine" is in the third person plural agreeing only with the first nucleus "sun", synonymous with "moon".

  • When the compound subject consists of nuclei linked by the conjunction "and" and expresses a unity idea, the verb must agree in singular.

    • For example, in the sentence "The father and the mother like to cook", the compound subject "the father and the mother" expresses a single family entity, so the verb "like" agrees with the subject in the singular.

• Agreement Cases with Impersonal and Indeterminate Verbs: Impersonal and indeterminate verbs do not agree with the subject, so they are, most of the time, used in the third person singular.

  • Verbs indicating natural phenomena (rain, wind, snow) or expressing feelings (hurt, cheer up, worry) are impersonal.
    • For example, in the sentence "Tomorrow it will rain.", the subject is hidden (the term tomorrow), and the verb "rain" is in the third person singular, as is typical of impersonal verbs.

Key Terms

• Verbal Agreement: Deals with the mandatory correspondence relationship between the verb and the subject, requiring them to be in the same person and number.
• Subject: It is the term of the sentence on which the verbal action falls or which serves as the basis for its meaning.
• Verb: It is the word that expresses action, state, change of state, or natural phenomena.

Examples and Cases

• Case of simple subject and its agreement with the verb: "The moon shines at night". The subject is singular, so the verb "shines" also agrees in the singular.
• Case of compound subject with synonymous nuclei: "The cat and the rat fought". The compound subject "the cat and the rat" is a compound subject of synonymous nuclei, so the verb can agree with both "cat" (closer), and with "rat" (farther).
• Case of compound subject linked by the conjunction "and" and idea of unity: "Joy and sadness are human feelings". The verb "are" agrees in plural with the subject "joy and sadness" because, despite being an additive conjunction, it expresses the idea of unity.
• Impersonal verbs and their agreement: "Today dawned raining". The verb "dawned" does not have an explicit subject, as impersonal verbs do not agree with the subject.

Detailed Summary

Relevant Points

• Importance of Verbal Agreement: It brings harmony and meaning to the discourse, making communication effective and precise.
• General Rule: The verb agrees in number and person with the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must agree in plural.
• Compound Subject: There may be variations in agreement. Synesis of number occurs when the compound subject has synonymous nuclei and the verb agrees with the nearest nucleus or with all nuclei. If the compound subject is linked by the conjunction "and" and expresses unity, the verb must agree in singular.
• Impersonal and Indeterminate Verbs: They do not agree with the subject and are generally used in the third person singular. Natural phenomena and feelings are often expressed by impersonal verbs.

Conclusions

• Verbal agreement is essential for precision and clarity in communication and cannot be neglected.
• In addition to the general rule, it is necessary to understand the special cases of verbal agreement, especially the compound subject and impersonal and indeterminate verbs.

Exercises

1. Exercise on the General Rule: Rewrite the sentences below, making the correct verbal agreement:

   • The house and the garden (be) beautiful.
   • The flowers of spring (bloom) their colors.
   • The rain and the sun (do) good to the field.

2. Exercise on Compound Subject: Identify the type of compound subject and the correct verbal agreement in the sentences below:

   • The cat and the cat (play) in the garden.
   • Love and hate (stir) in the soul.
   • She and I (be) very worried about the test.

3. Exercise on Impersonal/Indeterminate Verbs: Classify the verb in each of the following sentences and explain the reason for this classification:

   • It snows a lot in Serra da Estrela.
   • My knee hurt during the walk.
   • If I were you, I wouldn't do that.