When it comes to written communication, one of the most important things to consider is agreement between subjects and verbs. The concept of self-other agreement is particularly important in this regard. Self-other agreement refers to the consistency between a subject’s pronoun and its corresponding verb. In other words, when the subject is first person (I or we), the verb tense of the sentence should be in agreement with that person; likewise, when the subject is third person (he, she, or they), the verb tense should be in agreement with that person.
So why does self-other agreement matter? The answer to this question is rooted in effective communication. When a writer uses consistent self-other agreement, the text they produce is easier to read and understand. This is because consistent agreement avoids confusing the reader and allows them to follow the writer`s train of thought more easily.
In addition to making a text easier to read, consistent self-other agreement has an impact on how professional and well-established a writer appears. Proper agreement is a sign of good grammar, which is an important element to making a good impression in any professional context. For example, if you were to submit a job application or an important report with inconsistent self-other agreement, your grammar mistake might be interpreted as a sign of sloppiness, which would reflect poorly on you.
Finally, self-other agreement is an important element of search engine optimization (SEO). When creating content for the web, writers must consider how search engines will interpret their text. Inconsistent self-other agreement can cause search engines to misinterpret the subject of a sentence, potentially leading to poor search rankings.
In conclusion, consistent self-other agreement is an important element of effective written communication. It makes text easier to read, gives the impression of professionalism, and can impact search engine performance. As a professional, I recommend carefully reviewing your writing for self-other agreement before publishing or submitting it, to ensure you are presenting the best possible text.