Question

Proofread the following text and correct the 3 subject-verb disagreements.

Astronomers are telling people to be especially watchful this evening, as a rare event could be making a very special appearance. The release of energised particles from the sun – coupled with particularly helpful overnight conditions – are predicted to make the "Northern Lights" visible much further south than normal.

Interviewed earlier today, Derwent University's Professor Andrew Higgins said, 'Everybody are talking about it. It's a once-in-a-decade opportunity that people really shouldn't miss.'

He added: 'The forecasts given out by the weather office enables us to know when the skies will be clear. Either 11pm or 3am will be best, and I'll be over the moon if we get some good photos.'

Answer 1

The text contained three subject-verb agreement errors, which were corrected by ensuring singular subjects were matched with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. Correct subject-verb agreement improves clarity in communication about astronomical events and the pursuit of taking photos.

Step-by-step explanation:

When proofreading the text for subject-verb agreement errors, we can identify and correct three instances that do not align correctly:

The phrase 'coupled with particularly helpful overnight conditions are predicted to make' should be corrected to 'coupled with particularly helpful overnight conditions is predicted to make' because 'the release' is the subject, which is singular.

In Professor Andrew Higgins' quote, 'Everybody are talking about it' should be corrected to 'Everybody is talking about it' since 'everybody' is a singular indefinite pronoun.

Finally, 'The forecasts given out by the weather office enables us' should be 'The forecasts given out by the weather office enable us' because 'forecasts' is a plural noun and should be followed by a plural verb form.

Upon these corrections, the text flows better and the subject-verb agreement is correct, enhancing the clarity of the message about the anticipated viewing of the Northern Lights and the potential to capture photos of this rare event.