| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| AGREEMENT OF SUBJECTS AND VERBS 4: THE PRINCIPLE OF PROXIMITY |
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| If a subject is widely separated from its verb by intervening modifiers, and if the intervening material differs in number from the subject, it is quite likely in speech that proximity (or attraction) will govern, and agreement between subject and verb will be notional rather than grammatical: Everything I’ve heard about their appeals and interventions suggest that they’re going to delay us. Edited English does not permit this sort of lapse, although the lower levels of speech and Informal writing often overlook it. See NOTIONAL AGREEMENT. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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