When it comes to writing, one of the most important things to keep in mind is verb agreement. This means that the verb used in a sentence should match the subject of the sentence in terms of singular or plural form. However, when it comes to using “someone” as the subject of a sentence, things can get a bit tricky.
“Someone” is a singular pronoun that refers to an unidentified person. It can be used as the subject of a sentence, but it does not give any gender or identity information. This means that when a sentence uses “someone” as the subject, the verb that follows must be in the third-person singular form.
For example, “Someone is knocking at the door” is correct, while “Someone are knocking at the door” is incorrect, as “are” is a plural verb. Similarly, “Someone has left their keys on the table” is correct, while “Someone have left their keys on the table” is incorrect, as “have” is a plural verb.
It`s important to note that when using “someone” as the subject of a sentence, it is also grammatically correct to use “he” or “she” as a pronoun in the following sentence. For example, “Someone has lost their wallet. He/she should check the lost and found” is correct, while “Someone has lost their wallet. They should check the lost and found” is technically incorrect, as “they” is a plural pronoun being used to refer to a singular subject.
However, many people today prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns such as “they” or “them” to refer to a singular subject like “someone”. While this may not be grammatically correct according to traditional rules, it is now widely accepted in casual and informal writing.
In summary, when using “someone” as the subject of a sentence, always use a third-person singular verb such as “is” or “has”. If using a pronoun to refer to “someone”, it is grammatically correct to use “he” or “she”, but using gender-neutral pronouns like “they” or “them” is also acceptable.
