Over agreement meaning refers to the unnecessary and excessive use of agreement between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences in a sentence. Agreement refers to the grammatical match between words, such as subject-verb agreement, noun-pronoun agreement, and adjective-noun agreement. While agreement is an essential part of good grammar, over agreement can compromise the clarity and coherence of a sentence.
Over agreement can occur when a writer tries to avoid ambiguity or seeks emphasis by repeating words or phrases. For example, in the sentence, “The teacher, who was respected by his students, his colleagues, and his superiors, was awarded the highest teaching award,” the repetition of “his” is unnecessary and repetitive. A better way to write the sentence is, “The teacher, who was respected by his students, colleagues, and superiors, was awarded the highest teaching award.”
Over agreement can also occur when a writer uses too many adjectives or adverbs to modify a noun or verb. While descriptive words help to add color and specificity to a sentence, overusing them can create wordiness and redundancy. For example, in the sentence, “The tall, thin, elegant, and beautiful woman walked gracefully down the runway,” the adjectives “tall,” “thin,” “elegant,” and “beautiful” are too many and unnecessary. A better way to write the sentence is, “The elegant woman walked gracefully down the runway.”
Over agreement can also happen when a writer tries to match a noun with a pronoun or a verb with a subject, even when they do not agree in gender or number. This type of over agreement is common in writing that tries to be politically correct or gender-neutral. For example, in the sentence, “Each student must bring their own pencil,” the pronoun “their” does not agree in number with the singular noun “student.” A better way to write the sentence is, “Each student must bring his or her own pencil.”
As a professional, I advise writers to avoid over agreement by being concise, clear, and consistent in their writing. They should use only the words necessary to convey their message, avoid repetition and redundancy, and use agreement rules appropriately. Over agreement can make a sentence convoluted, confusing, and awkward, and it can negatively affect the reader`s comprehension and engagement. Therefore, writers should strive for balance and simplicity in their writing and let their ideas speak for themselves.