Agreement in Tamil: A Guide to Making Your Writing More Effective

Tamil is a beautiful language spoken by millions of people in South India and Sri Lanka. If you`re a writer who wishes to communicate effectively in Tamil, it is important to understand and use proper agreement in your writing. Agreement refers to the way words and phrases connect grammatically to form a coherent and meaningful sentence. In this article, we`ll explore the basics of agreement in Tamil and how you can apply them to improve your writing.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental aspect of writing in any language. In Tamil, this means ensuring that the subject and verb of a sentence agree in tense, number, and person. Let`s take a look at a few examples to understand this better:

அவன் படிக்கிறான் (avan patikka iraan) – He is reading

அவன்கள் படிக்கிறார்கள் (avankal patikka irarkal) – They are reading

In the first sentence, the subject (அவன் – avan) is singular and the verb (படிக்கிறான் – patikka iraan) is also singular, and in the second sentence, both the subject (அவன்கள் – avankal) and the verb (படிக்கிறார்கள் – patikka irarkal) are plural.

Agreement is also important when using compound subjects, where two or more subjects are connected by conjunctions like `and` or `or`. In such cases, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it. Here`s an example:

நானும் அவனும் படிக்கிறோம் (naanum avanum patikkiraom) – I and he are reading.

In this sentence, the verb (படிக்கிறோம் – patikkiraom) agrees with the plural subject (நானும் அவனும் – naanum avanum).

Adjective-Noun Agreement

Adjective-noun agreement is the correct matching of adjectives and nouns in gender, number, and case. Tamil has two genders – masculine and feminine. Adjectives that describe masculine nouns have a different suffix than those that describe feminine nouns.

For example:

பருமன் உடைய மனிதன் (paruman udaya manithan) – A man with a beard

பருமளி உடைய மனிதள் (parumali udaya manithal) – A woman with a beard

In the first sentence, the adjective (பருமன் – paruman) describes a masculine noun (மனிதன் – manithan), while in the second sentence, the adjective (பருமளி – parumali) describes a feminine noun (மனிதள் – manithal).

Noun-Verb Agreement

Noun-verb agreement is the correct matching of the verb with the noun in number and person. Tamil verbs change their form depending on the subject of the sentence.

For example:

நான் படிக்கிறேன் (naan patikkiren) – I am reading

நீ படிக்கிறாய் (nee patikka iraai) – You are reading

In the first sentence, the verb (படிக்கிறேன் – patikkiren) agrees with the singular first-person subject (நான் – naan), while in the second sentence, the verb (படிக்கிறாய் – patikka iraai) agrees with the singular second-person subject (நீ – nee).

Conclusion

In conclusion, agreement is a crucial aspect of writing effectively in Tamil. Being mindful of subject-verb, adjective-noun, and noun-verb agreement can help you convey your ideas more clearly and make your writing more impactful. Keep in mind that these are just the basics of agreement in Tamil, and there are many more rules and exceptions to learn. By practicing and improving your understanding of agreement, you can become a better writer in Tamil.