The Northern Subject Rule is a grammatical pattern that occurs in Northern English and Scots dialects.[1] Present-tense verbs may take the verbal ‑s suffix, except when they are directly adjacent to one of the personal pronouns I, you, we, or they as their subject. As a result, they sing contrasts with the birds sings; they sing and dances; it's you that sings; I only sings.[2] Various core areas for the rule have been proposed, including Yorkshire[2] and southern Scotland.[3]
The Northern subject rule is also present in Newfoundland English, although a 2011 study by Philip Comeau[4] argues that it differs from the Northern subject rule of British dialects, because it is a marker of habitual aspect or verb stativity.
In several other dialects across England, occasional variations in agreement between subjects and verbs can be found.[5]
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)