Verbal agreement differences in spoken and written Brazilian Portuguese and their consequences for the teaching of composition

Résumé

Abstract: This study will attempt to show to what extent the written language is influenced by the structural patterns of spoken language with reference to the phenomenon of verbal agreement with inverted subjects. From an analysis of data obtained in recordings of informal conversations between students and university teachers, I will attempt to show that the alleged "errors", which are made by our students in their school compositions and are attributed to their incapacity to assimilate certain rules, are nothing more than a simple reflection of the spoken language of Brazil.