Subject-Verb Agreement (SAT Writing)

The Basic Rule

Subjects and verbs must agree in NUMBER:

• Singular subject → singular verb
• Plural subject → plural verb

Simple examples:

✓ The dog runs fast. (singular)
✓ The dogs run fast. (plural)

❌ The dog run fast.
❌ The dogs runs fast.

Finding the Subject

Ignore Prepositional Phrases

Rule: The subject is NEVER in a prepositional phrase

Common prepositions: of, in, on, at, by, with, from, to, for, about

❌ The box of chocolates are on the table.
✓ The box of chocolates is on the table.

• Subject: "box" (singular), NOT "chocolates"

❌ The students in the classroom was quiet.
✓ The students in the classroom were quiet.

• Subject: "students" (plural), NOT "classroom"

Strategy: Cross out prepositional phrases to find the real subject

Subjects After the Verb

In questions and inverted sentences, subject comes AFTER verb:

❌ Where is the books?
✓ Where are the books?

• Subject: "books" (plural)

❌ There is many reasons.
✓ There are many reasons.

• Subject: "reasons" (plural)

Tip: Flip the sentence: "The books are where?" → easier to see agreement

Tricky Subjects

Indefinite Pronouns

ALWAYS SINGULAR:

• Each, every, either, neither
• Everyone, someone, anyone, no one, nobody
• Everybody, somebody, anybody
• Everything, something, anything, nothing

✓ Everyone is welcome.
✓ Each of the students has a textbook.
✓ Neither of the answers is correct.

❌ Everyone are welcome.
❌ Each of the students have a textbook.

ALWAYS PLURAL:

• Both, few, many, several

✓ Both are correct.
✓ Few have arrived.
✓ Many were invited.

DEPENDS ON CONTEXT:

• All, some, most, none

✓ All of the pizza is gone. (pizza = singular)
✓ All of the students are here. (students = plural)

✓ Some of the work is done. (work = singular)
✓ Some of the books are missing. (books = plural)

Compound Subjects

Joined by "AND" → PLURAL:

✓ Sarah and Emily are friends.
✓ The book and the pen are on the desk.

Joined by "OR" or "NOR" → Match the CLOSEST subject:

✓ Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.

• "students" (plural) is closest to verb

✓ Neither the students nor the teacher was ready.

• "teacher" (singular) is closest to verb

✓ Either the manager or the employees have the key.

• "employees" (plural) is closest

Collective Nouns

Treat as SINGULAR when acting as ONE unit:

✓ The team is winning.
✓ The committee has decided.
✓ The family is moving to Texas.

Common collective nouns: team, group, committee, family, class, audience, jury, crowd

Titles and Names

ALWAYS SINGULAR, even if they sound plural:

✓ The Lord of the Rings is a famous book.
✓ Twenty dollars is too much.
✓ Five miles is a long distance to walk.
✓ United States is a large country.

Confusing Situations

Relative Clauses (who, which, that)

The verb agrees with the ANTECEDENT:

✓ She is one of the students who are studying abroad.

• "who" refers to "students" (plural)

✓ He is the only one of the candidates who has experience.

• "who" refers to "one" (singular)

Tip: Find what "who/which/that" refers to

Phrases that Interrupt

Ignore these when finding agreement:

• along with
• as well as
• together with
• in addition to

✓ The teacher, along with the students, is attending.

• Subject: "teacher" (singular)
• "along with the students" is NOT part of subject

✓ The painting, as well as the sculptures, was sold.

• Subject: "painting" (singular)

SAT Tricks to Watch For

Trick 1: Long Separation

SAT puts lots of words between subject and verb:

❌ The discovery of new planets by the telescope were exciting.
✓ The discovery of new planets by the telescope was exciting.

• Subject: "discovery" (singular)

Strategy: Find subject, cross out everything else, check agreement

Trick 2: Plural-Sounding Singular Subjects

❌ Mathematics are my favorite subject.
✓ Mathematics is my favorite subject.

❌ The news are on at 6 PM.
✓ The news is on at 6 PM.

Other examples: physics, economics, measles, mumps

Trick 3: "One of the" + Plural Noun

❌ One of the books are missing.
✓ One of the books is missing.

• Subject: "One" (singular), NOT "books"

Trick 4: Inverted Word Order

❌ Among the reasons for the delay was poor planning.
✓ Among the reasons for the delay were poor planning and bad weather.

• Subject comes AFTER verb

Flip it: "Poor planning and bad weather were among the reasons"

Common SAT Patterns

Pattern 1: Indefinite Pronoun + Prepositional Phrase

❌ Each of the employees have received a bonus.
✓ Each of the employees has received a bonus.

Remember: "each" is always singular, ignore "of the employees"

Pattern 2: There is/There are

❌ There is several options available.
✓ There are several options available.

Strategy: Find the real subject after the verb

Pattern 3: Here is/Here are

❌ Here is the documents you requested.
✓ Here are the documents you requested.

Pattern 4: Subject after Verb in Questions

❌ Where is your keys?
✓ Where are your keys?

Flip to statement: "Your keys are where?"

Quick Decision Process

When you see an underlined verb:

1. Find the subject (who/what is doing the action?)
2. Cross out prepositional phrases and interrupting clauses
3. Determine if subject is singular or plural
4. Match verb to subject (singular subject = singular verb)
5. Double-check by reading with your answer

Common Wrong Answer Traps

❌ Matching verb to nearest noun (instead of actual subject)

• "The bouquet of roses ARE" → wrong! Subject is "bouquet" (singular)

❌ Treating "each/every" as plural (they're always singular)

• "Each student HAVE" → wrong! "Each" is singular

❌ Making verb agree with compound object instead of compound subject

• "John or his friends IS" → wrong! Closest subject "friends" is plural

❌ Forgetting that titles/amounts are singular

• "Five dollars ARE" → wrong! Amounts are singular

Practice Strategy

For every subject-verb question:

1. Circle the subject
2. Draw a line through distractors (prepositional phrases, etc.)
3. Determine if subject is singular (S) or plural (P)
4. Choose verb that matches

Example:

The collection of ancient artifacts <u>was/were</u> donated to the museum.

1. Subject: "collection" (S)
2. Cross out: "of ancient artifacts"
3. Singular subject needs singular verb
4. Answer: was ✓

Summary Checklist

When checking subject-verb agreement:

☐ Located the true subject (not in prepositional phrase)
☐ Crossed out intervening words/phrases
☐ Determined if subject is singular or plural
☐ Checked for tricky indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, etc.)
☐ Verified compound subjects (and = plural, or/nor = match closest)
☐ Remembered collective nouns are usually singular
☐ Checked for inverted sentences (verb before subject)

Remember: The SAT will try to trick you by separating the subject and verb. Always identify the subject first, ignore distractors, and make sure they agree in number!