Crossout error 212

Subject Verb Agreement

You know how you have to conjugate the verb to match the subject in foreign languages? We have the same thing in English, and it canget tricky even though thesimple cases seem so natural and obvious tous:

Example 1

Wong: You is smart. '

Correct Youaresmart.

Example 2

Wrong: Everyday thealarmclock go«» offaitdwewakesup to confront our lives.

CoiT^ Everyday thealarmclock goes off and wewake up to confront our lives.

The subject isanoun (person, place, or thing) thatis the "doer" or "main feature" in the sentence. Averb isan action word. Think about the simple sentences above and how awkward it would be to have verbs that don't agree with the subject. You don't even have to know what tlie subject and verb of each sentence is to know that it's awkward. Now the SATwon't make it that easy on you; they'll intentionally try to trick your ear. Let's do an example:

Investigations into the scandal {shows/show) a lot more than wowant to know.

To pick theright verb, we must first find thesubject. Let's start byapplying what we learned in a previous chapter and crossout the prepositional phrases:

Investigations irrte-the-seandai (shows/show) a lot more than we want to know.

What's left is the subject—investigations! Now llie second step is to ask yourself whether itwesfii^aHons is singular or plural. Well, it's plural because of the s. meaning there's more than one. Therefore, we need the plural verb show. And that's the whole process! Cross out the prepositional phrases and you'll beable to pick

thesubject from thenounsthat are left. It's usually theremaining noun closest to the verb.

Ifyou're ever unsure ofwiiether a verb such asshow issingular orplural, test it by putting he and Ihey in front and then asking yourself which sounds more correct:

He show... OR Theyshow...

Hopefully, They show... sounds more correct to you, wliich means show is the plural form (since Ihey isobvi ously plural).

Let's try somemore difficult ones. Note that in the following example, we can cross out both a prepositional phrase and a comma phrase.

Examples

Question: Films by Miyazaki and Itami, including Miyazaki's Spirited Away, (exciteslexcite) the I imagination. i

Stepl: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: | Films by-Miyazaki and Itamt, mehtdtng Miyazaki's Spirited-Away, {excites/excite) the! imagination. |

Step 2: What is the subject? Filtns | Step 3: Is Films singular or plural? Plural. |

Answer: Films by Miyazaki and Itami, including Miyazaki's Spirited Azvay, excite the imagination. |

Example 4

Question: Her jewelry, in addition to her pokemon cards, {umfyoere) stolen by the robber. \ s

Stepl: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: | Herjewelry, in-additien to her pokemon cards, {was/ivere) stolen by-tl\e-robber.

Step 2: What is the subject? Her jaixby | Step 3: Is Heryciw/n/singular or plural? Singular. ]

Answer Herjewelry, in addition toher pokemon cards, wasstolenby therobber. *

You might think that the verb should be plural because thesentence mentions both jewelry and cards, but becauseof the commaphrase, thesubject is just the jewelry.

CHAPTHRe SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Example 5

Question: Beside thebins, where onecould smell the stenchof rotteneggs, (rvasAoere) a packof philos ophy majors gatliering cans for recycling.

Step1: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: Beside the bins, wheie-eme-eould-smell the stcnch-of-fotten-eggs, (msAoere) a pack ©f;

Step 2: What is the subject? a pack

Step 3: Isa pack singularor plural? Singular.

Answer. Beside the bins, whore one could smell the stench of rotten eggs, was a pack of philosophy majors gathering cans for recycling. i

Again, make sure you can identify that is singular whereas were is plural. Everyone uses the correct form in simple conversation, but some studcnte have trouble identifying the correct form in a grammar test setting.

Example 6

Question: Inside heaven's kingdom (resls/rest) Charlie and his angels. I

Step 1: Cross out the prepositional phra.ses/comma phrases/relative clauses; | Inside hem-ev^kiftgdom (rests/rest) Charlie and his angels. I

Step 2: What is tlie subject? C/inr//t*flHd/H'sflH^/s | Step 3: IsCharlie and his angels singularor plural? Plural.

Answer Insideheaven's kingdom rest Charlieand his angels.

Example 7

Question: There (is/are) many other examples to support my point.

Step 1: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: There aren't any to cross out. Note that to support is nota prepositional phrase because It. doesn't end in a noun. It's an infinitive.

Step 2: What is thesubject? tmnyother exatnples

Step 3: Is numy other examples singularor plural? FluraL

Answer There are many other examples to support my point . r. L These last three examples show that the subject can appear after the verb, something the SAT loves to do to trip shidents up.

Another question variation you'll come across deals with helping verbs, which are necessary to form certain tenses. Examples of helpingverbsare boldcd below;

has seen

was forgotten is watching have been

When you seethese verb forms, it is thehelping verb thatmust agree with thesubject.

Example 8

Question: The few ideas that I'vecome upwith last night (tmfliave) given myteam enough to work with.

Step 1: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: The few ideasthat I'vecomeup witlr last-night (luts/lutve) given myteam enough to work with.

Step 2: What is the subject? Thefew ideas

Step 3: Is Thefew ideas singularor plural?Plural. ;; \

Correct: The few ideas that I've come upwith last night have given my team enough towork with.

Example 9

Question: The forks and knives are in the kitchen, and the jar with the thai peanut sauce {has/tiave) been sittingin the refrigerator.

Step1: Cross out the prepositional phrases/comma phra.<}es/relative clauses: The forks and knives are in the kitchen, and the jarwith the thai-peanut satiee (has/have) been sitting in the refrigerator. r

Step 2; Whatis the subject? f/jc/ar

Step3: Is the jar singular or plural? Singular,

Answer The forks and laiives are in the kitchen, and the jarwith the thaipeanutsauce hasbeen sitting in thereftig^ator.

Example 10

Question: The players on ourall-star tennis team {is/are) taken on luxiuy cruises every year.

Step1: Cross out theprepositional phrases/comma phrases/relative clauses: The playere onouraM-atar-tennis team (is/are) taken on luxury cruises every year.

Step2: What is the subject? The players

Step 3: Is The players singular or plural? Plural.

Answer The players onourall-star tennis team are taken onluxury cruises every year.

Another question variation you might see isone in which the verb is in a phrase orclause you would normally crosscut. Tor example,

Ivisited my aunt, who (is/are) a panda caretaker, earlier today.

Note that the underlined portion isa comma phrase. To find the subject if the verb is located in a phrase or clause like the one above, just ask yourself what it's describing. In this case, the phrase is obviously describing my aunt, which is singular. Therefore, we need the singular verb is.

1visited my aunt, who is a panda caretaker, earlier today.

CHAPTERS SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Example 11

Question: Where are the cookies that {wasAvere) in the cookie jar? •• | «

Answer Where are the cookies that were in the cookie jar? . . , ^ *

In Example 11, we have a relative clause that describes cookies, which is plural.

Example 12

Question; 1haveno interest in luxury products, which{calers/caler) only to the wealthy.

Answer Ihave no interest in luxury products, which cater only to the wealthy. | Now let's walk through a really tricky example that combines everything we've learned so far in this chap-

Mastery ofmagic tricks that truly{surprises/surprise) theaudience (requires/require) lotsof time.

Here, we have to figure out the subjects for two vcihs. Cross out the prepositional phrases and relative clause:

Mastery of lots of-time.

Now it's easy tosee thatnmfery is themain subject ofthesentence. Mastery issingular soweneed thesingular verb requites. After all, it's the mastery that requires a lot of time. But let's gel back to the first verb, which is crossed out within the relative clause, and ask ourselves what that relative clause is describing. What is truly surprising the audience? Magic tricks! Magic tricks is plural so wo need the plural verb surprise.