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Subject-verb agreement

Match a verb to its real subject, even when phrases sit between them or the order is inverted.

Standard English ConventionsReading and Writing
Practice subject-verb agreement free

What the SAT actually asks

You choose the verb form that agrees in number with its subject. The difficulty is almost never the rule itself. It is finding the subject, because the SAT inserts prepositional phrases, relative clauses, or appositives between the subject and the verb, or inverts the order so the verb comes first. Collective nouns acting as a unit take singular verbs. Compound subjects joined by and are plural, while subjects joined by or take the number of the nearer part.

Subject-verb agreement usually accounts for about 2 to 3 of the 54 reading and writing questions, within the roughly 26 percent Conventions share.

Where students lose points

How to attack these questions

  1. 1Cross out every prepositional phrase and interrupting clause, then read the subject and verb next to each other.
  2. 2Flip inverted sentences back to normal order so the subject sits in front of the verb.
  3. 3Decide singular or plural before you look at the choices, then eliminate every choice with the wrong number.

Example questions

Written for this skill, with the answer explained. 76 more are in the app.

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Subject-verb agreement
Real question

Rows of dark solar panels ______ the warehouse roof from one parapet to the other, tilted at the angle that catches the most winter sun.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Easier

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The panel of experts ______ reviewing proposals submitted last month.

  • A) is ✓
  • B) are
  • C) were
  • D) have been

Why: “The panel” is a singular collective noun acting as one body, so the verb is singular; “of experts” is a prepositional phrase. “are” is plural and agrees with “experts” inside that phrase rather than with “panel.” “were” is plural for the same reason, and its past tense conflicts with review presented as currently under way. “have been” is plural present perfect, so it fails the same agreement test.

Easier

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The results from several recent surveys ______ consistent with earlier findings.

  • A) are ✓
  • B) was
  • C) is
  • D) has been

Why: The subject is "results," which is plural, so it takes the plural verb "are." The phrase "from several recent surveys" does not change the subject. "Is," "has been," and "was" are all singular.

Medium

The director, along with the two lead actors and the entire design team, ______ present at the final dress rehearsal, which ran three hours past midnight.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) are
  • B) were
  • C) have been
  • D) was ✓

Why: The subject is the singular noun "The director," and a phrase introduced by "along with" is parenthetical, so it does not create a compound subject. "were" is plural and agrees with "actors" and "team" inside that parenthetical phrase. "are" is plural and also shifts to the present, which contradicts the past narration in "ran three hours past midnight." "have been" is plural as well, and the present perfect does not fit a single finished event at one rehearsal.

Questions students ask

How do I find the subject of a sentence on the SAT?

Ask who or what is performing the verb, then check that the word you picked is not inside a prepositional phrase. Subjects never sit inside phrases beginning with of, in, with, along with, or as well as. Crossing those phrases out makes the subject obvious.

Is a collective noun singular or plural?

In standard American usage a collective noun such as team, committee, or jury is singular when the group acts as one unit, so it takes a singular verb and the pronoun it. SAT questions almost always use them this way.

What happens with subjects joined by or?

The verb agrees with whichever part of the subject is closer to it. With neither the coach nor the players are ready, players is nearer, so the plural verb is correct. Subjects joined by and are simply plural.

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Questions on subject-verb agreement alone, with explanations on every one, and the app tracks which ones you keep missing.

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