Study Guide
Subject–Verb Agreement A verb must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject. On Standard English Conventions questions, the trap is usually that something sits between the subject and the verb — a prepositional phrase, an appositive, or a parenthetical — and it's easy to mistakenly match the verb to that nearby noun instead of to the real subject. Steps to find the real subject Common patterns to watch for Quick check Whenever you see a long noun phrase before the verb, mentally strip it down to the core subject before choosing the verb. If in doubt, replace the subject with "it" (singular) or "they" (plural) and see which sounds right.