Subject Verb Agreement (Intervening Phrases)

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

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Subject-Verb Agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its verb.

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What is an intervening phrase?

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An intervening phrase is a group of words that comes between the subject and the verb in a sentence, which can sometimes confuse the subject-verb agreement.

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In the sentence 'The bike, as well as the car, _____ a flat tire,' what is the correct verb form?

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The correct verb form is 'has' because the main subject 'The bike' is singular.

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In the sentence 'Dan, plus Margaret and Fred, _____ the piano,' what is the correct verb form?

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The correct verb form is 'plays' because the main subject 'Dan' is singular.

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In the sentence 'The dog, as well as the cat, _____ a good bath,' what is the correct verb form?

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The correct verb form is 'needs' because the main subject 'The dog' is singular.

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In the sentence 'Rattlesnakes, copperheads, coral snakes, cottonmouths _____ four kinds of poisonous snakes found in the United States,' what is the correct verb form?

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The correct verb form is 'are' because the subject is plural.

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In the sentence 'A vocabulary notebook or vocabulary flashcards _____ helpful for review,' what is the correct verb form?

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The correct verb form is 'are' because the subject is plural (vocabulary flashcards).

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What is the rule for subject-verb agreement when using 'as well as'?

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When using 'as well as,' the verb agrees with the main subject, not the intervening phrase.

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What is the rule for subject-verb agreement when using 'plus'?

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When using 'plus,' the verb agrees with the first subject mentioned.

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How do you determine the correct verb form in a sentence with multiple subjects?

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Identify the main subject and determine if it is singular or plural to choose the correct verb form.