Subject Verb Agreement SAT

Subject Verb Agreement SAT

Multiple Choice

The jury must decide the defendant's fate.

What is the subject?

• jury

• decide

• defendant

• fate

Multiple Choice

If you build it, he will come.

What are the two verbs?

• you; he

• build; come

• If you; he will

• This isn't a two verb sentence, silly

Multiple Choice

My name is Inigo Montoya.

What is the verb?

• My

• name

• is

• Inigo Montoya

Multiple Choice

The dude abides.

What is the subject?

• The

• dude

• abides.

Multiple Choice

Neither the mechanic nor his workers ________ able to

• was

• were

Multiple Choice

We tried to tell the teacher that either Bob or his three friends taking the same class (was, were) responsible for the broken desk.

• was

• were

Multiple Choice

Nothing in the report indicates that either the ladies from the office or the men from the health club (is, are) in line for a promotion.

• is

• are

Multiple Choice

Every time the teacher enters that classroom, either Bob or one of the other students (erase, erases) the board.

• erase

• erases

The trick is, get rid of all the prepositions and their phrases- none of them include the subject. On the next slides, see if you can determine the subject WITHOUT being tricked by prepositional phrases.

For example= Behind the tree on the side of the bank is the wagon.

Here, the subject is WAGON- it is in an odd place, but everything up until IS is a prepositional phrase.

Multiple Choice

The girl with the purple flower on her skirt was at the park in Dallas in the middle of the day

• Girl

• was

• park

• flower

Multiple Choice

Along the side of the road lay a robin, all crusted with dirt and debris

What is the subject?

• road

• robin

• dirt

• debris

Now, try making the subject and verb agree in spite of those crazy prepositions

Multiple Choice

One typewriter for two or three students (seems, seem) adequate.

• seems

• seem

Multiple Choice

The author of the stories in these books (is, are) Jackie Lander.

• is

• are

Multiple Choice

This collection of poems (look, looks) interesting

• looks

• look

Multiple Choice

We were amazed to discover that one of the horses (was, were) limping severely

• was

• were

Multiple Choice

Not one of the characters in those plays (seem, seems) good enough for the part.

• seem

• seems

Multiple Choice

Each of the signals on those two streets (is, are) broken.

• is

• are

Multiple Choice

Not one of the bills (was, were) counterfeit.

• was

• were