6. Subject & Verb Agreement (SAT) (SAT WRITING)

​Digital SAT

Grammar Section


Lesson 6

​ Subject & Verb
Agreement

​Subject and verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the verb in a sentence must agree in number with its subject. This means that if the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. Proper subject-verb agreement ensures that sentences are grammatically correct and easy to understand.

Basic Rules of Subject and Verb Agreement:

1. Singular Subjects with Singular Verbs:
Ex: The cat runs quickly.
A bird is flying toward north.

2. Plural Subjects with Plural Verbs:
Ex: The cats run quickly.
Birds are flying toward north.

​3. Subjects Joined by "and":
Ex: The cat and dog are friends.

4. Subjects Joined by "or" or "nor"
Ex: Neither the cat nor the dog is here.

5. Indefinite Pronouns:

Always singular: everyone, someone, each, either, neither, etc.
Ex: "Everyone loves a sunny day."

Always plural: several, few, both, many, etc.
Ex: "Many were invited to the party."

​6. Collective Nouns:

When a collective noun refers to a group acting as a single unit, use a singular verb.
Ex: The team is winning.

When the collective noun refers to individuals acting separately, use a plural verb.
Ex: The team are arguing among themselves.

​1. Simple Agreement:
Incorrect: The dog bark loudly.
Correct: The dog barks loudly.

2. Compound Subjects:
Incorrect: My friend and colleague was there.
Correct: My friend and colleague were there.

3. Subjects Separated from Verb:
Incorrect: The bouquet of flowers smell beautiful.
Correct: The bouquet of flowers smells beautiful.

4. Indefinite Pronouns:
Incorrect: Everyone are excited for the trip.
Correct: Everyone is excited for the trip.

​ Practice