Subject-Verb Agreement (Lesson 1 - Finding the subject)

This video tutorial explores the complexities of subject-verb agreement, a common area of grammatical errors. It provides methods to identify the subject of a clause, emphasizing the importance of ignoring prepositional phrases and understanding the roles of direct and indirect objects. The tutorial also covers complements, inverted clauses, gerunds, and dependent clauses, offering practical examples and exercises to reinforce learning.

What is the main rule of subject-verb agreement?

• A singular subject requires a plural verb.

• A plural subject requires a singular verb.

• A plural subject requires a verb in past tense.

• A singular subject requires a singular verb.

In the sentence 'The mayor gave his secretary a difficult task,' what is the indirect object?

• Mayor

• Gave

• Secretary

• Task

Which of the following is NOT a function of a complement in a sentence?

• Following a linking verb

• Equating with the subject

• Acting as a direct object

• Being part of a prepositional phrase

In an inverted clause, where does the subject typically appear?

• At the end of the sentence

• At the beginning of the sentence

• After the verb

• Before the verb

What role does the expletive 'there' play in a sentence?

• It functions as the subject.

• It introduces a prepositional phrase.

• It never functions as the subject.

• It acts as a direct object.

In the sentence 'Cooking is serving as the simple subject,' what is 'cooking'?

• A direct object

• A gerund

• A complement

• An indirect object

Which of the following can function as the subject of a clause?

• A dependent clause

• An indirect object

• An expletive

• A prepositional phrase