Subject Verb Agreement
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Grammar and Usage
Summary
Subject-verb agreement is a common ACT English error type, and the key to getting these questions right is identifying the true subject before choosing the verb form. The most important traps involve extra phrases between the subject and verb and inverted sentence structure that places the subject after the verb.
- Start by recognizing that the ACT rarely tests subject-verb agreement in simple sentences; instead, it hides the subject by placing distracting singular or plural nouns between the true subject and the verb.
- Check prepositional phrases carefully because nouns inside them are often decoys; go back before the phrase to find the real subject, as in distinguishing between 'exam' and 'topics on the exam.'
- Remove subordinate clauses and parenthetical information set off by commas to isolate the main sentence, then match both the main verb and any related verb to the true subject.
- Handle more complex sentences by stripping away multiple layers of interruption, including stacked prepositional phrases and inserted clauses, until the core subject-verb structure is clear.
- Watch for subject-verb inversion, where the subject appears after the verb; in those cases, ask what is performing the action and mentally flip the sentence so the subject comes first.
- Use a final recap strategy: bracket interrupting phrases, identify the real subject, check whether the subject comes after the verb, and reread the sentence in a clearer order to confirm agreement.
Chapters
00:00
Why Subject-Verb Agreement Matters on the ACT
00:16
Finding the True Subject Through Distracting Phrases
01:24
Eliminating Prepositional Phrases and Clauses in Harder Sentences
03:51
Applying the Strategy to a Real ACT Example
04:50
Handling Subject-Verb Inversion and Final Review