Subject-verb agreement: special subjects — Digital SAT Reading & Writing practice
Compound, collective, and indefinite subjects.
Key ideas to know
Compound Subjects: And vs Or/Nor
Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence: The lead singer and the drummer _____ on stage right now. (perform / performs)
perform. Subjects joined by and form a plural compound subject, so they take a plural verb.
Watch out: Assuming the first subject alone determines the verb instead of recognizing the combined plural subject created by and.
Indefinite Pronouns: Some, All, Most
The following sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement. Identify the error and provide the correction: Many of the students has submitted their essays early.
The error is has. When some/all/most refer to a plural noun like students, they take a plural verb. Correct version: Many of the students have submitted...
Watch out: Treating words like some, all, or most as automatically singular instead of checking what noun follows them.
A number of vs the number of
Choose the correct verbs: “A number of applicants (is / are) waiting outside, and the number of open positions (has / have) decreased.”
are; has. A number of means several, so it takes a plural verb. The number of refers to one count, so it takes a singular verb.
Watch out: Using a singular verb after a number of because the word number looks singular.
Singular Nouns Ending in S
When editing a sentence, how do you decide if a subject like Economics or $50 takes a singular or plural verb?
Treat titles, specific amounts of money, and singular nouns ending in s as singular subjects. They always take singular verbs regardless of the s ending.
Watch out: Letting the final s trick you into using a plural verb when the subject is actually a single concept or amount.