SAT Reading & Writing: Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases
41+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
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The SAT aggressively tests subject-verb agreement by placing long, confusing phrases between the actual subject and its verb.
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These intervening phrases are often prepositional phrases ("of the studies", "in the lab") or nonessential clauses ("who was recently promoted").
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STRATEGY: Cross out or bracket off the intervening phrase to clearly see the core subject and verb.
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Example: "The cache of ancient coins, discovered by historians last year, WERE sold." (Incorrect. Cross out the middle; "The cache... were sold" is wrong. It should be "was").
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Modifiers do not change the number of the subject.
- ✗ Matching the verb to the noun immediately preceding it (which is often part of a prepositional phrase) instead of the true subject.
SAT-style practice
The collection of rare books, including several first editions from the 1800s, _____ on display in the main hall.
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