Subject-Verb Agreement on the SAT: Identifying and Fixing Errors

A verb must agree in number with its subject. Singular subjects pair with singular verbs, and plural subjects pair with plural verbs. "The dog runs" uses singular verb "runs" with singular subject "dog." "The dogs run" uses plural verb "run" with plural subject "dogs." In English, the only verb form changes that mark number are in third-person singular present tense. He/she/it runs (adds 's'), while I/you/we/they run (no 's'). Most other verb tenses and forms do not change with the subject, which is why many agreement errors happen in past tense or with longer sentences where the connection between subject and verb is less obvious. Finding the simple subject (the noun the sentence is about, ignoring modifiers and prepositional phrases) is the first step to checking agreement correctly. In the sentence "The quality of the apples depends on the weather," the subject is "quality," not "apples." The verb "depends" agrees with the singular subject "quality."

Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb often confuse students. The phrase is not the subject, even if the object of the preposition is plural. "The box of cookies is in the kitchen." The subject is "box" (singular), so "is" (singular) is correct, even though "cookies" is plural and close to the verb. Identify the subject first by crossing out the prepositional phrase mentally. Another common confusion arises with subjects joined by "and." "The cat and dog are sleeping." The two subjects together form a plural group, so the verb "are" is plural. If the subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. "Either the cat or the dogs are sleeping" uses "are" because "dogs" is plural. "Either the dogs or the cat is sleeping" uses "is" because "cat" is closest and is singular.

Collective nouns (team, group, family, jury) can be singular or plural depending on context. If the group acts as a unit, use singular: "The team is winning." If the group acts as individuals, use plural: "The team are arguing with each other." In American English, singular is more common, so assume singular unless the context clearly shows individuals acting separately. Indefinite pronouns like "everyone," "somebody," "nobody," and "nothing" are always singular, even though they refer to multiple people. "Everyone is welcome" uses singular "is," not "are." Indefinite pronouns like "some," "most," and "all" can be singular or plural depending on what they modify. "Some of the cake is left" (singular, referring to one cake). "Some of the apples are left" (plural, referring to multiple apples). When you see an indefinite pronoun or collective noun, check what it refers to or what context surrounds it to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural. This is more complex than the basic agreement rules, which is why questions testing these scenarios appear on the SAT.

Inverted sentences, where the verb appears before the subject, are easy to mess up. "In the corner sits a cat" has the verb "sits" before the subject "cat." Reading backwards helps identify the subject and check agreement. Relative clauses (introduced by "who," "which," or "that") must have verbs agreeing with their specific subject, not the main clause's subject. "The student who have good study habits succeed." Here, "who" refers to "student" (singular), so the verb should be "has," not "have." Identifying the antecedent (the noun that "who" or "that" refers to) is essential for fixing these errors. Complex sentences with multiple clauses can hide agreement errors because the subject of one clause may be far from its verb, buried among other information.

On the SAT, you are usually given a sentence with an underlined verb and asked whether it agrees with the subject. Your task is to identify the subject (the noun performing the action or being described), check whether the verb form matches the subject's number, and select whether the sentence is correct or identify the error. Common error patterns include singular subject with plural verb form, plural subject with singular verb form, and tense inconsistency that affects agreement. A sentence like "The series of events was complicated" is often wrong because students see "events" (plural) and want "were," but the subject is "series" (singular), making "was" correct. To avoid this pitfall, cover or mentally remove prepositional phrases and modifiers to see the core subject-verb relationship clearly. In your practice, build the habit of identifying and writing down the subject before evaluating whether the verb form is correct.

Agreement errors sometimes hide in longer, more complex sentences where the subject is far from the verb. "The committee, despite disagreements among its members about budget allocations and staffing priorities, have decided to move forward." The subject is "committee" (singular), so "have" should be "has." The long clause between subject and verb tempts you to look at "disagreements" or "members" (plural) and choose a plural verb. Disciplined reading that identifies the subject first prevents this error. On multiple-choice questions, you can also use the answer choices to guide you. If two choices differ only in verb form (is vs. are, has vs. have), then agreement is the issue being tested, and identifying the subject will clarify which form is correct.

When proofreading for subject-verb agreement, use a consistent process. Read the sentence aloud in your head, paying attention to how the subject and verb sound together. Does "the committee have" sound right? Probably not; your ear might catch that "the committee has" sounds better (if you are a native English speaker). For non-native speakers or in cases where your ear is not reliable, write down the subject and verb separately, remove intervening words, and check agreement mechanically. Read a sentence like "The list of required textbooks for all courses in the fall semester is on the bulletin board" by identifying the subject "list" and the verb "is" and ignoring everything in between. This mechanical approach catches errors even when the sentence is long and complex. If you are uncertain whether a sentence has an agreement error and time is running out, move on and return to it with fresh eyes later if you have time. Often, reading a sentence again after completing other problems makes the error obvious because your mind is less fatigued.

On test day, agreement questions are usually part of larger grammar questions that test multiple concepts, so take time to identify what is being tested. If the underlined section includes a verb, agreement is likely being tested. If it includes a noun or pronoun, a different grammatical concept might be the issue. Reading the entire sentence before deciding helps you understand the context and spot errors. Do not fixate on one part of the sentence; read it holistically and check for agreement along with other grammar rules. This integrated approach catches more errors than narrow focus on one specific rule.