These question types require you to identify a mismatch between a subject and a verb. For example, you wouldn’t say “I eats spaghetti”. Instead you would say “I eat spaghetti”. While this mistake is fairly easy to catch, the SAT often complicates matters by putting extra words between the subject(s) and the verb. The test does so in three main ways:

1) Comma Split
        The restaurant, which is rated the best in the city, serves Japanese food.
        Movie stars, although extremely wealthy, receive free gifts every day.

2) Prepositional Phrase Split
        The toys inside the box are meant for the kindergarteners.
        A full record of all immunizations of students is kept by the elementary school.

3) That / Who Split
        The DVD player that I want is too expensive for me to buy.
        The doctor who examined me insists that nothing is wrong.

SAMPLE PRACTICE QUESTION FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT (THE SPLITS)

        The remainder of the finances available in the treasury
                        (A)
        are not sufficient to pay for more than one or two of the
        (B)                                              (C)
        needed computers. No Error
            (D)                            (E)

Choice (B) is a verb and, whenever you encounter a verb, you need to search for the noun(s) with which the verb is linked. Recognizing the subject-verb split, the question looks like this:

        The remainder of the finances available in the treasury
                        (A)
        are not sufficient to pay for more than one or two of the
        (B)                                              (C)
        needed computers. No Error
            (D)                            (E)

Since "remainder" is singular (like "she"), choice (B) is incorrect and should be "is".

SAT Writing: Using Subject - Verb Agreement

Lesson Includes:

—Explanation of Subject - Verb Agreement

—Sample Practice Question

—Practice Question

SAT Math

SAT Reading

SAT Writing

SAT Vocabulary

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT (THE SPLITS) REVIEW QUIZ

 

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