Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject of a sentence must always agree with the verb. A common mistake in this area would be: He walk. Obviously, the subject in the sentence “He” does not agree with the verb ”walk.” The correct way of stating the sentence would be “He walks.” If only the SATs were this easy! However, the concept behind the question and the example given is essentially the same. SAT test makers usually present this type of question in three different ways:
Subject-Verb Split
instead of placing the subject near the verb (as in the first example), SAT test-makers commonly separate the subject from the verb with distracting words, phrases or clauses. “The mother along with her children (is/are) going to the mall.” In this sentence, what would the correct verb be? “IS”. In this sentence, “mother” functions as the subject, “along with her children” is just a phrase used to distract the test-taker. SAT test makers will try to trick students by placing a plural noun just before the verb. To avoid being tricked, simply cover up the distracting clause before the verb, which should point straight to the actual subject of the subject.
Correlative Conjunction
Another common trick that is commonly used in this section of the SATs is the correlative conjunction trick. Two of the most common correlative conjunctions are “Neither/Nor” and “Either/Or”. In these examples, the subject that is closest to the verb will determine which verb to use. For example,” Neither the student nor his classmates are enjoying the lesson. “In this sentence, there are two subjects – “student” and “classmates”. However, the subject “classmates” is closest to the verb, thus the verb must be plural. Knowing this tidbit will help when any correlative conjunction is thrown into the question. This type of trick is used very frequently on the SAT test.
Inverted Word Order
SAT test makers have yet another trick up their sleeve. The following will be referred to as the inverted word order trick. When a sentence begins with a long-winded phrase, look for clues that will commit the sentence to a certain verb usage before the subject is even stated. In this particular instance, a reader may become confused and lose track of the subject or mistake the subject for an object previously stated. For example, “At the back of the bus are a small seat and a large seat for students. “ In this example, the test-taker may notice only the first subject “small seat” and skim over the second, which makes the example plural. Inverted constructions like these may fool some less careful test takers, allowing for a careless mistake in subject-verb agreement.
