Form, Structure, and Sense
A verb has to agree in number with its true subject — even when other words sit between them. Click a highlighted word below to see its role.
The dogSubject runsVerb quickly.
Finding the subject is easy when it sits right next to the verb, like in the first example. The trouble starts when other words come between them.
The bouquetSubject of flowers sitsVerb on the table.
Here, “flowers” sits right before the verb — but it isn’t the subject. The sentence is about the bouquet, which is singular, so the verb “sits” has to be singular too. A prepositional phrase like “of flowers” never contains the subject.
Neither the coach nor the playersSubject (closer to verb) wereVerb satisfied.
Compound subjects joined by or or nor are a special case: the verb agrees with whichever subject is closer to it. Here, “players” (plural) is closest, so the verb is “were,” even though “coach” (singular) comes first.
On the SAT, these questions almost always hide the real subject behind a distracting phrase or a tricky joining word. Cross out anything between the subject and the blank, and the correct verb usually becomes obvious.