S11 Handout — Grammar: Agreement, Tense & Form

Objectives

By the end of this session

Find the true grammatical subject, ignoring every interrupter between it and the verb.
Match pronouns to their antecedents — including singular "they" and indefinite pronouns.
Keep verb tense consistent with the passage's timeline.
Choose the correct verb form: infinitive, gerund, past participle, subjunctive.

Method · Agreement

Isolate the true subject

Most subject–verb errors hide behind words placed between the subject and the verb. The fix is to delete the interrupter and read the bare subject against the verb.

Find the verb, then ask "who/what does it?"

The answer is your subject — never a noun inside a prepositional phrase or a clause that merely describes it.

Cross out interrupters

Strike phrases like of the senators, , along with its rivals,, who studied abroad. They never contain the subject.

Read subject + verb alone

The box of old letters was found — not "were." The subject is box, singular.

Inverted sentencesWhen a sentence starts with "There" or "Here," the subject comes after the verb: "There are three reasons" (subject = reasons).

Reference · Tricky subjects

Subjects that trip people

Pattern	Takes	Example
Collective noun (team, group, jury, committee)	singular	The committee meets weekly.
"A number of …"	plural	A number of files are missing.
"The number of …"	singular	The number of files is rising.
Indefinite: each, every, either, neither, anyone	singular	Each of the plans has flaws.
Indefinite: both, few, many, several	plural	Few of them were ready.
Subject joined by "or / neither…nor"	matches nearer	Neither the dogs nor the cat is here.

Method · Pronouns

Match the antecedent

A pronoun must agree in number with the noun it replaces. Indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, anybody) are singular — and the SAT now accepts singular "they" when the antecedent's gender is unknown, but only when it's genuinely singular in number.

Classic trap"Each student must bring their book" can be correct on the current SAT, but "Each student must bring them book" never is — and a plural verb after "each" is still wrong.

Reference · Tense & form

Hold the timeline

Pick the tense the passage's other verbs establish. If the surrounding sentences are in the past, a sudden present-tense verb is the error — unless the meaning demands a shift (a fact that's still true, an event before another past event).

Form	Use when	Example
`past participle` (had + -en/-ed)	an action finished before another past action	By 1920 she had published three novels.
`infinitive` (to + verb)	after certain verbs: want, decide, hope	They decided to wait.
`gerund` (-ing as a noun)	after prepositions; as a subject	Reading daily helps.
`subjunctive` (were / be)	hypotheticals; demands & recommendations	If it were true… · We ask that he be present.

Worked examples

See it run

Example 1 · Subject isolation · Natural Science

A collection of fossils unearthed at three separate sites ______ now displayed in the regional museum.

Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

are
is
were being
have been

WhyCross out "of fossils unearthed at three separate sites." The bare subject is collection — singular → is. The plural "fossils/sites" is bait.

Example 2 · Tense timeline · History

By the time the treaty was signed in 1748, the two nations ______ for nearly a decade, and both populations were exhausted.

Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

fight
are fighting
had been fighting
will fight

WhyThe fighting happened before the 1748 signing (itself past), so use the past perfect progressive: had been fighting. Present and future tenses break the timeline.