American Diploma · ACT · English: Usage

ACT Subject–Verb Agreement: Find the True Subject

How to find the true subject behind phrases, extra information and inverted word order — compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, collective nouns, “the number of”, who/which/that clauses — with worked examples and an ACT-style quiz.

American Diploma › ACT English and Reading — Complete Course

Subject–verb agreement is the most common grammar idea on ACT English. The rule itself is simple — a singular subject takes a singular verb, a plural subject takes a plural verb — but the test almost never puts the subject right next to its verb. It hides the subject behind a long phrase, flips the sentence round, or uses a word such as each, neither or the number of that looks plural but is not. This lesson teaches you to find the true subject every time.

What this question type tests

Agreement questions belong to Conventions of Standard English, which is 38–43% of the 40 scored English questions (together with punctuation, sentence structure and the other usage topics). The question looks like every other ACT English question: a verb is underlined in the essay and the four choices, usually starting with NO CHANGE, give different forms of that verb.

Do a quick vertical scan of the choices. If they switch between singular and plural forms (is / are, was / were, has / have, makes / make), it is an agreement question. Sometimes the choices also change tense (is / was / has been); then you must check both agreement and the tense of the paragraph — but agreement usually removes two choices at once.

The -s confusion

Nouns and verbs work in opposite ways. A noun with -s is usually plural (one lantern → two lanterns), but a present-tense verb with -s is singular (the lantern shines → the lanterns shine). So: The lantern shines. The lanterns shine. Only one of the pair gets the -s.

The three-step method

Find the verb. It is usually the underlined word.
Find its true subject. Ask “Who or what ___?” (Who or what attracts?). Cross out prepositional phrases (of…, in…, with…, for…), extra information between commas or dashes, and who/which/that clauses that sit between the subject and the verb.
Decide: singular or plural? Then read the bare sentence — subject + verb — aloud in your head: “The collection … attracts.” Finally, check that the tense still matches the paragraph.

Singular subject	Plural subject
he / she / it is, was, has, does, goes	they are, were, have, do, go
The bridge is old.	The bridges are old.
The engine has stopped.	The engines have stopped.
The river floods every year.	The rivers flood every year.

Note that the simple past is the same for singular and plural (it stopped / they stopped), except for was / were. That is why agreement questions use the present tense, was/were, or has/have so often.

Rule 1: Cross out prepositional phrases

The subject of a sentence is never inside a prepositional phrase. Phrases that begin with of, in, on, at, with, for, from, between, among, near, behind, about only describe the subject. The test puts a plural noun at the end of the phrase, right before the verb, so that the wrong verb “sounds” right. This is the nearest-noun trap.

✗ Wrong	✓ Right	True subject
The walls of the old fort is cracked.	The walls of the old fort are cracked.	walls (plural)
The box of old letters were found in the attic.	The box of old letters was found in the attic.	box (singular)
The quality of the photographs have improved.	The quality of the photographs has improved.	quality (singular)
A list of the names of all the workers are on the wall.	A list of the names of all the workers is on the wall.	list (singular)
The road between the two villages flood every winter.	The road between the two villages floods every winter.	road (singular)

Long subjects can contain two or three phrases in a row (“A list of the names of all the workers”). Keep crossing out until you reach the first noun of the sentence that is not inside a phrase.

Rule 2: Extra information does not change the subject

Words placed between commas, dashes or brackets are extra information. Phrases that begin with along with, together with, as well as, in addition to, including, accompanied by and like look as if they add a second person to the subject, but they do not. Only and joins two subjects.

✗ Wrong	✓ Right
The captain, along with his crew, were rescued.	The captain, along with his crew, was rescued.
My aunt, as well as her three sons, live in Tanta.	My aunt, as well as her three sons, lives in Tanta.
The new museum — with its glass halls and gardens — attract thousands.	The new museum — with its glass halls and gardens — attracts thousands.
The ancient city of Thebes, which included the temples of Karnak and Luxor, were the capital.	The ancient city of Thebes, which included the temples of Karnak and Luxor, was the capital.

Watch the second verb. When one subject has two or three verbs, every verb must agree with it, even the one that is far away: ✓ “The museum, which was built in 1902, opens at nine and closes at five.” ✗ “…opens at nine and close at five.” The ACT likes to underline the last verb in the series, where you have forgotten the subject.

امسح الكلام اللي في النص

قبل ما تختار الفعل، امسح أي جملة جر (of / in / with) وأي معلومة زيادة بين فاصلتين أو شرطتين. وخد بالك: along with و as well as و together with مش زي and — مش بيخلّوا الفاعل جمع. The captain, along with his crew, was rescued.

Rule 3: Compound subjects — and, or, either…or, neither…nor

A and B → plural. ✓ The bridge and the tunnel were closed. ✗ The bridge and the tunnel was closed.
Exception — one idea or one person: ✓ Rice and milk is a traditional dessert. (one dish) ✓ My teacher and friend, Mr. Samir, has retired. (one person with two roles)
each / every + and → singular: ✓ Every boy and girl has a seat. ✓ Each chair and table was cleaned.
A or B / either A or B / neither A nor B / not only A but also B → the verb agrees with the nearer subject (B). ✓ Neither the students nor the teacher is ready. ✓ Neither the teacher nor the students are ready. ✓ Either my brothers or my father drives us.
either / neither alone (without or/nor) → singular: ✓ Neither of the answers is correct. ✓ Either of the routes works.

Tip: with or / nor, the sentence usually sounds better when the plural subject comes second (✓ Neither the teacher nor the students are…). The ACT may still give you the other order, so apply the nearer-subject rule mechanically.

Rule 4: Indefinite pronouns

Group	Words	✓ Example
Always singular	each, every, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, everything, someone, somebody, something, anyone, anybody, anything, no one, nobody, nothing, much	Each of the boxes was labelled. One of my cousins plays for Al Ahly juniors. Everybody in the two classes has a locker.
Always plural	both, few, many, several, others	Both of the bridges were repaired. Several of the tiles are cracked.
Depends on the noun after “of”	some, any, none, all, most, more, half, a lot, (and fractions and percentages: two-thirds of, 40 percent of)	Some of the water is dirty. Some of the bottles are dirty. Half of the cake was eaten. Half of the cakes were eaten.

None: with an uncountable noun, “none” is singular (✓ None of the money was found). With a plural noun, modern Standard English accepts both (None of the players is / are injured), so the ACT will not make that the only difference between choices. Expect the other rules to decide the question.

One of the + plural noun → singular verb, because the subject is “one”: ✓ One of the reasons for the delays is the weather. ✗ One of the reasons for the delays are the weather.

Rule 5: Collective nouns and nouns that look plural

A collective noun names a group: team, family, class, committee, jury, audience, crowd, staff, band, government, company, school, club. In American English — the English of the ACT — a collective noun acting as one unit takes a singular verb. This is important for students at British schools, because British English often says “the team are”.

✗ Wrong on the ACT	✓ Right on the ACT
The committee have chosen a winner.	The committee has chosen a winner.
Our team are training for the final.	Our team is training for the final.
The audience were silent.	The audience was silent.

Some nouns end in -s but are singular: news, mathematics, physics, economics, politics (as a subject of study), the United States, and titles of books or films. ✓ The news was good. ✓ *Great Expectations* is on our reading list. Amounts of money, time and distance seen as one total are also singular: ✓ Ten kilometres is a long way to walk. ✓ Three hours was not enough.

A gerund (-ing) or a whole clause used as a subject is singular: ✓ Building the new roads has taken years. ✓ What the villagers need is clean water. ✗ Reading novels improve your vocabulary.

Rule 6: Inverted sentences — the subject comes after the verb

Usually the subject comes first. In these patterns, the verb comes first and the subject follows it, so you must look ahead for the subject.

Pattern	✗ Wrong	✓ Right
There is / There are	There is three reasons for the delay.	There are three reasons for the delay.
There was / There were	There was many people at the gate.	There were many people at the gate.
Here comes / Here come	Here comes the first runners.	Here come the first runners.
A place phrase first	On the hill stands two old windmills.	On the hill stand two old windmills.
Questions	Where is the keys to the lab?	Where are the keys to the lab?
Among / Inside / Beyond…	Among the papers was two photographs.	Among the papers were two photographs.

Fix: turn the sentence round into normal order. “On the hill stand two old windmills” → “Two old windmills stand on the hill.” Now the agreement is obvious. Remember that there and here are never the subject.

Rule 7: “The number of” and “a number of”

The number of + plural noun → singular verb. “The number” is one figure. ✓ The number of visitors has doubled.
A number of + plural noun → plural verb. “A number of” means “several”. ✓ A number of visitors have complained.
The same pattern: the variety / the majority / the total (one thing) vs a variety of / a majority of / a total of + plural noun, which usually takes a plural verb. ✓ A variety of birds nest here. ✓ The variety of birds is amazing.

Memory trick: the number = the single figure → singular. A number = about several → plural.

Rule 8: Verbs in who / which / that clauses

A relative pronoun (who, which, that) has no number of its own. It copies the number of the noun it refers to (its antecedent), which is usually the noun just before it. So the verb inside the clause agrees with that noun.

✗ Wrong	✓ Right	who/which/that = …
Students who arrives late must sign in.	Students who arrive late must sign in.	students (plural)
She owns a camera that take underwater photos.	She owns a camera that takes underwater photos.	camera (singular)
The farms, which lies along the canal, grow cotton.	The farms, which lie along the canal, grow cotton.	farms (plural)

Two subtle cases: one of the + plural noun + who/that → the clause refers to the plural noun: ✓ Karim is one of the students who volunteer every Friday (many students volunteer; Karim is one of them). But the only one of the… who/that → singular: ✓ Karim is the only one of the students who volunteers. And do not forget the main verb after the clause: ✓ The lantern that hangs in the windows of our street was made by my grandfather — “lantern … was”.

Worked examples

Each example is part of an ACT-style essay. The underlined portion is shown in bold.

Worked example 1. “The results of the survey, which was carried out in three cities last spring, shows that most teenagers sleep less than eight hours.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) show
C) has shown
D) is showing

Answer: B.

B is correct. Cross out the extra information between the commas: “The results … show.” “Results” is plural.
A agrees with “survey”, which is inside the which-clause — the nearest-noun trap with an extra clause.
C and D are also singular (has, is), so they make the same agreement error; they also change the tense for no reason.

Worked example 2. “On the morning of the final, neither the coach nor the players was ready for the heavy rain.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) has been
C) were
D) is

Answer: C.

C is correct. With neither…nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject, “the players” (plural) → “were”. The past tense matches “On the morning of the final”.
A and B are singular; they agree with “the coach”, the farther subject.
D is singular and also switches to the present tense in a past narrative.

Worked example 3. “At the bottom of the old well lies several clay jars that archaeologists believe are two thousand years old.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) lie
C) is lying
D) has lain

Answer: B.

B is correct. This is an inverted sentence. Put it in normal order: “Several clay jars lie at the bottom of the old well.” The subject “jars” is plural.
A, C and D are all singular; they seem to agree with “well”, which is inside the opening place phrase.
Trap name: inverted-sentence trap — the subject comes after the verb.

Worked example 4. “The number of students who take the bus to our school have risen every year since the new road opened.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) are rising
C) has risen
D) rise

Answer: C.

C is correct. The subject is “The number”, a single figure → singular “has risen”. The present perfect fits “every year since…”.
A and D agree with “students”, which is inside the phrase “of students who take the bus”. B is plural too, and the continuous form does not fit “since the new road opened”.
Notice that “take” inside the who-clause is correctly plural: “who” = students. Two verbs, two different subjects.

Classic traps

Nearest-noun trap: a plural noun at the end of a long phrase just before the verb (The box of old letters was…).
Fake compound subject: along with / as well as / together with / including do not make the subject plural.
Inverted sentence: there is/are, here comes/come, or a place phrase at the start — the subject is after the verb.
Looks plural, is singular: each, every, one of, everyone, the number of, news, mathematics, amounts of time and money.
British habit: “the team are” — on the ACT a collective noun acting as one group is singular.
The far verb: the second or third verb in a series, or the main verb after a long who/which clause.

Fast strategy for test day

Scan the choices: singular vs plural forms → agreement question.
Ask “Who or what ___?” to find the subject; cross out of-phrases, comma/dash extras and who/which clauses.
If the sentence starts with There, Here or a place phrase, look after the verb for the subject.
or / nor → nearer subject; and → plural; each / every / one → singular; the number → singular, a number → plural.
Read only “subject + verb” in your head. If two choices are both correct for agreement, choose the one whose tense matches the paragraph.

اسأل مين اللي بيعمل الفعل؟

اسأل نفسك: مين أو إيه اللي بيعمل الفعل؟ لو الجملة بادئة بـ There أو Here أو مكان (On the hill)، الفاعل بييجي بعد الفعل. و The number of = مفرد، لكن A number of = جمع. وكلمة Each و One of دايمًا مفرد.

Practice

Two ACT-style essays with 5 questions each, all on subject–verb agreement. The numbers in brackets match the question numbers. For each underlined verb, find the true subject before you look at the choices.

Remember

Find the true subject: cross out of-phrases, extra information between commas or dashes, and who/which/that clauses.
and → plural; or / nor → agree with the nearer subject; along with / as well as do not count.
each, every, one of, everyone, the number of, collective nouns (team, committee) → singular; a number of, both, several → plural.
In there is/are, here comes/come and place-first sentences, the subject comes after the verb.
A verb in a who/which/that clause agrees with the noun the pronoun refers to.

All pages in this course

ACT English

ACT Reading