SAT Grammar 4: Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb TenseSAT Grammar 4: Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb Tense

S A T R E A D I N G A N D W R I T I N G · GRAMMAR

Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb Tense

SAT Grammar Guide 4

Goal: Match verbs to their true subjects and choose the tense that fits the timeline in the passage. Original study notes on standard SAT grammar and punctuation rules, with original examples. Not copied from any prep book.

Big Picture

Verb questions reward careful reading. Find the real subject (not the nearest noun), then check the time clues around the verb.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Find the subject first. Ignore prepositional phrases and interruptions: "The box of old photographs is on the shelf."

Inverted sentences: the verb comes before the subject: "On the table are two books." Compound subjects with and take plural verbs: "The pilot and the copilot were ready." Either/or, neither/nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Indefinite pronouns such as each, every, everyone, anyone, either, neither are singular. Collective nouns (committee, team, audience, jury) are treated as singular when acting as one unit. The number of takes a singular verb; a number of takes a plural verb.

Relative pronouns (who, which, that) match their antecedent: "one of the players who were injured" (the antecedent is players).

Verb Tense

Tense Form Use

Simple present walk / walks General truths, habits, present facts

Simple past walked Finished action at a past time

Present

perfect

has/have + past

participle

Action begun in the past and continuing or relevant now ("has lived here since

2015")

Past perfect had + past participle Earlier past action before another past action

Future will + verb Action that has not happened yet

Look for time clues: since, by 2010, last year, now, for decades.

Keep tense consistent unless the timeline changes. Do not switch tenses without a reason. Past tense vs. past participle: "had gone," not "had went"; "has written," not "has wrote." In passages about literature or history, check what tense the surrounding sentences use. Key Terms

Term / Actor What it is and why it matters

Subject The noun doing the action or being described.

Prepositional phrase Phrase beginning with of, in, on, with; never contains the subject. Present perfect have/has + past participle.

Past perfect had + past participle; earlier of two past events.

Collective noun Single noun naming a group; usually singular.

Making This Essay-Ready

Trap: The noun right before the verb is often not the subject. Cross out prepositional phrases first.

Tense tip: Underline time words around the blank; they usually decide the tense. SAT Grammar Guide 4 · Original SAT grammar study notes