College Composition / Unit 2 CMP 0041 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Finding the Core of a Long Sentence
The idea
Most sentence errors become visible once you strip a long sentence down to its core subject and verb.
In practice
Work in order. First, cross out phrases that begin with prepositions, such as of the students or in the back of the room. Second, set aside dependent clauses, the ones that begin with words like because or which. Third, set aside material between commas that only adds description. Fourth, what remains is the core: find the verb, then ask who or what performs it. Take "The list of required books for the history course, which the department revised last spring, are posted online." Strip it, and the core reads "The list are posted," which shows the error: list needs is.
Where people slip
Do not trust the noun closest to the verb. In long sentences the nearest noun is often inside a phrase, and agreement depends on the true subject, not the neighbor.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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