College Composition / Unit 4 CMP 0087 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Checking Agreement in a Long Sentence
The idea
Agreement errors hide in long sentences, and a fixed sequence of checks finds them.
In practice
Work in order. First, find each verb. Second, for each verb, find its true subject, setting aside prepositional phrases and clauses that sit between them. Third, if the subject is joined by and, decide whether it names two things or a single unit. Fourth, if it is joined by or or nor, match the verb to the nearer part. Fifth, if the subject is an indefinite pronoun, decide whether that pronoun is singular, plural or variable, and for variable ones look at the word it refers to. Sixth, if the subject is a collective noun, ask whether the group acts as one. Seventh, if the verb comes first, look past there or here.
Where people slip
Do not let a plural noun in a phrase pull the verb into the plural. "One of the reasons for the delays is cost" is correct, because the subject is one, not reasons or delays.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for College Composition