Subject Verbs Agreement

By Abhishek Tomar on Aug 18, 2009 with Comments 0

If the sentence (option) does not contain GMAT MBA Pronoun, than the second error to look for is the verbs error. Every sentence has a subject and a verb & both of them must agree with each other.

Singular subject should have single verb form

Example: The child runs out of the school.

Plural Subject should have plural verb form

Example: The children run out of the school.

There are two common verb errors.

• The first involves confusing singular forms
• The second involves confusing plural forms

GMAT loves to confuse test takers by mixing singular subject with plural verbs and plural subjects with singular verbs. If you are careful you can count the number of subject and find out what should be the verbs agreeing with the subject. So the key is to first find the subject of each sentence and see weather each subject agrees with the verb or vice versa.

Eliminate the Middlemen

GMAT likes to confuse the test takers by separating subject and verbs. What they do is make long sentences and use middlemen words in between the sentences, so as to make long distance between subject and verbs. Let’s see some examples:

The house of that rich man (contain/ contains) very expensive furniture.

What is the subject of the sentence i.e. house or man? Answer eliminate the middleman and answer you have it.

The house of that rich man (contain/ contains) very expensive furniture.

Now “the house” is the subject and “contain” is the right verb

“OF” is just another middleman

Now what can you expect in GMAT exam. Clever GMAT test takers use “OF” as middleman to confuse the test examinee. Do you know what I am saying, take a look at these example.

The discovery of new lands (was/were) vital to the expansion of the British Empire.

Now eliminate OF from the sentence and you have the answer

The discovery of new lands was vital to the expansion of the British Empire

Samples

1. The trunk containing costumes, makeup, and props were left at the stage entrance of the theater.

A. costumes, makeup, and props were left

B. costumes, makeup, and props were all left

C. costumes, makeup, and props was left

D. costumes, makeup, and props were to be left

E. costumes, makeup, and props have been left

The correct answer C, Why “was” not “were”, this is because the subject about whom we are talking about “truck” and as the truck is singular we use singular tense. Don’t assume the subject near verb govern the verb but it is the subject about whom we are talking about.

2. The film’s silly plot, bad acting, and awkward camera work has been the target of universally bad reviews.

A. has been the target of universally bad reviews.

B. has been universally targeted by hostile reviewers.

C. have been the target of universally bad reviews.

D. is the target of universally bad reviews.

E. has received universally bad reviews in the newspapers

The correct answer C, why “have” not “has” because the talk is all about film’s components (silly plot, bad acting, and awkward camera ) so all comes to plural so ” “have”.

3. Tomorrow or the next day, I went to New York.

A. I went to New York

B. I have gone to New York

C. I will go to New York

D. I had gone to New York

E. I did go to New York

The Correct answer C, because the talk is all about the future so “will” and no “were”, “have’, “had” or “did”.