Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases vs. Prepositional Phrases

📚 Subject-Verb Agreement: Intervening vs. Prepositional Phrases

Subject-verb agreement simply means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. But what happens when phrases come between the subject and the verb? Let's explore intervening and prepositional phrases.

🎯 Definition of Intervening Phrases

An intervening phrase adds extra information to the subject but doesn't change the subject's number. These phrases are usually set off by commas.

🔑 Definition of Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and modifies a noun or verb. Prepositional phrases often appear between the subject and the verb.

Feature	Intervening Phrase	Prepositional Phrase
Definition	Adds extra information, usually set off by commas.	Begins with a preposition and modifies a noun or verb.
Impact on Agreement	Does not affect subject-verb agreement. Ignore the phrase when determining the verb form.	Does not affect subject-verb agreement. Ignore the phrase when determining the verb form.
Examples	The singer, along with her band, is performing tonight.	The stack of books is on the table.
Key Consideration	Focus on the main subject, not the words within the phrase.	Focus on the main subject, not the objects of the prepositions.

✨ Key Takeaways

• 🔍 Identify the Subject: Find the true subject of the sentence.
• 💡 Ignore the Phrases: Mentally remove the intervening or prepositional phrase.
• 📝 Match Subject and Verb: Ensure the verb agrees with the subject in number (singular or plural).
• ✍️ Example 1 (Intervening): The student, as well as her classmates, is excited. ('Student' is singular, so 'is' is correct.)
• 📚 Example 2 (Prepositional): The box of chocolates is missing. ('Box' is singular, so 'is' is correct.)
• ✅ Practice: The results of the experiment are promising. ('Results' is plural, so 'are' is correct.)