Subject-Verb Agreement
Making subjects and verbs agree properly is a key grammar skill. Singular subjects need singular verbs, and plural subjects need plural verbs. The challenge is finding the real subject, especially when other words come between it and the verb.
When phrases or clauses separate a subject from its verb, don't get confused! In "A traffic light in front of steady streams of traffic keeps the movements under control," "traffic light" is singular, so it takes the singular verb "keeps."
Watch out for special cases! Words like "there" or "here" are never the real subject—look for the subject that follows. Also, compound subjects joined by "and" usually take plural verbs, but if they represent one concept (like "peanut butter and jelly"), they may take a singular verb.
Grammar Tip: When locating the subject, ignore prepositional phrases that come between the subject and verb. Cross them out mentally to see the core sentence structure!
