What the question looks like
The question always reads: “Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?” It never names the rule, so look at the choices. When two of them differ only in going with one thing or with more than one, such as “grows / grow,” “is / are,” or “has fallen / have fallen,” you need to find the subject.
The “-s” on a verb works the opposite way from the “-s” on a A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence.. On a noun it means more than one: “panels.” On a verb it means one: “the panel divides,” but “the panels divide.” “Is,” “has,” and “does” go with one thing, and “are,” “have,” and “do” go with more than one.
Look at the “-s” on the verb and ignore the one on the noun next to it.
- Right
- The recordings document how the song spreads.
- Wrong
- The recordings documents how the song spreads.
“Recordings” is more than one, so the verb drops the “-s.”
Some choice sets mix in other forms, as in “linger / lingers / lingering / had lingered.” Find the subject and count it anyway. Then check whatever is left.
Finding the subject
Here’s a blank to work through:
“Crews repair the mountain trails every summer. The box of tools that the workers carry to the upper trails ______ about forty pounds.”
- A.
weigh - B.
weighs - C.
weighing - D.
have weighed
- Find the verb in the blank. Every choice is a form of “weigh,” so ask what weighs forty pounds.
- Cross out the words between the blank and its subject. Here that’s “of tools” and “that the workers carry to the upper trails.” These kinds of words often sit between a subject and its verb:
- a A preposition and the noun that follows it. “After lunch” is one., which starts with a word like “of,” “in,” “on,” “with,” “from,” “between,” or “among”
- words starting with “along with,” “together with,” “as well as,” or “including”
- extra words with a The mark , which separates parts of a sentence. on each side
- a description starting with “that,” “which,” or “who”
- Find the subject. Read what’s left straight into the blank: “The box ______ about forty pounds.” The subject is “box.” If nothing is left before the blank, the subject comes after it, so read on.
- Match. One box takes the “-s”: “The box weighs.” A and D go with more than one (“the boxes weigh,” “the boxes have weighed”), so they’re out.
- Check what’s left. “Weighing” can’t finish the sentence by itself, so C is out too. B is the answer.
Trap: Agreeing with the nearest noun
A, “weigh,” sounds right because it comes straight after “trails,” and “the trails weigh” is fine English. But it’s the box that weighs forty pounds, and the trails are only where the workers take it.
What to do: Cross out the words in between and read the short version: “The box weighs.” If that short sentence doesn’t make sense, you crossed out the wrong words.
Your ear can mislead you the other way too. In “The amount of wax needed to seal hundreds of cells is small,” “is” sounds wrong right after “cells.” Cross out and you get “The amount is small,” which is right.
Words that come between
Some of the words in between look like they add a second subject.
Only “and” turns one subject into two. “Together with,” “along with,” “as well as,” and “including” just add a detail.
- Right
- The engine, together with two spare wheels, sits in the barn.
- Wrong
- The engine, together with two spare wheels, sit in the barn.
Cross out the extra words “together with two spare wheels” and you get “The engine sits.”
A description can have a subject and verb of its own, like “Mateo trims” in this one.
Cross out the whole “that” description, including any subject and verb inside it.
- Right
- The wedges that Mateo trims to fit the openings secure the bundle.
- Wrong
- The wedges that Mateo trims to fit the openings secures the bundle.
“Mateo” is one person, but he only does the trimming. He isn’t what secures the bundle. Read “The wedges secure the bundle.”
Sometimes the blank is inside the description: “The wedges that ______ the openings secure the bundle.” Then don’t cross it out. Match the verb to the noun that “that,” “which,” or “who” stands for. Here “that” means the wedges, so “that fit” is right and “that fits” is wrong.
The words in between can also pull toward one thing when the subject is more than one:
“The proportions of fibers in each sample collected during the survey ______ the same.”
The nouns closest to the blank, “sample” and “survey,” are each one thing. Cross out “of fibers,” “in each sample,” and “collected during the survey,” and you get “The proportions remain the same.”
When the subject comes after the verb
Sometimes a sentence opens with words like “Along the edges” or “Beside the gate,” and the subject doesn’t show up until after the verb.
If the opening words have no subject, read past the blank to find it.
- Right
- Along the edges of the lower fields winds a narrow channel.
- Wrong
- Along the edges of the lower fields wind a narrow channel.
“Edges” and “fields” are inside the opening words, so neither one can be the subject. The channel is what winds.
To check, turn it around so the subject comes first: “A narrow channel winds along the edges of the lower fields.”
After “there” or “here,” the noun that comes after the verb decides it. In “There ______ two gauges on the roof,” turn it around to get “Two gauges are on the roof.” So “There are two gauges” is right, and “There is two gauges” is wrong.
When “and” joins two things
Two subjects joined by “and” take the verb for more than one, even when each one alone is a single thing.
- Right
- A breeze off the water and a warm upper layer carry sound farther.
- Wrong
- A breeze off the water and a warm upper layer carries sound farther.
The breeze and the layer are two things, and both do the carrying.
Check what the “and” joins before you count two subjects.
An “and” inside a description doesn’t make the subject more than one.
- Right
- The cost of labor and materials was recorded.
- Wrong
- The cost of labor and materials were recorded.
“And” joins “labor” and “materials,” both inside “of labor and materials.” Cross that out and you get “The cost was recorded.”
An “and” can also join two verbs that share one subject.
A second verb after “and” takes the same form as the first. After a helper like “would” or “can,” both verbs drop the “-s”: “The wall would slow the flood and protect the fields.”
- Right
- The surface sends energy back and reduces heat loss.
- Wrong
- The surface sends energy back and reduce heat loss.
The surface sends and the surface reduces. “Energy” sits nearer the blank, but it isn’t doing anything.
Words like each and one
“Each,” “one,” “either,” and “neither” take the “-s” verb, even with a phrase like “of the panels” after them.
- Right
- Each of the panels rolls on its own wheels.
- Wrong
- Each of the panels roll on its own wheels.
Cross out “of the panels” and you get “Each rolls.”
So do “another,” “anyone,” “someone,” “everyone,” “nobody,” and “much.” “Every” works the same way with the noun after it: “Every panel rolls.”
When “either … or” or “neither … nor” joins two subjects, though, match the verb to the one closer to it. “Neither the coach nor the players were ready,” but “Neither the players nor the coach was ready.”
When a whole activity is the subject
An activity named with an “-ing” word, called a The “-ing” form of a verb used as a noun. In “Moving the vents took a week,” it’s moving., counts as one thing, however many nouns are inside it.
- Right
- Separating the changes from the recording effects takes repeated listening.
- Wrong
- Separating the changes from the recording effects take repeated listening.
The subject is one activity, separating. “Changes” and “effects” are just part of what it involves.
A “whether” or “that” idea also counts as one thing. In “Whether the panels fit remains uncertain,” the whole question is what remains uncertain.
So does a title. In “The title Songs from the Gardens appears on the cover,” the title names one work, so it takes “appears.”
When two choices still fit
After you count, two choices may still match the subject. Check two more things.
First, make sure the choice can be the sentence’s only verb.
An “-ing” word like “lingering,” or a “to” word like “to linger,” can’t be the only verb in a sentence. If nothing else says what the subject does, rule those choices out.
- Right
- A single note sung by visitors lingers for half a minute.
- Wrong
- A single note sung by visitors lingering for half a minute.
“Sung by visitors” describes the note, so it isn’t the sentence’s verb. With “lingering,” the sentence never says what the note does.
Second, check the time. Past forms, and forms with “will” or “can,” look the same for one thing or many: “the garden grew,” “the gardens grew.” “Was” and “were” are the exception.
“The school’s two gardens ______ more beans last summer than in any earlier year.”
- A.
grows - B.
grew - C.
will grow - D.
growing
Two gardens are more than one, so A is out. D can’t finish the sentence. B and C both go with “gardens,” so counting can’t choose between them. “Last summer” is in the past, so B is the answer.
Trap: Right number, wrong time
C, “will grow,” matches “gardens” just fine. It puts last summer in the future.
What to do: Read the other verbs in the passage, and look for a date or a word like “since.” Pick the time they point to.
The verb tense and form lesson covers the time check in full.
Practice
Work the three examples, then try five more. Their explanations use a few grammar names. A A verb that shows when something happens, like “carried” or “is.” Every sentence needs one, and forms like “to carry” or “carrying” don’t count.Read the lesson is a verb with a time on it, like “reduces,” and every sentence needs one. A The “-ing” or “-ed” form of a verb used to describe something. In “a box sealed in 1908,” it’s sealed.Read the lesson is a form like “reducing” or “sung,” which can’t be a sentence’s only verb without a helper such as “is” or “was.” An A verb like “is” or “will” that comes before the main verb and helps it.Read the lesson is a helper like “has” or “do.”
At remote polar research stations, the placement of emergency supply lockers ______ the time crews need to retrieve cold-weather gear. Color-coded labels help newly arrived staff members locate the correct equipment during monthly safety drills conducted indoors before fieldwork begins.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A
reduce
- B
reducing
- C
had reduced
- D
reduces
Show the answer
- A
reduce
“Reduce” agrees with the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “lockers,” but the The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. is the The form of a word that means just one, like box. noun “placement,” which requires “reduces.”
- B
reducing
“Reducing” is a The “-ing” or “-ed” form of a verb used to describe something. In “a box sealed in 1908,” it’s sealed.Read the lesson, so it leaves the first sentence without a A verb that shows when something happens, like “carried” or “is.” Every sentence needs one, and forms like “to carry” or “carrying” don’t count.Read the lesson.
- C
had reduced
“Had reduced” shifts to the past perfect even though there is no later past reference point to anchor that The time a verb shows, like the past in held or the future in will hold.. It also conflicts with the passage’s present-tense description.
- D
reduces
Correct answerThe The form of a word that means just one, like box. The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. “placement” takes the singular present-tense A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. “reduces.” The present The time a verb shows, like the past in held or the future in will hold. also matches “help” in the next sentence.
Solution
Identify the The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. of the first sentence: “placement.” The phrase “of emergency supply lockers” modifies that The form of a word that means just one, like box. subject, so the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “lockers” does not determine the A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem.’s number.
The sentence describes a general condition and continues in the present The time a verb shows, like the past in held or the future in will hold. with “help.” The singular present-tense verb “reduces” therefore supplies the needed A verb that shows when something happens, like “carried” or “is.” Every sentence needs one, and forms like “to carry” or “carrying” don’t count.Read the lesson and agrees with “placement.”
Scientists are tracking how cuttlefish change color in response to different backgrounds. Each of the image collections assembled by participating laboratories ______ steadily since 2017. Researchers now use these growing collections to compare color changes across several generations of the animals.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A
have expanded
- B
has expanded
- C
expanding
- D
had expanded
Show the answer
- A
have expanded
The The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. “have expanded” agrees with the nearby plural A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “collections” or “laboratories” instead of the true The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault., the The form of a word that means just one, like box. A word like “it” or “they” that stands in for a noun. “Each.”
- B
has expanded
Correct answerThe The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. “Each” is The form of a word that means just one, like box., so it takes the singular A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. “has.” The phrase “since 2017” describes growth continuing into the present, so the present perfect “has expanded” fits.
- C
expanding
“Expanding” is an -ing The “-ing” or “-ed” form of a verb used to describe something. In “a box sealed in 1908,” it’s sealed.Read the lesson without a A verb like “is” or “will” that comes before the main verb and helps it.Read the lesson, so it cannot serve as the sentence’s The verb that says what the subject does. In “The crew mapped the river,” it’s mapped.Read the lesson.
- D
had expanded
“Had expanded” shifts to the past perfect, which would place the expansion before another past event. “Since 2017” and the ongoing present context require the present perfect.
Solution
The The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. of the sentence is the The form of a word that means just one, like box. A word like “it” or “they” that stands in for a noun. “Each,” not the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “collections” or “laboratories.” The A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. must therefore be singular.
The phrase “since 2017” describes an action that began in the past and continues into the present. The singular present-perfect form is “has expanded.”
Behind the departure times that ferry operators publish for routes linking the mainland with outlying islands ______ a calculation of the time required for each round trip. Planners combine the crossing time with the minutes reserved for unloading and boarding at both terminals, then use that sum to determine when each vessel can make its next departure from either terminal.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A
lie
- B
lies
- C
have lain
- D
do lie
Show the answer
- A
lie
Using “lie” makes the A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. agree with the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “islands.” That noun belongs to the opening phrase; the verb’s The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. is the The form of a word that means just one, like box. noun “calculation.”
- B
lies
Correct answer“Lies” agrees with the The form of a word that means just one, like box. The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. “a calculation,” which appears after the A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem.. The sentence has inverted word order: a calculation lies behind the departure times.
- C
have lain
Using “have” makes the A verb like “is” or “will” that comes before the main verb and helps it.Read the lesson agree with the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “islands.” Changing to the present perfect does not fix the disagreement with the The form of a word that means just one, like box. The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. “calculation.”
- D
do lie
Using “do” makes the emphatic A verb like “is” or “will” that comes before the main verb and helps it.Read the lesson agree with the nearby The form of a word that means more than one, like boxes. A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. “islands.” The The form of a word that means just one, like box. The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault. “calculation” requires a singular auxiliary, even when the A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem. is used for emphasis.
Solution
The opening phrase begins with “Behind” and ends with “islands.” It places information before the A word for what something does or is, such as carry or seem., while the The who or what a sentence is about. In “The vault held papers,” it’s the vault., “a calculation of the time required for each round trip,” follows the blank.
The subject’s main A word for a person, place, thing, or idea, like harbor or silence. is “calculation,” which is The form of a word that means just one, like box.. Put the subject first to check the agreement: “A calculation of the time required for each round trip lies behind the departure times.” The singular verb “lies” completes the sentence.
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