SAT Writing · 6 min read · Published January 3, 2026
SAT Subject-Verb Agreement: Every Pattern Tested
A guide to subject-verb agreement on the Digital SAT, including the distractors College Board uses most often.
Find the Real Subject
Most SAT agreement traps work by inserting a prepositional phrase between the subject and verb. Cross out the intervening phrase and check whether the verb agrees with the actual subject.
Tricky Cases
These patterns catch strong students.
- Collective nouns (team, jury) — singular in American English.
- Either/or and neither/nor — the verb agrees with the closer subject.
- There is / there are — the verb agrees with what follows.
- Each, every, everyone — always singular.
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