LEARN · PART 5

Subject-Verb Agreement (Korean Translation)

(KO) A core grammar rule: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. TOEIC distracts test-takers by placing prepositional phrases or relative clauses between the subject and the verb.

Rules

(KO) Identify the true subject, ignoring words between the subject and verb.
(KO) Singular indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, anybody) take singular verbs.
(KO) Subjects joined by 'and' are usually plural.
(KO) With 'either...or' and 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.

Examples

"The box of documents was delivered to the wrong department."

(KO) The subject is 'box' (singular), not 'documents' (plural). Therefore, 'was' is correct.

"Everyone in the marketing team has received the memo."

(KO) 'Everyone' is singular and takes 'has', despite 'team' being a collective noun.

"Neither the manager nor the employees were aware of the change."

(KO) The verb 'were' agrees with the closest subject, 'employees' (plural).

What TOEIC specifically tests

(KO) Prepositional phrases between subject and verb (e.g., 'The list of items...').
(KO) Collective nouns (team, committee) which usually take singular verbs in American English.
(KO) Phrases starting with 'along with' or 'as well as' do not make a singular subject plural.

Common questions

(KO) How does TOEIC trick you with subject-verb agreement?

(KO) The most common trick is separating the subject and verb with a prepositional phrase containing a noun of a different number, like 'The cost of the materials is high.'

(KO) Does 'A number of' take a singular or plural verb?

(KO) 'A number of' takes a plural verb, while 'The number of' takes a singular verb.

Practice this with adaptive items

TOEIC Ready selects items at the difficulty that moves your score fastest. Free 40-question diagnostic first.

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