Apply grammar rules including subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and verb tense.
114 original form, structure, and sense questions in the SAT Ranker bank, with instant scoring and an Elo-based rank once you sign up. Below are a few free samples with full explanations.
One of the witnesses ___ interviewed by the detective this morning.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The subject of this sentence is "One", not "witnesses". "of the witnesses" is a prepositional phrase, and a prepositional phrase never changes the number of the subject, so the verb must be singular: "was". The sentence refers to something already completed, so the past-tense form is the one that fits.
Neither the supervisor nor the technicians ___ notified before the announcement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
With "neither ... nor", the verb agrees with whichever subject is closer to it. The closer subject here is "the technicians", which is plural, so the verb is plural: "were". The sentence refers to something already completed, so the past-tense form is the one that fits.
By the time the last guest arrived, the caterers ___ already packed up the food.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The sentence describes an action completed before another past action ('arrived'), which requires the past perfect tense: 'had already packed.'
The report criticizes the agency for collecting the data late, for publishing it in an unusable format, and ______ to explain either failure.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The sentence lists three criticisms in parallel, and the first two are 'for collecting' and 'for publishing', so the third must take the same form, 'for refusing'. The other options break the pattern by switching to a noun phrase, a finite verb, or a subordinate clause.
The set of tools left behind by the previous tenant ______ still sitting in the basement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The subject is 'The set' (singular); 'of tools left behind by the previous tenant' is a modifying phrase that does not control the verb. The singular 'is' agrees; the plural forms wrongly agree with 'tools.'