21What about two subjects linked by “or” or “nor”?
Take a look at the following example. Circle your answer.
Neither the customers nor the saleslady like/likes the black dress.
We have two subjects: customers and saleslady, but the correct subject of the verb is “saleslady” (because it is
the closest noun to the verb) so the sentence should read:
Neither the customers nor the saleslady likes the black dress.
If I flipped the order of “customers” and “saleslady” then the correct choice would be the plural “like.”
Neither the saleslady nor the customers like the black dress.
When two subjects are linked by “or” or “nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
SVA Trick #5
Collective Nouns are nouns that indicate or specify a group of people or things,
but are thought of as a singular unit.
Collective nouns: government, herd, team, society, army, audience, family...
There is more than one soldier in an army, but “army” is a singular subject.
Countries are always singular: The United States, The Philippines, France...
That’s a lot of information for just one grammar rule, but it’s one of the most commonly tested errors on the SAT.
Not all 18 grammar rules will be so loaded.
Rule #2: Verb Tense .................................................................................
How to Find: Underlined Verbs, especially when combined with the helping verbs “had,” “has,” and
“have.”
How to Fix: Change to the correct verb form.
This grammar rule is a biggie. Let’s start with some verb terminology.
The Infinitive: the form of the verb that is not conjugated. It will usually have a “to” in front of it – to study, to
dance, to work...
Gerund: The verb conjugated in the “ing” form and used as a noun – studying, dancing, working...