verb: were overcome (plural)Combine: “The proctor were overcome.”
This should sound wrong to you. Proctor is singular, so the verb should be
singular—was overcome. Don’t be tempted by the plural word students; it is set
off by a pair of commas, so it’s not part of the subject.
Correct: The proctor, as well as the students, was overcome by the tedious
ticking of the timer and fell asleep.
Three expressions that are similar to the as well as in the previous example
are: in addition to, along with, and together with. When you see one of these
expressions on the test, chances are the Serpent is trying to make you think that
the subject is plural.
Example 2:
The anguish of the students have been a source of pleasure to the College
Board.
What was the source of pleasure? Not the students, of course, but their anguish.
—Samantha
Isolate: subject: anguish (singular)
verb: have been (plural)
Combine: “The anguish have been a source of pleasure.”
This should sound wrong to you. Don’t get confused by the plural word students,
because it isn’t the subject. Students, in this sentence, is an object. You can tell
because it comes after a preposition: of. Whenever a word comes after a
preposition, it is an object, not a subject.
Correct: The anguish of the students has been a source of pleasure to the College
Board.