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With these guys, it’s not as easy as checking inside the prep phrase to see what they refer to. Let’s see if you can
figure out the trick.
Michelle is one of those girls who is/are always checking her/their makeup in the mirror.
Circle your guess first!
Is the subject of the sentence “Michelle,” “one,” or “girls?” Technically the subject is “who” – who is. But “who”
is a pronoun that can be singular or plural, so what does the “who” refer to – Michelle, one, or girls?
who, which, and that refer to whatever noun or pronoun is closest.
girls is closest to who, so the “who” is plural. The sentence should read:
Michelle is one of those girls who are always checking their makeup in the mirror.
SVA Trick #4
Ever heard of compound subjects?
Sometimes the same verb can refer to more than one subject.
Sam and Mary race each other home every day.
“Race” is the verb and “Sam and Mary” is the compound subject.
Two subjects linked by “and” are plural.
ETS won’t make it that easy though. The sentence will be constructed more along the lines of: In the kitchen
cupboard there is a can of beans and two boxes of macaroni and cheese that expired 8 months ago.
Let’s cross out our prep phrases.
In the kitchen cupboard there is a can of beans and two boxes of macaroni and cheese that expired 8 months ago.
What is the verb? is
What is the subject? can AND two boxes (We have a compound subject that is easy to miss due to all the
prep phrases and the fact that the subject comes AFTER the verb instead of before.)
Do they match? Nope. Two subjects joined by “and” are plural. Is should be are.
In the kitchen cupboard there are a can of beans and two boxes of macaroni and cheese that expired 8 months ago.
Whenever you see “there is” or “there are” always look after to find the subject.