Agreement: Subject-Verb and Pronoun-Antecedent — ACT English

Introduction

The ACT inserts a long phrase between a subject and its verb precisely to hide the mismatch. The noun right before the verb is almost never the real subject — and that is exactly the trap.

Agreement questions appear 4–6 times per ACT English section. They are among the most reliably correct-able question types once you learn to identify the true subject, making them high-value targets for score improvement.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Locate the true grammatical subject of a verb even when separated from it by long prepositional phrases or relative clauses
Apply pronoun agreement rules including singular 'they' traps and collective noun conventions
Identify and correct indefinite pronoun agreement errors (everyone, each, neither, none)

Try this: 'The collection of rare manuscripts, donated by three generations of a prominent family, [are/is] now housed in the university's climate-controlled archive.' Which verb form is correct, and why? Most students get this wrong under time pressure.

The Concept

The Core Rule

A verb must agree with its grammatical subject in number (singular/plural), not with the nearest noun. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender. Intervening phrases and clauses do not change the subject.

How the ACT tests this

Places a long prepositional phrase or relative clause between the subject and verb, so the noun immediately before the verb is not the subject
Uses collective nouns (team, committee, data, media) and indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, neither, none) where singular vs. plural is non-obvious
Offers a pronoun that seems to match a nearby noun but actually disagrees with its true antecedent in number or person

Finding the True Subject

Cross out all prepositional phrases (of the..., in the..., from the..., by the...) and relative clauses (who..., which..., that...) between the subject and verb. What remains is the true subject.

'The results of the three-year study [was/were] published.' Cross out 'of the three-year study.' Subject = 'results' (plural) → 'were.'
'Each of the candidates [has/have] submitted a proposal.' Cross out 'of the candidates.' Subject = 'each' (singular) → 'has.'
'The committee, which included several Nobel laureates, [has/have] issued its report.' Cross out 'which included...' Subject = 'committee' (singular) → 'has.'

Indefinite Pronoun Agreement

Indefinite pronouns are always singular on the ACT: everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, each, either, neither, one. Treat them as 'he or she,' not 'they.'

'Everyone in the two departments has submitted [their/his or her] timesheet.' ACT-correct answer: 'his or her' (or restructure to avoid it).
'Neither of the proposals was accepted' — 'neither' is singular, so 'was' is correct.
Exception note: modern usage increasingly accepts singular 'they,' but for ACT purposes, treat indefinite pronouns as singular and match the formal pronoun accordingly.

Collective Nouns and Special Cases

Collective nouns (team, jury, audience, committee, data, media, criteria) are singular in American English when the group acts as a unit. 'Data' and 'criteria' are technically plural (data = datums, criteria = criterion) but the ACT treats them as singular in most contemporary contexts.

'The jury has reached its verdict.' — jury acts as a unit, singular.
'The team are arguing among themselves.' — members act individually, technically plural (British usage), but the ACT almost always treats team as singular.
When in doubt on the ACT, treat collective nouns as singular.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must match its antecedent (the noun it refers to) in number and person. The ACT tests ambiguous antecedents and number mismatches between a plural antecedent and a singular pronoun.

'The university revised their admissions policy.' — 'their' is plural; 'university' is singular → 'its.'
'When a student submits their essay...' — agreement mismatch; ACT-correct: 'his or her essay' (or 'when students submit their essays').
Ambiguous antecedent: 'Maria told Jennifer that she had won the award.' Who won? The ACT will test this by offering an answer that clarifies the antecedent.

Your strategy

Step 1 — Identify the verb being tested. Trace it back to find the grammatical subject by crossing out prepositional phrases and relative clauses.
Step 2 — Determine whether the subject is singular or plural. For indefinite pronouns, default to singular. For collective nouns, default to singular.
Step 3 — Match the verb or pronoun form to the subject. If the answer choices differ only in singular/plural form (is/are, has/have, its/their), the agreement rule determines the answer.
Step 4 — For pronoun questions, find the antecedent explicitly named in the passage. If the antecedent is ambiguous or missing, the ACT may credit an answer that replaces the pronoun with a specific noun.

Worked Examples

Easy Example 1 Nearest-noun Trap — 'markets' Immediately Precedes The Verb And Is Plural, Tempting Students To Choose 'have Grown.' The Real Subject 'popularity' Is Singular.

The popularity of electric vehicles in urban markets [have grown] dramatically since 2018. Improved battery technology, reduced manufacturing costs, and expanded charging infrastructure have all contributed to this trend. Analysts predict continued growth through the end of the decade.

Which choice correctly completes the sentence?

A. NO CHANGE
B. have grown
C. has grown (Correct answer)
D. were growing

Step 1

Identify the subject: 'The popularity of electric vehicles in urban markets.' Cross out 'of electric vehicles in urban markets.'

Step 2

The true subject is 'popularity' — singular.

Step 3

'Have grown' (A and B) uses the plural verb form, which does not agree with the singular subject 'popularity.'

Step 4

'Has grown' (C) is the singular present perfect — correct agreement with 'popularity.'

Correct answer: C

Why C is correct

Correct — 'has grown' agrees with the singular subject 'popularity.'

Why other options are wrong

A: NO CHANGE keeps 'have grown,' which disagrees with the singular subject 'popularity.'

B: Same error as A — 'have' is plural.

D: 'Were growing' is past progressive and plural — both number and tense are wrong.

⚠ Trap: Nearest-noun trap — 'markets' immediately precedes the verb and is plural, tempting students to choose 'have grown.' The real subject 'popularity' is singular.

Medium Example 2 Indefinite Pronoun Trap — 'five Members' Is The Nearest Noun And Is Plural, So 'have' Sounds Right. But 'each' Is The Subject And Is Always Singular.

The panel of experts convened last Thursday has been reviewing the contested election results. Each of the five members [have submitted] a preliminary report outlining their individual findings. A final consolidated report is expected within the month.

Which choice best completes the sentence with correct agreement?

A. NO CHANGE
B. has submitted (Correct answer)
C. were submitting
D. have been submitted

Step 1

Find the subject: 'Each of the five members.' Cross out 'of the five members.'

Step 2

The subject is 'each' — an indefinite pronoun that is always singular on the ACT.

Step 3

'Have submitted' uses a plural verb with a singular subject — agreement error.

Step 4

'Has submitted' uses the singular present perfect — correct. Note also that 'their' in the passage is a pronoun error (antecedent is 'each,' singular), but only the verb is underlined here.

Correct answer: B

Why B is correct

Correct — 'has submitted' agrees with the singular 'each.'

Why other options are wrong

A: 'Have submitted' — plural verb with the singular indefinite pronoun 'each.' Agreement error.

C: 'Were submitting' — plural and past progressive, both wrong.

D: 'Have been submitted' — passive voice and plural; 'each' requires singular active voice here.

⚠ Trap: Indefinite pronoun trap — 'five members' is the nearest noun and is plural, so 'have' sounds right. But 'each' is the subject and is always singular.

Hard Example 3 Singular 'they' Trap — 'their' Feels Natural And Matches Contemporary Usage, But The ACT's Formal Agreement Rules Require 'his Or Her' For A Singular Generic Human Antecedent.

A researcher studying memory consolidation must carefully design [their] protocols to control for confounding variables. If the researcher fails to account for sleep deprivation in participants, the data collected will be unreliable. Even small methodological oversights can invalidate months of work.

Which choice correctly uses a pronoun consistent with the rest of the passage?

A. NO CHANGE
B. his or her (Correct answer)
C. its
D. our

Step 1

Find the antecedent: 'A researcher' — singular, third-person, no specified gender.

Step 2

The pronoun 'their' (A) is plural and does not agree with the singular 'a researcher' under formal ACT usage rules.

Step 3

'Its' (C) refers to non-human things — a researcher is a person, so 'its' is inappropriate.

Step 4

'His or her' (B) is the ACT-preferred formal agreement for a singular gender-neutral human antecedent.

Correct answer: B

Why B is correct

Correct — 'his or her' agrees with the singular, gender-neutral human antecedent 'a researcher.'

Why other options are wrong

A: Singular 'they/their' is increasingly accepted in modern usage, but the ACT still credits 'his or her' as the formally correct answer for a singular human antecedent.

C: 'Its' is for non-human or non-personal antecedents — wrong for a human researcher.

D: 'Our' is first-person plural — no first-person reference exists in the passage.

⚠ Trap: Singular 'they' trap — 'their' feels natural and matches contemporary usage, but the ACT's formal agreement rules require 'his or her' for a singular generic human antecedent.

Strategy Tips

When you see a verb underlined, immediately find its subject by tracing back and crossing out prepositional phrases (of, in, by, from, with) and relative clauses.
Memorize the always-singular indefinite pronouns: everyone, everyone, somebody, anybody, nobody, each, either, neither, one — treat all of them as 'he or she,' never 'they.'
For pronoun questions, circle the antecedent in the passage before evaluating the answer choices. If you cannot find a clear antecedent, ambiguity itself may be the error.
Collective nouns (committee, team, jury, class, group) are singular on the ACT unless explicitly stated that members are acting individually.

Common pitfalls

Compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor' take the verb that agrees with the closest subject: 'Neither the director nor the actors were available' — 'actors' is closest, so 'were' is correct.

Inverted sentences (There is/are...) hide the subject after the verb. Find the true subject first: 'There [is/are] several issues to address.' Subject = 'issues' (plural) → 'are.'

Pronouns that refer to companies, institutions, or organizations use singular 'it,' not 'they': 'The university revised its policy' — not 'their policy.'

Subject-verb agreement questions should be answered in 20 seconds. If you can cross out the intervening phrase and identify the subject in 10 seconds, matching the verb takes another 5 seconds. Spend the remaining 5 on a quick sanity check.

Summary

Cross out everything between the subject and verb — prepositional phrases and relative clauses never change what the subject is.
Indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, neither, anyone) are always singular and require singular verbs and 'his or her' pronouns on the ACT.
Pronouns referring to companies, institutions, and singular collective nouns take 'it/its,' not 'they/their.'

Write 10 sentences using compound prepositional phrases between the subject and verb (e.g., 'The director of three award-winning films about social inequality...'). Deliberately alternate singular and plural subjects. Practice identifying the true subject and selecting the correct verb within 10 seconds per sentence.

Next: Verb Forms and Tense Consistency All ACT English lessons