Page 625 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

out prepositional phrases will help you remember this important rule:

The subject of a verb is not found in a prepositional phrase.

Example 1

Consider the following problem in subject-verb agreement:

The members of the softball team (practices, practice) every

afternoon until five.

Which verb is correct? If you look for the subject by asking the

question, “Who or what practices or practice?” it might seem logical to

say, “The team practices, so team is the subject of the sentence and

practices is the verb.” However, team cannot be the subject of the

sentence because it already has a job: It is the object of a preposition,
and the subject of a sentence is never found in a prepositional phrase.

Incorrect Solution

The members of the softball team practices every afternoon until

five.

Correct Solution

Cross out prepositional phrases to find the subject.