Interrupting Phrases
  

Worksheet Objective:
To learn how to make subjects and verbs agree in sentences.

There are multiple worksheets that cover subject-verb agreement. When you complete this one, be sure to move on to the next.

Interrupting Phrases

Many sentences look more complicated than they really are because they have interrupting phrases.  An interrupting phrase is a group of words that comes between the simple subject and the verb, usually giving some added description.  Because of these interrupters, it’s easy to make an error in subject-verb agreement.  Many interrupters are prepositional phrases.

A prepositional phrase is a word group that starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.  The prepositional phrase can be removed and the sentence will still be complete.  Which of the following sentences is correct?
            The building with the white shutters need painting.
            The building with the white shutters needs painting.

What is the subject of this sentence?  The building

What is the prepositional phrase?  with the white shutters.

If the prepositional phrase is removed, the sentence will still make sense.  Check the subject-verb agreement now:
            The building need painting. (Incorrect)
            The building needs painting. (Right!)
            The building with the white shutters needs painting.  (Even better!)

Here are some common prepositions to look for with some sample prepositional phrases:

Prepositions Prepositional Phrases
of of the three women, of December
in in the entire universe, in a long time
for for the little girl, for a new car
to to the cab company, to them
from from the president, from Mars
with with the Doberman, with the beady easy
on on the third floor, on television

Watch out for the following phrases as well.  Sometimes they seem to make the subject plural, but they actually introduce interrupting phrases:
            as well as                     along with                   besides
            in addition to               together with              

How about this sentence?
            Joan Perez, along with her three sons, runs the photocopy shop on Clark Street.

The sentence contains the interrupting phrase "along with her three sons" which means that the subject of the sentence is "Joan Perez". The singular verb runs agrees with the singular subject Joan Perez.

This is not the same thing as:
            Joan Perez and her three sons run the photocopy shop on Clark Street.

In this sentence, "Joan Perez and her three sons" is a compound subject, which makes it plural. The plural verb run agrees with the compound subject Joan and her three sons.

 

Try the following sentences

27.   A box of butter cookies  sitting on the dining room table.

28.   Santa Claus, with the aid of a multiple of spies,  whether you’ve been naughty or nice.

29.   Five members of the commission  issued a minority report.

30.   Several television specials about John Kennedy  broadcast on the anniversary of his assassination.

31.   The eggs in this carton  rotten.

32.   Snow on open farmlands  mercilessly across roads and highways.

33.   A charming smile, together with a healthy bank account,  Bob an eligible bachelor .

34.   Ice cubes in an insulated glass  slowly even on hot summer days.

35.   An unopened package of potato chips  like dry leaves underfoot.

36.   A car loaded with five passengers  more slowly than a car with only a driver.

37.   The football coach, as well as the team members,  calisthenics every morning.

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Resources:
Cambridge Program for the Writing Skills Test. (1981). Cambridge Book Company: New York, NY
GED Test 1: Writing Skills. (1994). Contemporary Books, Inc.: Lincolnwood, IL.
GED Writing Skills. (1996). Steck-Vaughn: Austin, TX.
Rubin, Betsy. (1988). Edge on English: Grammar Write Away, Book 2. Contemporary Books Inc.: Chicago, IL.