2. Words Come between the Subject and the Verb

When the subject and verb are not directly next to each other, it is more difficult to find them to make sure they agree. Most often, either a prepositional phrase or a dependent clause comes between the subject and the verb.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE VERB

A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun: I took my bag of books and threw it across the room. (For a list of common prepositions, “Subjects”.)

The subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase. When you are looking for the subject of a sentence, you can cross out any prepositional phrases.

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DEPENDENT CLAUSE BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE VERB

A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought. When a dependent clause comes between the subject and the verb, it usually starts with the word who, whose, whom, that, or which.

The subject of a sentence is never in a dependent clause. When you are looking for the subject of a sentence, you can cross out any dependent clauses.

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