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.

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.