About a quarter of the Writing questions test whether a sentence's grammar holds together — subject-verb agreement, verb tense, and pronouns that match what they refer to. Master these rules and you can earn points fast without reading a long passage.
The verb agrees with 'box' (singular), not the nearby 'nails.'
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Tense for two past actions
Happened first
Happened second
Example
Past perfect (had + verb)
Simple past
She had finished before they arrived.
had published
turning forty
She had published three books before turning forty.
The earlier of two past events takes the past perfect.
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Quick check
Check your understanding with a question from this topic:
The novelist, who _______ three bestsellers before turning forty, credits her prolific output to a disciplined daily writing routine.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Worked examples
Example 1
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Example 2
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Example 3
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Common pitfalls
Matching the verb to the nearest noun
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Ignoring time clues for tense
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Confusing pronoun sound-alikes
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Illogical comparisons
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Key takeaways
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Watch & learn
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Try it yourself
5 practice questions on Form, Structure, and Sense, drawn from the question bank. The tutor is one click away if you get stuck.
Form, Structure, and Sense questions give you a sentence with a blank and four versions of a word or phrase. Your job: pick the one that follows the rules of Standard English. There's no opinion here — exactly one choice is grammatically correct. These questions cluster around a few predictable rules.
1. Subject-verb agreement. A verb must match its subject in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb (The dog runs); a plural subject takes a plural verb (The dogs run). The trap is words between the subject and verb: in The box of nails is heavy, the subject is box (singular), not nails. Mentally cross out the middle phrase.
2. Verb tense. Tense tells you when something happened. The tricky one tested here is the past perfect (had + verb), which marks an action that happened before another past action. In She had finished dinner before the guests arrived, the finishing came first, so it gets had finished.
3. Pronoun-antecedent agreement. A pronoun (it, they, those, this) stands in for a noun called its antecedent. The pronoun must match that noun in number. If the noun is plural (scores), use a plural pronoun (those, not that).
4. Parallel structure and logical comparisons. When you compare two things, compare like with like. The scores of group A were higher than those of group B works because those = scores. Saying higher than group B would wrongly compare scores to a group of people.
A few special nouns: In formal writing, data is treated as plural (the data are), and collective subjects can be tricky.
How to attack these:
Find the subject and the verb; check they agree in number.
Spot any time clue (before, by the time, after) that signals you need past perfect.
For pronouns, ask: what noun does this replace, and is it singular or plural?
For comparisons, ask: am I comparing the same kinds of things?
Because these answers are objective, plug each choice in and listen for what breaks. The wrong ones usually create a number mismatch, a tense error, or an illogical comparison.
Each of the experiments _______ a different variable, allowing the team to isolate which factor mattered most.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
By the time the rescue crew reached the summit, the storm _______ for several hours, leaving the trail nearly impassable.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Critics praised the director's later films for their bold visuals, but many viewers still prefer the quiet intimacy of _______ earlier work.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
In The box of nails (is/are) heavy, students grab nails and pick are. Always find the true subject (box) and ignore the prepositional phrase between it and the verb.
Phrases like before, by the time, after, and had already signal that one action came before another. If you skip them, you'll miss when the past perfect had + verb is required.
their/they're/there, its/it's, and whose/who's sound identical but mean different things. Test each by expanding the contraction: if they are doesn't fit, it isn't they're.
The scores were higher than the other group compares scores to people. Use than those of the other group so you compare scores with scores. Watch for missing those/that.
Find the real subject and make the verb agree in number — cross out phrases in between.
Time clues like 'by the time' or 'before' often call for the past perfect ('had' + verb).
A pronoun must match its antecedent in number; 'those/that' must point to a clear, parallel noun.
'Data' is plural in formal writing ('the data are'); 'each/every/one of' are singular.
These questions have exactly one correct answer — plug in each choice and find the grammar break.