About This Worksheet
This Grade 7 Language Arts worksheet teaches students to ignore prepositional phrases when deciding which verb agrees with the subject. Each sentence contains a phrase between the true subject and the verb, and that phrase often includes a noun with a different number. Students cross out the prepositional phrase, circle the subject, and then choose the correct verb. For example, in “The stack of permission slips sits on the desk,” stack is the singular subject, even though slips is plural.
Learning Goals
The main goal is to help students separate the core sentence from details that can interfere with agreement. Students should already know how to identify common prepositions and prepositional phrases. This activity moves them toward using those skills to solve more difficult subject-verb agreement problems. It supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1, which asks students to demonstrate command of grammar and sentence structure.
Student Tasks
On this worksheet, students will work through ten sentences containing interrupting prepositional phrases. They will cross out the phrase, circle the true subject, and select the correct verb from the choices provided. The examples include a captain, stack, murals, sound, bottle, price, pages, coach, roof, and other subjects. Students must make the verb agree with the main subject rather than with a nearby noun inside the phrase.
Common Challenges
Some students may cross out too much and accidentally remove the true subject. Others may identify the correct subject but still choose the verb that agrees with the closer noun. Phrases beginning with of are especially distracting because they often place a plural noun directly beside the verb. Remind students that the object of a preposition does not control subject-verb agreement.
Teaching Suggestions
A teacher can demonstrate a “sentence skeleton” by removing the prepositional phrase and reading what remains. For instance, “The sound echoes” is much easier to judge than the full sentence containing of the marching drums. At home, a parent can cover the words between the subject and verb with a finger. The child can then choose the verb using the shorter sentence.
Worksheet Features
The worksheet combines three actions in every item: removing the distractor phrase, locating the subject, and choosing the verb. Ten examples provide repeated practice with singular and plural subjects separated from their verbs. This step-by-step structure helps students develop a reliable editing routine. The page is useful for direct instruction, intervention, homework, or grammar review.