Phrases Between Subject & Verb Exercises (Hard)

At B2 level, sentences often contain multiple phrases between the subject and verb, making agreement significantly harder to judge. In "The report on the effects of climate change on coastal communities was published yesterday," the subject is "report" (singular) — but three phrases ("on the effects," "of climate change," "on coastal communities") separate it from the verb. Learners who match the verb to "communities" will mistakenly choose "were."

Relative clauses also appear between subjects and verbs at this level: "The student who answered all the questions correctly was given a prize." The relative clause "who answered all the questions correctly" is additional information — it does not change the fact that "student" is singular. To avoid errors, strip the sentence down to its core: "The student was given a prize." This approach works even with the most complex B2 sentences, including those with nested phrases and embedded clauses that appear in Cambridge First examinations.