Since it is impossible for me to circle and make arrows here, I will answer by stating what is what.
Answer:
1. subject: Sara and Desmond;
verb: is organizing;
error: is --> are
2. subject: many of my classmates;
verb: are arriving
3. subject: the party;
verb: start;
error: start --> starts
4. subject: each of us;
verb: are bringing;
error: are --> is
5. subject: mike;
verb: have been trying;
error: have --> has
6. subject: Mike;
verb: does . . . get;
subject: he;
verb: like;
error: like --> likes
7. subject: all the funny things;
verb: is;
error: is --> are
8. subject: Soo Min;
verb: is making;
subject: Maria;
verb: is buying
Explanation:
The subject is the topic of a sentence, that is, what the sentence is about. The verb refers to the subject, expressing an action or a state/condition of that subject. For that reason, the verb and the subject must agree, that is, if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular; if it is plural, the verb should also be plural.
Let's take sentence 5 as an example:
5. Mike, like many other students, have been trying to decide on the best gift to buy.
The phrase "like many other students" is what makes the sentence confusing. "Students" is a plural word and, because it is closer to the verb, we feel like using a plural verb as well. However, the subject is "Mike", which is a singular proper noun. Therefore, we should use a singular verb to agree with it. The correct sentence is:
- Mike, like many other students, has been trying to decide on the best gift to buy.
