S-V

[allfta]

I wonder when S and V can separate remotely and when they should stick together.
EX)

OG says the following choice is wrong becase its verb should be are and it is too far from its subject

TV programs developed in conjunction with the marketing of toys, a practice that federal regulations once prohibited, is

But, following answer choice in another question is correct

The life of chekhov, unlike the lives of the subjects of other Troyat biographies, Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoi, and Dostoevski, belongs

Obviously, the distance btw the subject, The life~, and its verb, belongs, are so long.


Admittedly, I should compare choices and focus on what the question asking for. But, I want to know the absolute rule of this issue. Do I just nee to think that "try to stick them together as possible as i can but if there is no choice like such, just take this issue as positive"?



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TV programs developed in conjunction with the marketing of toys, which was once prohibited by federal regulations, are thriving in the free market conditions permitted by the current

b) TV programs developed in conjunction with the marketing of toys, a practice that federal regulations once prohibited, is

This choice b is wrong but what if i change is to are?

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Hi allfta,

There is no set rule for how close the subject of a sentence and a matching verb of a sentence need to be to one another. Usually, subject and verb are right next to one another. However, certain grammar rules (parallelism, comparisons and modification) can separate the subject and verb by a great distance.

As you mentioned, it's best to use the answer choices to your advantage and focus on what the question is asking for. In most SCs, you don't even need to know all of the rules involved to get the question correct, so look for rules that you DO know and use them to your advantage.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich