Subject-Verb Agreement Help?

Question

I need just a bit of subject-verb agreement help. Which verb goes here?

[This is an example by the way. Not my actual homework.]

Brett is one of those people who always [1. helps][2.help] others as much as possible.

It's helps, right? I'm just making sure. The "one of those people" part is throwing me off.

Answer 1

You're right, lots of words can make things confusing.  And, you're right, it is "helps".

The verb has to agree with its subject.  In this case, the subject is "who".  And "who" stands for Brett.

It's easier to see when you realize you can replace all of "one of those people" with just "someone" and not change the subject/verb relationship.  And, you can also drop "as much as possible" entirely.  

Bret is someone who always helps others.

And, if that's still confusing, look at this:

Who always helps others?  He always helps others.

Answer 2

When you have problems with subject-verb agreement, it's usually due to a prepositional phrase. Remove the prepositional phrase and you'll often find the answer.

"Brett is one who always [helps] [help] others as much as possible."

By taking out the prepositional phrase, you see that Brett is "one" which means the verb should be "helps."

Answer 3

Yes, it is helps. "One helps" of those people is a a prepositional phrase so you should ignore it.