Subject-Verb Agreement Quiz With Answers

"Is" is the correct choice because "mathematics" is treated as a singular noun in this context. Even though "mathematics" ends in "s" and might seem plural, it refers to a single field of study. Therefore, the correct sentence is "Mathematics is a required subject for a college degree." Using "is" agrees with the singular nature of the subject being discussed.

The correct choice for the sentence "There (is/are) several reasons for Desiree’s happy expression today." is "are." In English grammar, when using the introductory "there is" or "there are," the verb should agree with the subject that follows it. In this case, the subject is "several reasons," which is plural. Therefore, the plural verb "are" is appropriate to use: "There are several reasons for Desiree’s happy expression today." This structure ensures proper subject-verb agreement, emphasizing the presence of multiple reasons behind Desiree's happiness.

"Data" can be singular or plural in different contexts, but in scientific writing, it is often treated as singular, making "shows" correct. In choice B, "pack" is a collective noun and should be singular, so "runs" should be used instead of "run." In choice C, "reasons" is plural, so "are" should be used instead of "is." In choice D, "committee" is singular unless emphasizing individual opinions, so "was" is usually preferred instead of "were." Understanding whether collective nouns take singular or plural verbs depends on their meaning in the sentence.

The correct choice for the sentence "Anthony and DeShawn (is/are) finished with the essay." is "are." In this sentence, "Anthony and DeShawn" constitute a compound subject, consisting of two individuals joined by the conjunction "and." When subjects are combined with "and," they are treated as plural. Therefore, the plural verb "are" is needed to correctly agree with the subject. Here's the correct version: "Anthony and DeShawn are finished with the essay."

The subject of the sentence is "Everyone," which is singular, even though it refers to a group of people. In English, words like "everyone," "someone," and "anyone" are treated as singular subjects. Therefore, the correct verb form should be singular as well, which is "needs." The correct sentence is: "Everyone in class needs to study."

The sentence should be: "Twenty dollars is not a lot of money these days." The reason for this is that "twenty dollars" is a singular amount, so it should be followed by the singular verb "is." Even though "dollars" is a plural noun, it's the amount of money that is being considered as a single unit in this context. Therefore, the verb should agree with the singular subject "twenty dollars."

In American English, collective nouns like "team," "group," "committee," and others are typically treated as singular entities. This means that when referring to these nouns, the verb forms also need to be singular to maintain subject-verb agreement. For the sentence provided, the correct choice in American English is "practices." This is because the football team is viewed as a single unit performing the action together. The grammatically correct sentence would be: "The football team practices every day."

In English, when we use phrases like “as well as”, “along with”, or “together with”, the verb agrees with the first subject. In this case, “Claudia” is the first subject and it is singular, so we use “speaks” instead of “speak”. If both Claudia and Judy were the subjects without the “as well as”, we would use “speak”. For example, “Claudia and Judy speak American Sign Language.”

In this sentence, the subject "Neither the teacher nor the student" is treated as singular, so the correct verb form is "is." The other sentences have subject-verb agreement errors:

"The group of students is studying for their exams." (Group is singular)

"The dog and the cat were playing in the yard." (Two subjects require a plural verb)

"Each of the books has a different cover." (Each is singular)

The correct choice for the sentence "Each of the winners (receives/receive) a scholarship and a trophy, every year." is "receives." In English grammar, "each" is another example of an indefinite pronoun that, similar to "everyone," is always treated as singular. When you use "each" to refer to individuals within a group, it emphasizes their individuality within that group. Thus, any verb that follows should be in the singular form to agree with "each."

"Neither" is singular and should be followed by a singular verb, "seems." In choice A, "team" is a singular collective noun and should use "is" instead of "are." In choice B, "number" is singular, so "was" should be used instead of "were." In choice D, "a variety" is singular, but "bloom" is correct because the subject is "flowers," which is plural. Understanding subject-verb agreement requires recognizing whether the subject is singular or plural, especially when words like "neither," "number," or "team" create ambiguity.

"Group" is a collective noun and is treated as singular, so "was" is correct. In choice A, "the teacher" is the main subject, which is singular, so "was" should be used instead of "were." In choice C, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it, "brother," which is singular, so "goes" should be used instead of "go." In choice D, "one" is singular, so "has" should be used instead of "have."

For the sentence "Near the center of the campus (is/are) the counselor's office," the correct choice is "is." The term "the counselor's office" refers to a single office that belongs to a counselor. Therefore, it requires the singular verb form "is" to agree with the singular noun phrase. Thus, the correct sentence would be: - "Near the center of the campus is the counselor's office." This construction correctly matches the singular subject "the counselor's office" with the singular verb "is," indicating the location of one specific office on the campus.

The correct choice for the sentence "Some of the grapes in our local market (comes/come) from Mexico." is "come." In this case, "some" refers to a portion of a plural noun ("grapes"), and when "some" is used with a plural noun, the verb should also be plural. Therefore, the correct sentence is: - "Some of the grapes in our local market come from Mexico." This usage emphasizes that the action (coming from Mexico) is associated with a plural subject (grapes), thus requiring a plural verb form, "come."

The sentence "Where do your grandmother and grandfather live?" involves subject-verb agreement. The subject, "grandmother and grandfather," is a compound subject, and since it includes more than one person, it is considered plural. In English, plural subjects take plural verbs. Therefore, "do" is the correct plural form that agrees with the plural subject in this sentence.