Cohort 29 - Sva Practice
Subject-verb agreement: if you’ve been speaking, writing, and reading English for a while now, you probably think you’ve got this most basic of grammar topics covered. But do you? Sure, none of us would ever write "subjects needs verbs" or "this tip writer need new ideas." We all know that plural subjects take plural verbs and that singular subjects take singular verbs. But can you identify the correct verb choice in each sentence below?
Questions and Answers
- 1.
One of those disasters that often ________ occurs/occur only in movies happened just as I got off the plane.
- 2.
The first author as well as the last two authors ________ (has/have) approved the proofs.
Explanation
The phrase "as well as" always introduces parenthetical information, which one should not take into account when determining the singularity or plurality of the verb. Thus, the only subject that matters here is "the first author," which is singular. If we were to replace "as well as" with "and," we'd need to use "have."Rate this question:
- 3.
Getting my paper accepted in Cell and seeing it in the finished journal ________ (was/were) the highlight of my career.
Explanation
"Getting my paper accepted in Cell and seeing it in the finished journal” can be considered one idea, so it can take a singular verb. It would be equally acceptable to write, “Getting my paper accepted in Cell and seeing it in the finished journal were the highlights of my career,” but in that case the writer is thinking of these as two separate events. Consider also, “A carelessness and inattention to detail runs through her work.” The singular article “a” makes it clear that “carelessness and inattention to detail” is a singular idea.Rate this question:
- 4.
Either the children or the parent ________ (has/have) to give in.
Explanation
When two or more subjects are joined by "or," the verb must agree with the closest subject. Thus, we would have to write, "The parent or the children have to give in."Rate this question:
- 5.
Not only the previously published papers but also the one under review ________ (were/was) called into question.
Explanation
The verb agrees with the closer subject.Rate this question:
- 6.
More than one of the authors ________ (has/have) received the Nobel Prize.
Explanation
When a noun phrase contains more than one and a singular noun, the verb is normally singular: There is more than one way to skin a cat. ... When more than one is followed by of and a plural noun, the verb is plural: More than one of the paintings were stolen.Rate this question:
- 7.
Ten dollars ________ (is/are) not enough to get me to jump in the Atlantic Ocean in February.
Explanation
Some seemingly plural subjects can be singular in certain contexts. For example, "Physics is an interesting subject” but “The physics of this contraption baffle me."Rate this question:
- 8.
Boston, along with all the New England cities, ________ (tend/tends) to get snow in January.
Explanation
When commas set off a parenthetical element in a sentence, what lies between the commas has no effect on the verb. So we would write, “All New England cities, including Boston, tend to get snow in January.Rate this question:
- 9.
Each of the editors ________ (want/wants) to accept the paper.
Explanation
When "each" is the subject, as here, it is singular. When it modifies a plural subject, it’s plural. Thus, we would write "The editors each want to accept the paper." Now the subject is "editors" rather than "each."Rate this question:
- 10.
A proportion of authors ________ (are/is) at the conference.
Explanation
Even though "a proportion" is singular, the verb should agree with "authors," the object of the preposition ("of" is a preposition). However, if we use "the proportion" instead of "a proportion," then the verb should always be singular: "The proportion of authors at the conference is lower this year than last year."Rate this question:
- 11.
Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children ________ (are/is) my favourite novel.
Explanation
When used in sentences, the titles of books, plays, poems, movies, and so on are singular.Rate this question:
- 12.
Politics ________ (are/is) an issue in R. K. Narayan’s The Man-eater of Malgudi.
Explanation
Plural nouns that are singular in meaning
Some plural nouns take singular verbs, for example, athletics, economics, politics, news, mumps, and measles.Rate this question:
- 13.
The majority of English majors ________ (reads/read) Conrad’s Heart of Darkness while at university.
Explanation
Collective nouns
These are nouns that are singular in form, but plural in meaning.
Examples: band, minority, majority, class, community, dozen, family, public, team
When they act as one entity, use a singular verb.
When they do separate things, use a plural verb, BUT it is easier to reword the sentence. For example, write “the members of the team” instead of “the team.”Rate this question:
- 14.
Each of Sylvia Plath’s “bee poems” ________ (use/uses) the theme of beekeeping to express aspects of the human condition.
Explanation
single indefinite pronoun: e.g., anyone, anybody, each, either, none
They use singular verbs.Rate this question:
- 15.
Both of the main characters in Waiting for Godot ________ (believes/ believe) Godot is the purpose of life.
Explanation
plural indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, several - They use plural verbs.
All, any, most, and some depend on the situation. They can be either singular or plural.Rate this question:
- 16.
Neither Edna’s neighbours nor her husband ________ (agrees/agree) with her decision.
Explanation
If the subjects are joined by “nor” or “or,” the verb agrees with the closer subject (the last one)Rate this question:
- 17.
Christie and Prin ________ (is/are) characters from Laurence’s The Diviners.
Explanation
If the two subjects are joined by “and” the verb will be plural in most situations
exception: when the joined subjects are preceded by “every,” “no,” or “nothing”Rate this question:
- 18.
The characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night ________ (lives/live) in a world that has been turned upside-down.
Explanation
. When the subject and verb are separated
Find the subject and verb and make sure they agree.
Ignore the words in-between because they do not affect agreement.Rate this question:
- 19.
Either the microphone or the speakers ________ (are/is) broken.
Explanation
If joined by or / nor, then the subjects are not combined, so the verb must agree with whichever subject is closest to it.Rate this question:
- 20.
Neither the teacher nor the students ________ (wants/want) to stay late.
Explanation
If joined by or / nor, then the subjects are not combined, so the verb must agree with whichever subject is closest to it.Rate this question:
- 21.
Either answer ________ (is/are) acceptable
Explanation
The verb "is" agrees with the singular subject "Either answer," making it the correct answer choice. The verb "are" would be used if the subject were plural, such as "Both answers are acceptable." Therefore, "is" is the appropriate verb in this context.Rate this question:
- 22.
Thirty years ________ (is/are) a long time.
Explanation
Quantities of money, time and distance are considered singular.Rate this question:
- 23.
One of the eggs ________ (is/are) broken.
Explanation
One of the eggs is broken. Of the eggs is a prepositional phrase. The subject one and the verb is are both singular.Rate this question:
- 24.
Demonstrating effective continuous-monitoring programs ________ also helped leading institutions meet heightened regulatory expectations.
Explanation
The verb following programs pertains not to that word but to demonstrating—it is the act of demonstrating, not the programs, that has provided the assistance referred to here, so has is the correct form of the verb: “Demonstrating effective continuous-monitoring programs has also helped leading institutions meet heightened regulatory expectations.”Rate this question:
- 25.
Nearly one in three organizations ________ (spend/spends) less than one million dollars annually on compliance with the regulation.
Explanation
In sentences such as this in which a phrase refers to a proportion of a whole in which the proportion is one, the verb should be singular: “Nearly one in three organizations spends less than one million dollars annually on compliance with the regulation.”Rate this question:
- 26.
Implementing simplistic solutions based on symptomatic causes, or a single cause when there are multiple interacting causes, ________ (is/are) highly likely to end in failure and disappointment.
Explanation
When two choices are presented as alternatives rather than as a combination, with or rather than and linking them, a singular verb is appropriate because it applies only to the first option: “Implementing simplistic solutions based on symptomatic causes, or a single cause when there are multiple interacting causes, is highly likely to end in failure and disappointment.”Rate this question:
- 27.
The patchwork of federal and state regulations ________ left firms with great uncertainty about how to comply.
Explanation
The verb applies to the subject patchwork, not to the phrase modifying the subject, so has, not have, is correct: “The patchwork of federal and state regulations has left firms with great uncertainty about how to comply.”Rate this question:
- 28.
I feel that each of these skills ________ crucial for this job.
Explanation
The subject of this sentence is each, not skills, so the associated verb must be singular: “I feel that each of these skills is crucial for this job.”Rate this question:
- 29.
Most of the news ________ good.
Explanation
(News- uncountable noun- Singular)Rate this question:
- 30.
Most of the flowers ________ yellow.
Explanation
Flowers pluralRate this question:
- 31.
All of the pizza ________ (was/were) gone.
Explanation
The correct answer is "was." In this sentence, the subject "All of the pizza" is singular, so the verb "was" agrees with it. "Were" would be used if the subject were plural, such as "All of the pizzas were gone."Rate this question:
- 32.
All of the children ________ late.
Explanation
The correct answer is "are, were" because both "are" and "were" are forms of the verb "to be" in the present and past tense respectively. In the sentence, "are" is used to indicate that the children are currently late, while "were" is used to indicate that the children were late in the past.Rate this question:
- 33.
The man with the roses ________ (look/ looks) like your brother.
Explanation
The man is the subject here which is singular.Rate this question:
- 34.
The weather on the coast ________ (appear/appears) to be good this weekend.
Explanation
The correct answer is "appears". In this sentence, the subject "weather" is singular, so it should be followed by the singular verb form "appears".Rate this question:
- 35.
________ (Is/Are) each of the girls ready to leave?
Explanation
The question is asking about the readiness of each individual girl, so the correct verb to use is "is." This is because "is" is the singular form of the verb "to be," which agrees with the singular subject "each girl."Rate this question:
- 36.
Nobody in the class ________ the answer.
Explanation
The correct answer is "has, knows." This is because the word "nobody" is a singular pronoun, which requires the singular form of the verb "has." Additionally, the word "knows" is used to indicate that nobody in the class possesses the knowledge of the answer.Rate this question:
- 37.
All of the milk ________ (is/are) gone.
Explanation
milk is an uncountable noun.Rate this question:
- 38.
The teacher voted by students ________ traveling.
- 39.
His knowledge of Maths and English ________ (aid/aids) him.
Explanation
The correct answer is "aids" because it is the present tense form of the verb "aid" and agrees with the subject "knowledge". The sentence suggests that the person's knowledge of Maths and English helps or supports him in some way.Rate this question:
- 40.
Some of the water ________ (is/are) gone.
Explanation
Because water (singular) is an uncountable noun and uncountable noun always follows the singular verb.Rate this question:
- 41.
Neither of the two lights ________ working.
Explanation
Neither shows singularity. However, it is different in case of Neither – Nor.Rate this question:
- 42.
Either the teacher or the students ________ responsible.
Explanation
When there are two subjects in one sentence change the verb according to the closest subject.Rate this question:
- 43.
Sumon, along with other teachers, ________ taking classes.
Explanation
Remember this: Along with, Together with, as well as, in addition to, accompanied by.
Use the subject before all these words present in a sentence to change the verb.Rate this question:
- 44.
Just 10 miles from these buildings ________ (stand/stands) a castle.
Explanation
Inverted Sentence- Verb (stand/stands)+ Subject (a castle-singular)+ ObjectRate this question:
- 45.
A bouquet of yellow roses ________ beautiful.
Explanation
A bouquet ( singular subject)Rate this question:
- 46.
A pair of jeans ________ in the bathroom.
Explanation
The correct answer for this question is "is, was" because it suggests that a pair of jeans currently exists in the bathroom and that it was there in the past. The use of "is" indicates the present tense, while "was" indicates the past tense.Rate this question:
- 47.
My pants ________ torn.
Explanation
The correct answer is "were" because it indicates that the pants were torn in the past. The word "are" would indicate that the pants are currently torn, which does not match the context of the sentence.Rate this question:
- 48.
It is only Orko, not his classmates, who ________ (eat/ eats) lunch in the classroom.
Explanation
The correct answer is "eats" because the subject of the sentence is "Orko" which is singular. Therefore, the verb should also be singular, which is "eats."Rate this question:
- 49.
The family ________ (ride/rides) bikes together each day.
Explanation
The correct answer is "rides, ride" because the subject "family" is considered a singular noun, so it should be followed by the singular verb "rides". However, the word "bikes" is plural, so it should be followed by the plural verb "ride". This ensures subject-verb agreement in the sentence.Rate this question:
- 50.
The police ________ here.
Explanation
The word "police" is a plural noun, referring to a group of law enforcement officers. Therefore, the correct verb forms to use with plural nouns are "are" and "were". "Are" is used in the present tense, while "were" is used in the past tense.Rate this question:
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Sep 04, 2023Quiz Edited by
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Dec 09, 2019Quiz Created by
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