Cohort 29 - Sva Practice

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| By Emiko Sultana
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Emiko Sultana
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Quizzes Created: 7 | Total Attempts: 11,271
| Attempts: 246 | Questions: 50
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1. 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”

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About This Quiz
Cohort 29 - Sva Practice - Quiz

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... see moreyou? 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? see less

2. Thirty years _____ (is/are) a long time.

Explanation

Quantities of money, time and distance are considered singular.

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3. 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."

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4. 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.

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5. 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.

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6. The man with the roses _____ (look/ looks) like your brother.

Explanation

The man is the subject here which is singular.

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7. 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.

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8. 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.

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9. 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".

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10. 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."

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11. Some of the water _____ (is/are) gone.

Explanation

Because water (singular) is an uncountable noun and uncountable noun always follows the singular verb.

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12. 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."

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13. 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.

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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.

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15. All of the milk _____ (is/are) gone.

Explanation

milk is an uncountable noun.

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16. 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.

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17. 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)

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18. 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.

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19. 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.

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20. 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.

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21. 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.

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22.  Just 10 miles from these buildings _____ (stand/stands) a castle. 

Explanation

Inverted Sentence- Verb (stand/stands)+ Subject (a castle-singular)+ Object

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23. One of those disasters that often _____ occurs/occur only in movies happened just as I got off the plane.

Explanation



The phrase "one of those disasters" is treated as plural because it refers to the plural noun "disasters." Therefore, the verb should be "occur" to match the plural subject. Although "one" is singular, the emphasis is on the types of disasters, which are multiple. Hence, the correct sentence is: "One of those disasters that often occur only in movies happened just as I got off the plane."
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24. 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.

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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.”

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26. 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.”

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27. 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.

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28. 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."

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29. Most of the flowers _____ yellow.

Explanation

Flowers plural

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30. 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.

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31. 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.

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32. _____ (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."

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33. 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."

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34. 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."

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35. 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.

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36. 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.”

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37. 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.

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38. 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.

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39. The teacher voted by students _____ traveling. 

Explanation

not-available-via-ai

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40. Most of the news _____ good.

Explanation

(News- uncountable noun- Singular)

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41. 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."

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42. 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.”

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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.

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44. A bouquet of yellow roses _____ beautiful. 

Explanation

A bouquet ( singular subject)

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45. 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.”

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46. 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.”

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47. 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.

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48. Either the teacher or the students  _____ responsible. 

Explanation

When there are two subjects in one sentence change the verb according to the closest subject.

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49. Neither of the two lights _____ working.

Explanation

Neither shows singularity. However, it is different in case of Neither – Nor.

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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.

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Christie and Prin _____ (is/are) characters from Laurence's The...
Thirty years _____ (is/are) a long time.
It is only Orko, not his classmates, who _____ (eat/ eats) lunch in...
Politics _____ (are/is) an issue in R. K. Narayan's The Man-eater of...
Either answer _____ (is/are) acceptable 
The man with the roses _____ (look/ looks) like your brother.
The family _____ (ride/rides) bikes together each day.
One of the eggs _____ (is/are) broken.
The weather on the coast _____ (appear/appears) to be good...
Ten dollars _____ (is/are) not enough to get me to jump in...
Some of the water _____ (is/are) gone.
Either the children or the parent _____ (has/have) to give...
Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children _____ (are/is) my favourite...
Each of Sylvia Plath's "bee poems" _____ (use/uses) the theme of...
All of the milk _____ (is/are) gone.
Boston, along with all the New England cities, _____...
Neither Edna's neighbours nor her husband _____ (agrees/agree)...
Neither the teacher nor the students _____ (wants/want) to stay late.
Nobody in the class _____ the answer. 
Getting my paper accepted in Cell and seeing it in the...
More than one of the authors _____ (has/have) received the...
 Just 10 miles from these buildings _____ (stand/stands) a...
One of those disasters that...
The characters in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night _____ (lives/live) in a...
Nearly one in three organizations _____ (spend/spends) less than one...
I feel that each of these skills _____ crucial for this job.
My pants _____​ ​​​​​​torn.
The first author as well as the last two authors...
Most of the flowers _____ yellow.
His knowledge of Maths and English _____ (aid/aids) him.
Both of the main characters in Waiting for Godot _____ (believes/...
_____ (Is/Are) each of the girls ready to leave?
All of the pizza _____ (was/were) gone.
Each of the editors _____ (want/wants) to accept the paper.
Either the microphone or the speakers _____ (are/is) broken. 
Implementing simplistic solutions based on symptomatic causes, or a...
Not only the previously published papers but also the one under...
All of the children _____ late.
The teacher voted by students _____ traveling. 
Most of the news _____ good.
A proportion of authors _____ (are/is) at the conference.
The patchwork of federal and state regulations _____ left firms with...
Sumon, along with other teachers, _____ taking classes.  
A bouquet of yellow roses _____ beautiful. 
The majority of English majors _____ (reads/read) Conrad's Heart...
Demonstrating effective continuous-monitoring programs _____ also...
A pair of jeans _____ in the bathroom. 
Either the teacher or the students  _____ responsible. 
Neither of the two lights _____ working.
The police _____ here. 
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