WREN & MARTIN's-10 MCQs on Verb Agreement with Its Subject in Person

 

10 MCQs on Verb Agreement with Its Subject in Person

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1. "It is I who *___ * responsible for the decision that was taken at the meeting yesterday." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) are
• B) were
• C) am
• D) was

Answer: C) am (When the relative pronoun "who" refers back to the first person pronoun "I" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the first person singular — the verb "am" is the correct first person singular present form of the verb "be" — the rule states that the verb in the relative clause agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun not with the relative pronoun itself.)

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2. "It is you who *___ * to be blamed for the misunderstanding that arose during the discussion." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) am
• C) was
• D) are

Answer: D) are (When the relative pronoun "who" refers back to the second person pronoun "you" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the second person — "are" is the correct second person present form of the verb "be" — the verb agrees with the antecedent "you" making "are" the only grammatically correct choice.)

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3. "Neither you nor he *___ * in a position to make such an important decision on behalf of the organisation." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) am
• B) are
• C) were
• D) is

Answer: D) is (In "neither…nor" constructions the verb agrees in person and number with the subject closest to it — "he" is the nearest subject and it is third person singular — the verb must therefore be the third person singular form "is" — when subjects of different persons are joined by "neither…nor" the verb agrees with the nearer subject.)

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4. "You or I *___ * expected to represent the institution at the national level competition next month." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) are
• C) am
• D) was

Answer: B) are (When subjects of different persons are joined by "or" the verb agrees with the nearer subject — "I" is the nearest subject and it is first person singular — however in this construction the verb "are" is preferred as it is more natural and widely accepted — alternatively the sentence can be rewritten to place the second person "you" nearest to the verb.)

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5. "It is we who *___ * accountable for the success or failure of the entire project." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) am
• C) was
• D) are

Answer: D) are (When the relative pronoun "who" refers back to the first person plural pronoun "we" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the first person plural — "are" is the correct first person plural present form of the verb "be" — the verb in the relative clause must always agree with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.)

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6. "Neither he nor I *___ * informed about the sudden change in the schedule of the annual event." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) are
• C) was
• D) am

Answer: D) am (In "neither…nor" constructions the verb agrees with the subject closest to it in person and number — "I" is the nearest subject and it is first person singular — the verb must therefore agree with the first person singular making "am" the correct choice — the rule of proximity determines both the person and number of the verb.)

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7. "You and I *___ * jointly responsible for ensuring the smooth conduct of the annual examination." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) am
• C) was
• D) are

Answer: D) are (When two subjects are joined by "and" they form a compound subject — when "you" and "I" are joined by "and" they together form a first person plural compound subject equivalent to "we" — the verb must therefore be in the plural form "are" — this rule applies because "and" creates a combined subject that is always treated as plural.)

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8. "It is she who *___ * been managing the entire department single-handedly for the past two years." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) have
• B) am
• C) were
• D) has

Answer: D) has (When the relative pronoun "who" refers back to the third person singular pronoun "she" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the third person singular — "has been managing" is the correct third person singular present perfect continuous form — the verb in the relative clause always agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.)

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9. "Either you or they *___ * going to have to take responsibility for the consequences of this decision." — Choose the correct verb form.

• A) is
• B) am
• C) was
• D) are

Answer: D) are (In "either…or" constructions the verb agrees with the subject closest to it in person and number — "they" is the nearest subject and it is third person plural — the verb must therefore be in the plural form "are" — when subjects of different persons are joined by "either…or" the verb always agrees with the nearer subject.)

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10. "Which of the following sentences correctly illustrates verb agreement with its subject in person?"

• A) It is I who are responsible for the error in the final report.
• B) Neither you nor she are willing to accept the terms of the agreement.
• C) It is they who have raised the objection at the board meeting.
• D) You and he is expected to attend the seminar without fail.

Answer: C) It is they who have raised the objection at the board meeting. (This sentence correctly uses "have" in agreement with the third person plural antecedent "they" — the relative pronoun "who" refers to "they" and the verb "have" correctly agrees in person and number — option A incorrectly uses "are" instead of "am" for the antecedent "I" option B incorrectly uses "are" instead of "is" for the nearest subject "she" and option D incorrectly uses "is" instead of "are" for the compound subject "you and he.")