WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-10 MCQs on Verb Agreement with Its Subject in Number and Person
10 MCQs on Verb Agreement with Its Subject in Number and Person
1. "The bouquet of fresh red roses *___ * placed carefully on the table near the entrance of the hall." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) are
- B) were
- C) have been
- D) was
Answer: D) was (The subject of the sentence is "the bouquet" which is a singular noun — the prepositional phrase "of fresh red roses" modifies the subject but does not change its number — the verb must agree with the singular head noun "bouquet" — the singular past tense form "was" is therefore the correct choice.)
2. "It is I who *___ * personally responsible for the error that appeared in the final report." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) are
- B) were
- C) am
- D) is
Answer: C) am (When the relative pronoun "who" refers back to the first person singular pronoun "I" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the first person singular — "am" is the correct first person singular present form of the verb "be" — the rule states that the verb in the relative clause always agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.)
3. "Neither the doctors nor the patient *___ * aware of the possible side effects of the new medication." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) are
- B) were
- C) have been
- D) is
Answer: D) is (In "neither…nor" constructions the verb agrees with the subject closest to it in both number and person — "the patient" 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 numbers are joined by "neither…nor" the verb always agrees with the nearer subject.)
4. "The news of the devastating earthquake and the widespread destruction *___ * shocked the entire world." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) have
- B) were
- C) are
- D) has
Answer: D) has (The subject "the news" is an uncountable noun that always takes a singular verb — despite the lengthy noun phrase that follows the head noun "news" the verb must agree with it — "news" along with "information" "advice" "furniture" and "luggage" are uncountable nouns that are always singular and take singular verbs.)
5. "You and your entire team *___ * commended by the management for delivering an outstanding performance." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) is
- B) was
- C) has been
- D) were
Answer: D) were (When two subjects are joined by "and" they form a compound subject — "you and your entire team" together form a plural compound subject — the verb must therefore be in the plural form — "were" is the correct plural past tense form of the verb "be" agreeing with the compound plural subject.)
6. "Each of the candidates *___ * required to present a five minute speech before the panel of judges." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) are
- B) were
- C) is
- D) have been
Answer: C) is (The subject "each" is an indefinite pronoun that always takes a singular verb regardless of the plural noun that follows in the prepositional phrase — "each" refers to every individual member of a group considered separately — the singular present tense form "is" is therefore the correct choice agreeing with the singular subject "each.")
7. "It is they who *___ * responsible for initiating the groundbreaking changes in the organisation." — 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 third person plural pronoun "they" the verb in the relative clause must agree with the third person plural — "are" is the correct third person plural present form of the verb "be" — the verb in the relative clause always agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun in both number and person.)
8. "The team of highly experienced surgeons *___ * performing a complex and delicate operation at this moment." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) are
- B) were
- C) is
- D) have been
Answer: C) is (The subject of the sentence is "the team" which is a collective noun — when a collective noun refers to a group acting as a single unified body it takes a singular verb — "is performing" is the correct present continuous form agreeing with the singular collective noun "the team" — the prepositional phrase "of highly experienced surgeons" does not affect the number of the subject.)
9. "Either you or I *___ * going to have to take full responsibility for the unfortunate outcome of the situation." — Choose the correct verb form.
- A) is
- B) are
- C) was
- D) am
Answer: D) am (In "either…or" 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 in such constructions.)
10. "Which of the following sentences correctly illustrates verb agreement with its subject in both number and person?"
- A) Neither she nor I are prepared to accept the unfair terms of the proposed agreement.
- B) The number of complaints received by the organisation have increased significantly this year.
- C) It is we who is accountable for the final outcome of the entire project.
- D) Either the students or the teacher is expected to present the findings at the seminar.
Answer: D) Either the students or the teacher is expected to present the findings at the seminar. (This sentence correctly applies the rule of proximity agreement — in "either…or" constructions the verb agrees with the nearest subject — "the teacher" is third person singular and closest to the verb so the singular form "is" is correct — option A incorrectly uses "are" instead of "am" for the nearest subject "I" option B incorrectly uses "have" for the singular subject "the number" and option C incorrectly uses "is" instead of "are" for the antecedent "we.")
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