English Grammar Test English Grammar Test Subject-Verb Agreement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence is correct?
- Either the cats or the dog are responsible.
- Either the cats or the dog is responsible. (Correct answer)
- Either the cats or the dog were responsible.
- Either the cats or the dog have been responsible.
Correct answer: Either the cats or the dog is responsible.
When subjects are joined by "either/or," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ("dog" = singular).
Question 2: Select the correctly written sentence.
- Five dollars are a lot for a pencil.
- Five dollars is a lot for a pencil. (Correct answer)
- Five dollars were a lot for a pencil.
- Five dollar is a lot for a pencil.
Correct answer: Five dollars is a lot for a pencil.
When an amount of money is treated as a single unit, it takes a singular verb.
Question 3: Which sentence shows correct agreement?
- The majority of students passes the exam.
- The majority of students pass the exam. (Correct answer)
- The majority of students is passing the exam.
- The majority of students was passing the exam.
Correct answer: The majority of students pass the exam.
"The majority of students" refers to the plural noun "students," so a plural verb "pass" is used.
Question 4: Choose the correct form: "Mathematics _____ my favorite subject."
- are
- were
- is (Correct answer)
- have been
Correct answer: is
Academic subjects ending in "-ics" (mathematics, physics) are treated as singular.
Question 5: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
- There is several reasons for the delay.
- There are several reasons for the delay. (Correct answer)
- There were several reason for the delay.
- There has been several reasons for the delay.
Correct answer: There are several reasons for the delay.
"There are" is correct because the subject "reasons" is plural and takes a plural verb.
Question 6: Identify the correct sentence regarding "the number of" vs "a number of."
- The number of students in the class are increasing.
- A number of students is absent today.
- The number of students in the class is increasing. (Correct answer)
- A number of students has been absent today.
Correct answer: The number of students in the class is increasing.
"The number of" takes a singular verb, while "a number of" takes a plural verb.
English Grammar Test English Grammar Test Subject-Verb Agreement 2
Which sentence is correct?