Free NEX Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement and Punctuation Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Neither the head nurse nor the nursing assistants ___ available to take the patient's call right now.
- is
- are (Correct answer)
- was
- has been
Correct answer: are
When subjects are joined by 'neither/nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. In this sentence, 'nursing assistants' is plural, so the plural verb 'are' is correct.
Question 2: Each of the patients in the semi-private room ___ given a specific dietary plan.
- were
- are
- was (Correct answer)
- have been
Correct answer: was
Indefinite pronouns like 'each', 'every', 'everyone', and 'anyone' are singular. Therefore, they require a singular verb, which in this case is 'was'.
Question 3: Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- The patient's fever was high, his breathing was shallow.
- The patient's fever was high; his breathing was shallow. (Correct answer)
- The patient's fever was high: his breathing was shallow.
- The patients fever was high his breathing was shallow.
Correct answer: The patient's fever was high; his breathing was shallow.
A semicolon is used to connect two closely related independent clauses. A comma alone is not strong enough, creating a comma splice.
Question 4: The list of medications, which was updated this morning, ___ on the patient's bedside table.
- are
- were
- have been
- is (Correct answer)
Correct answer: is
The subject of the sentence is 'list' (singular), not 'medications'. The phrase 'which was updated this morning' is an intervening clause. The singular subject 'list' requires the singular verb 'is'.
Question 5: The nurse needed to bring three items___a thermometer, a stethoscope, and a penlight.
- items, a
- items; a
- items: a (Correct answer)
- items. A
Correct answer: items: a
A colon is used to introduce a list or an explanation that follows an independent clause. The first part of the sentence is a complete thought, and it is followed by a list of items.
Question 6: The two ___ charts were accidentally switched at the front desk.
- patient's
- patients' (Correct answer)
- patients
- patient
Correct answer: patients'
The word 'patients' needs to be plural to indicate more than one patient, and possessive to show ownership of the charts. The correct form for a plural possessive noun ending in 's' is to add an apostrophe after the 's'.
Free NEX Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement and Punctuation Questions and Answers 1
Neither the head nurse nor the nursing assistants ___ available to take the patient's call right now.