Form, Structure, and Sense Flashcards

The board of trustees _______ meeting next Thursday to review the organization's annual financial statement.

Answer: is

'Board' is a singular collective noun, so 'is' is the correct verb form.

When the assistant handed the report to the director, _______ immediately noticed a significant calculation error on page three.

Answer: the director

The pronoun reference is ambiguous — both 'the assistant' and 'the director' are possible antecedents, so repeating the noun 'the director' eliminates ambiguity.

The city has plans to widen the highway, install new traffic signals, and _______ a dedicated bus lane along the main corridor.

Answer: add

The series follows 'has plans to': 'to widen,' 'to install,' 'to add.' For the final item in the list, the bare infinitive 'add' maintains parallel structure.

The athlete who trained the hardest and competed in the most events _______ recognized at the end-of-season awards banquet.

Answer: was

The subject 'athlete' is singular; the relative clause provides detail but does not change the subject, so 'was' is correct.

By the time the investigation concludes, the auditors _______ over ten thousand financial records.

Answer: will have reviewed

The future perfect 'will have reviewed' expresses an action that will be completed by a specified future time ('by the time the investigation concludes').

The presentation was detailed, thoroughly researched, and _______ a clear understanding of the company's strategic direction.

Answer: conveyed

The series lists past-tense adjective/verb forms describing the presentation: 'was detailed,' 'thoroughly researched,' and '[conveyed].' The simple past 'conveyed' maintains grammatical parallel structure.

The museum's new exhibit, featuring artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, _______ been praised by historians and educators alike.

Answer: has

The subject 'exhibit' is singular, so the present perfect auxiliary must be the singular 'has.'