90% correct (= "A-")
EXERCISE21–
1
Subject–
Verb Agreement
Underlinethe subject (or compoundsubject)and then select the verb that agrees with it.
Example:
Someone in the audience( has /have)volunteeredto participatein the experiment.
a. Your friendshipover the years and your supporton a wide varietyof issues(has/have)
meanta great deal to us.
b. Sheltersfor teenagerunaways(o ers/o er) a wide varietyof services.
c. The main source of incomefor Trinidad(is/are) oil and pitch.
d. The chancesof your beingpromoted(is/are) excellent.
e. There (was/were) a Peanuts cartoon and a few Mother Goose rhymes pinned to the
bulletinboard.
1. Neitherthe professornor his assistants(was/were) able to solvethe mysteryof the eerie
glow in the laboratory.
2. Four years of research (has/have) gone into making our software suitable for the
√
Japanesemarket.
3. Discovered in the soil of our city garden (was/were) a buttondatingfrom the Civil War
and three marblesdatingfrom the turn of the century.
4. Every year, during the midsummerfestival,the smoke of village bon res ( lls/ ll) the
sky.
5. Whenfoodsupplies(was/were) scarce, the slaveshad to makedo withthe less desirable
partsof the animals.
Exercise Master for The Bedford Handbook (6th edition) by Diana Hacker (Bedford/St. Martin s, 2002)
EXERCISE 21–2
Subject–Verb Agreement
Edit the following sentences to eliminate problems with subject-verb agreement. If a sentence
is correct, write “correct” after it. Example:
Jack’s first days in the infantry was
were
ˆ
grueling.
a. One of the main reasons for elephant poaching are the profits
is
received from selling the ivory tusks.
b. Not until my interview with Dr. Hwang were other possibilities opened to me.
correct
c. Of those who die in single-car wrecks, a majority is drunk.
are
d. Crystal chandeliers, polished floors, and a new oil painting has transformed Sandra’s
have
apartment.
e. The board of directors, ignoring the wishes of the neighborhood, has voted to allow
further development.
correct
1. Measles is a contagious childhood disease.
correct
√2. Of particular concern are penicillin and tetracycline, antibiotics used to make animals
is
more resistant to disease.
3. The presence of certain bacteria in our bodies is one of the factors that determines our
overall health.
correct
4. Sheila is the only one of the many applicants who has the ability to step into this job.
correct
5. Neither the explorer nor his companions was ever seen again.
were
Exercise Master for The Bedford Handbook (6th edition) by Diana Hacker (Bedford/St. Martin s, 2002)