Subject-Verb Agreement
Select one answer from the
choices provided after each sentence.
Exercise No. -1
1. Either the physicians in this hospital or the
chief administrator ____ going to have to make a decision.
Is /
are
2. ______ my boss or my sisters in the union
going to win this grievance?
Is/
Are
3. Some of the votes __________ to have been
miscounted.
Seem/
seems
4. The tornadoes that tear through this county
every spring _____ more than just a nuisance.
Are /
is
5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____
to be willing to give up a lot of time.
Have/
has
6. Kara Wolters, together with her teammates,
_________ a formidable opponent on the basketball court.
Presents/
present
7. He seems to forget that there __________
things to be done before he can graduate.
Are/
is
8.
There _______ to be some people left in that town after yesterday's
flood.
Have/
has
9. Some of the grain __________ to be contaminated.
Appear/
appears
10. Three-quarters of the students __________
against the tuition hike.
Is/
are
11. Three-quarters of the student body __________
against the tuition hike.
Is/
are
12. A high percentage of the population _________
voting for the new school.
Is/
are
13. A high percentage of the people _________
voting for the new school.
Was/
were
Exercise No. -2
1. The piano as well as the pipe organ
____________ to be tuned for the big concert.
HAS/
HAVE
2. The mayor together with his two brothers
____________ going to be indicted for accepting bribes.
ARE/
IS
3. Neither of my two suitcases ____________
adequate for this trip. IS/ ARE
4. There ____________ a list of committee
members on the head-table.
ARE/ IS
5. Everybody in the class ____________ done the
homework well in advance.
HAS/
HAVE
6. The jury ____________ their seats in the
courtroom.
TAKE/
TAKES
7. Neither the teacher nor the students
____________ to understand this assignment.
SEEM/
SEEMS
8. ____________ either my father or my brothers
made a down-payment on the house?
HAS/
HAVE
9. Hartford is one of those cities that
____________ working hard to reclaim a riverfront.
IS/
ARE
10. Some of the grain ____________ gone bad.
HAVE/
HAS
11. John or his brother ____________ going to be
responsible for this.
ARE/
IS
12. A few of the students ____________ doing so
well they can skip the next course.
ARE/
IS
13. Either the Committee on Course Design or the
Committee on College Operations
____________ these matters.
DECIDE/
DECIDES
14. One of my instructors ____________ written a
letter of recommendation for me.
HAVE/
HAS
15 Dr. Ferndon is
one of those professors who ___________ distracted most of the time.
SEEM/
SEEMS
16 ___________ either Luis or his parents
written to Angela?
HAVE/
HAS
17 Neither Luis nor his parents ___________ the
least bit interested in keeping in touch with her.
IS/
ARE
18 Everybody on this team ___________ really
hard to please the new coach.
TRY/
TRIES
19 Because there ___________ so many students
in that class, I can sometimes sleep in the back row.
ARE/
IS
20 Neither traffic light--neither the one on
Asylum Avenue nor the one on Farmington Avenue-- ___________ working
after the storm.
WAS/
WERE
Key
Exercise !: 1.is,2.is, 3.seem, 4.is 5.has, 6. Present,
7.is, 8. Have, 9.appear, 10. Is, 11.is, 12.is, 13. Was.
Exercise 2: 1.
Have,2.are,3.is, 4.is, 5. Has, 6.takes, 7. Seem, 8. Has, 9. Is, 10.have, 11.is,
12.is, 13. Decide, 14. Has, 15.seems, 16. Has, 17. Are, 18. Tries, 19. Are, 20.
Was.
