Master the trickiest questions on subject-verb agreement with advanced rules, a 10-question quiz, detailed explanations, and essential English grammar tips.
Mastering subject-verb agreement is essential for clear and correct writing, but certain grammar rules can trip up even advanced learners. Tricky sentence structures—such as intervening phrases, indefinite pronouns, and collective nouns—often make it difficult to determine whether a singular or plural verb is required.
Put your grammar knowledge to the test! Try to fill in the blanks in the 10 sentences below, and check your answers at the end. For more foundational practice, review our detailed guide on examples of subject-verb agreement.
Test Your Grammar Skills: The Trickiest Questions on Subject-Verb Agreement
To further test your skills against advanced challenges, you can also explore our post on challenging examples of subject-verb agreement or read through harder examples of subject-verb agreement for comprehensive exam preparation.
Practice Quiz on Subject-Verb Agreement
- 1. Either the parents or the teacher __________ responsible for the incident.
- 2. One of the students _________ been selected to represent the school at the competition.
- 3. The group of friends _________ planning a surprise party for their friend.
- 4. Each of the books in the series _________ a unique perspective on the story.
- 5. Neither of the options _________ appealing to me.
- 6. A pair of shoes _________ left in the hallway.
- 7. The committee members _________ not able to come to a unanimous decision.
- 8. The cost of the products _________ risen significantly in the past year.
- 9. The quality of these apples _________ not up to the mark.
- 10. A variety of different birds _________ been spotted in the park.
Answer Key & Explanations
- 1. is — When using "either... or," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ("the teacher").
- 2. has — The subject is "One" (singular), not "students." Prepositional phrases do not change the core subject.
- 3. is — "Group" is a collective noun acting as a single unit here, requiring a singular verb.
- 4. offers — The subject is "Each" (singular), which always takes a singular verb.
- 5. is — "Neither" is a singular indefinite pronoun and therefore takes a singular verb.
- 6. was — The subject is "pair" (singular), referring to a single pair of shoes.
- 7. were — In this case, "committee members" highlights individuals acting separately, which takes a plural verb.
- 8. has — The subject is "cost" (singular), not the plural noun "products."
- 9. is — The subject is "quality" (singular), not "apples."
- 10. has — The phrase "A variety of" typically takes a singular verb when treated as a collective unit in formal grammar contexts.
For an updated overview of core principles, check out our comprehensive subject-verb agreement guide. You can also download helpful resources by visiting our collection of PDF files on verbs, tenses, and subject-verb agreement.
Key Takeaways on Subject-Verb Agreement
- Identify the true subject by crossing out intervening prepositional phrases and modifying clauses.
- Match closest subjects when dealing with correlative conjunctions like "either... or" and "neither... nor".
- Recognize indefinite pronouns such as "each", "one", and "neither" which consistently take singular verbs.
- Analyze collective nouns carefully to determine whether the group acts as a single unit or as separate individuals.
Quick Practice & Comment Prompt
Test your newfound knowledge right now! Fill in the blank for this tricky sentence: "Neither the manager nor the employees __________ present at the meeting." Write your answer and explanation in the comments section below!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the trickiest rules in subject-verb agreement?
The trickiest rules involve separating the true head subject from misleading prepositional phrases, handling collective nouns that can take singular or plural verbs, and managing indefinite pronouns like "each" and "every."
How do you find the subject when intervening phrases are present?
To find the true subject, cross out all prepositional phrases or descriptive clauses that come between the subject and the verb. The remaining noun is your true subject.
Do "either/or" and "neither/nor" take singular or plural verbs?
When using "either/or" or "neither/nor", the verb must always agree in number with the noun or pronoun that is closest to it in the sentence structure.