Deck 5: Subject-Verb Agreement

Question 1

In which of the following sentences do the subject and verb agree?

A) The cats howls every night.
B) The cat howl every night.
C) The dogs barks all day.
D) The dogs bark all day.

Answer 1

The dogs bark all day.

Question 2

Which of the following is not a type of verbal?

A) the infinitive form
B) the -s form
C) the past participle
D) the -ing form

Answer 2

the -s form

Question 3

An -ing word that functions as a noun is called a(n) __________.

A) gerund
B) past participle
C) adjective
D) subject

Answer 3

gerund

Question 4

Identify the underlined word in the following sentence: The letter lying on the table was written by my attorney.

A) participle
B) gerund
C) infinitive

Question 5

Identify the underlined word in the following sentence: Jericho plans to audition for the new musical.

A) participle
B) gerund
C) infinitive

Question 6

Identify the underlined word in the following sentence: Writing a research paper is a time-consuming task.

A) participle
B) gerund
C) infinitive

Question 7

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
A basket of fresh peaches now __________ on the table.

A) sit
B) sits

Question 8

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
The three musical compositions earning the most votes from the judges ________ awarded blue ribbons.

A) was
B) were

Question 9

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
The desire to win millions ___________ many consumers to purchase lottery tickets.

A) prompts
B) prompt

Question 10

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
Joe Jennings, a well-known author from Des Moines, often __________ about his Iowa childhood.

A) writes
B) write

Question 11

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence: Students who __________ the placement test __________ into English Composition I.

A) passes; goes
B) passes; go
C) pass; goes
D) pass; go

Question 12

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence: Carrie and Sherri __________ identical twins; therefore, they __________ the same DNA sequence.

A) are; share
B) are; shares
C) is; shares
D) is; share

Question 13

Indicate which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
Neither the players nor the head coach __________ pleased with the new football schedule.

A) is
B) are

Question 14

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
Thursday's concert, along with those scheduled for this weekend, __________ been canceled.

A) have
B) has

Question 15

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
Each of the winning essays __________ strong organization and detailed development.

A) displays
B) display

Question 16

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence: Nothing __________ been done about the parking problem on campus.

A) have
B) has

Question 17

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence: Someone who never __________ __________ doomed to fail.

A) tries; is
B) try; are
C) tries; are
D) try; is

Question 18

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence: John always __________ questions that __________ him to use formulas.

A) misses; requires
B) miss; require
C) misses; require
D) miss; requires

Question 19

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
The problem with the plumbing __________ to be the leaky pipes under the house.

A) appears
B) appear

Question 20

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence:
The abundance of feral cats __________ a situation that the residents __________ to address.

A) is; need
B) are; needs
C) are; need
D) is; needs

Question 21

Identify which pair of verb forms should go in the blanks of the following sentence:
Chatting with friends __________ an activity that my sister and mother __________ immensely.

A) are; enjoy
B) are; enjoys
C) is; enjoys
D) is; enjoy

Question 22

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence: At the end of the dusty street __________ the U.S. Marshall.

A) stands
B) stand

Question 23

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence: There __________ a million different reasons for you not to go.

A) is
B) are

Question 24

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
__________ anyone seen my USB drive?

A) Has
B) Have

Question 25

Identify which verb form should go in the blank of the following sentence:
The lawsuit claimed that unsafe medications __________ distributed by the company.

A) were
B) was

Question 26

Identify the underlined verb phrase in the following sentence: The offices are cleaned thoroughly by the janitorial staff.

A) active
B) passive

Question 27

Identify the underlined verb phrase in the following sentence: Ms. Sanchez was working in her office when I saw her last.

A) active
B) passive

Question 28

Identify the underlined verb phrase in the following sentence: The carpet in my computer lab was removed last weekend.

A) active
B) passive

Question 29

Which of the following is not a prepositional phrase?

A) in addition to
B) have
C) including
D) as well as

Question 30

Participles are verbals that end with.

A) ing or ed
B) ed
C) ing
D) es

Question 31

Identify the underlined verb phrase in the following sentence: Jessica dodged the car.

A) active
B) passive

Question 32

Identify the underlined verb phrase in the following sentence: The closet was organized by my sister.

A) active
B) passive

Question 33

Most collective nouns are used with singular words.

Question 34

In subject/verb agreement, compound subjects joined by and are always considered to be plural, and compound subjects joined by or or nor are always considered to be singular.

Question 35

Indefinite pronouns like anyone, each, nobody, one, and something are always considered to be singular.

Question 36

The relative pronouns who, which, and that can be either singular or plural depending on the noun they refer to.

Question 37

The main verb of a sentence cannot be inside an infinitive.

Question 38

An -ing word can be used as a noun, an adjective, or a main verb, depending on how it is used in the sentence.

Question 39

Singular verbs should be paired with singular subjects, and plural verbs should be paired with plural subjects.

Question 40

An -s ending on a noun subject usually marks that subject as plural, but an -s ending on a present tense verb marks that verb as singular.

Question 41

One problem situation for subject/verb agreement involves intervening words-words that separate a verb from its subject.

Question 42

The subject of a verb is always directly in front of that verb.

Question 43

The subject is never inside a prepositional phrase.

Question 44

Prepositional phrases that begin with along with, in addition to, or as well as affect the number of the subject; in fact, they automatically make the subject plural.

Question 45

Verbals are incomplete verbs.