Mastering subject-verb agreement is crucial for proper sentence structure. Explore these 50 challenging examples with answers to improve your English grammar skills instantly.
To help you test and refine your grammar skills on English Grammar Blog, here are 50 challenging examples of subject-verb agreement, complete with their correct answers and explanations.
Challenging Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Questions (1-25)
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1. The group of students (is/are) studying for the exam.
Answer: is -
2. Each of the apples (is/are) ripe.
Answer: is -
3. One of the boys (was/were) selected for the team.
Answer: was -
4. The sound of the drums (echo/echoes) through the valley.
Answer: echoes -
5. Not only the students but also the teacher (is/are) excited for the field trip.
Answer: is -
6. The pair of shoes (is/are) on sale.
Answer: is -
7. Fifty dollars (seem/seems) like a lot of money to spend on a meal.
Answer: seems -
8. The herd of elephants (moves/move) slowly across the savannah.
Answer: moves -
9. Each of the girls (has/have) her own unique talent.
Answer: has -
10. The committee (discuss/discusses) the issue at their meeting.
Answer: discusses -
11. The quality of the products (has/have) improved over time.
Answer: has -
12. Ten miles (is/are) a long distance to walk.
Answer: is -
13. The news about the accident (was/were) shocking.
Answer: was -
14. Mathematics (is/are) my favorite subject.
Answer: is -
15. The number of participants (is/are) increasing every year.
Answer: is -
16. The list of names (was/were) read aloud by the presenter.
Answer: was -
17. The staff (work/works) diligently to meet their targets.
Answer: work -
18. The majority of the team (is/are) in favor of the new strategy.
Answer: is -
19. Neither of the options (appeal/appeals) to me.
Answer: appeals -
20. A number of books (was/were) borrowed from the library.
Answer: were -
21. Politics (is/are) a divisive topic of discussion.
Answer: is -
22. My collection of stamps (is/are) displayed in the living room.
Answer: is -
23. The quality, as well as the price, (play/plays) a role in my decision.
Answer: plays -
24. The jury (deliberate/deliberates) for hours before reaching a verdict.
Answer: deliberates -
25. The sound of sirens (pierce/pierces) the silence of the night.
Answer: pierces
Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Questions (26-50)
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26. Neither the teacher nor the students (know/knows) the answer.
Answer: know -
27. The committee members (disagree/disagrees) on the best approach.
Answer: disagree -
28. His collection of coins (is/are) valuable.
Answer: is -
29. The majority of the apples (is/are) rotten.
Answer: are -
30. The number of attendees (has/have) exceeded our expectations.
Answer: has -
31. Her knowledge of languages (impress/impresses) everyone.
Answer: impresses -
32. The series of books (is/are) very popular among young readers.
Answer: is -
33. Three-quarters of the cake (has/have) been eaten.
Answer: has -
34. The committee (has/have) not yet reached a decision.
Answer: has -
35. The variety of colors (add/adds) beauty to the painting.
Answer: adds -
36. A lot of effort (go/goes) into organizing the event.
Answer: goes -
37. The United Nations (is/are) an international organization.
Answer: is -
38. The number of people invited (was/were) significant.
Answer: was -
39. The swarm of bees (create/creates) a buzzing sound.
Answer: creates -
40. The pile of books (need/needs) to be sorted.
Answer: needs -
41. Neither John nor his friends (is/are) available to attend the party.
Answer: is -
42. The staff (consists/consist) of experienced professionals.
Answer: consists -
43. The variety of apples (come/comes) in different colors.
Answer: comes -
44. The jury (was/were) unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Answer: was -
45. The cost of living (has/have) increased in recent years.
Answer: has -
46. The series of events (lead/leads) to an unexpected outcome.
Answer: leads -
47. The number of accidents (is/are) decreasing due to better road safety measures.
Answer: is -
48. The majority of the students (prefers/prefer) online classes.
Answer: prefer -
49. A group of children (play/plays) in the park every afternoon.
Answer: plays -
50. Not only the flowers but also the trees (bloom/blooms) in spring.
Answer: bloom
Frequently Asked Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement
What is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement?
The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Why are these subject-verb agreement examples considered challenging?
These examples involve tricky constructions like collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and intervening phrases that make identifying the true subject difficult.
Conclusion
Continued practice and regular exposure to various sentence patterns on English Grammar Blog will help you master subject-verb agreement effectively and write with absolute confidence!