- Identify the sentence where the subject-verb agreement error occurs due to confusion between the grammatical subject and the logical subject.
Answer: The cause of these recurring infections remain unclear despite extensive testing.
When you encounter subject-verb agreement questions, pay close attention to distinguishing between the grammatical subject (what the sentence is actually about) and words that might logically seem important but aren't controlling the verb agreement.
In each of these sentences, the true grammatical subject is a singular noun that requires a singular verb. Let's examine option B: "The cause of these recurring infections remain unclear." Here, "cause" is the grammatical subject—it's what the sentence is about. The phrase "of these recurring infections" is a prepositional phrase that describes which cause, but "infections" doesn't control verb agreement. Since "cause" is singular, it requires the singular verb "remains," not the plural "remain."
Option A correctly uses "appears" with the singular subject "source." Option C incorrectly uses "seem" instead of "seems" with "basis," creating the same error as B. Option D incorrectly uses "involve" instead of "involves" with "focus."
The trap in options B, C, and D is that the plural nouns in the prepositional phrases ("infections," implied plural concepts, "times") feel logically important and can mislead you into choosing plural verbs. However, these nouns are objects of prepositions and never determine verb agreement.
Study tip: When checking subject-verb agreement, mentally cross out prepositional phrases (of, for, in, with, etc.) to isolate the true subject. The word immediately following the preposition is never the grammatical subject controlling the main verb.
- In the sentence 'The committee of nurses, along with the attending physician, have reviewed the patient care protocols,' which revision correctly addresses the subject-verb agreement error?
Answer: The committee of nurses, along with the attending physician, has reviewed the patient care protocols.
The subject 'committee' is singular, so the verb should be 'has,' not 'have.' The phrase 'along with the attending physician' is a prepositional phrase that doesn't affect the subject-verb agreement. Choice B uses 'were,' which is still incorrect for the singular subject. Choice C changes the subject to plural but maintains an awkward construction. Choice D makes 'physicians' plural but doesn't fix the main agreement error.
- Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement when dealing with collective nouns in a healthcare context?
Answer: The hospital administration is reviewing the budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year.
Choice C correctly treats 'administration' as a singular collective noun requiring the singular verb 'is.' Choice A incorrectly uses 'are' with the collective noun 'staff.' Choice B incorrectly uses 'have' with the collective noun 'team.' Choice D incorrectly uses 'were' when the subject is 'group,' which is singular despite the prepositional phrase 'of residents.'
- The primary concern of the attending physicians _______ the patient's fluctuating blood pressure levels.
Answer: is
This question tests subject-verb agreement, a fundamental grammar concept that frequently appears on the HESI exam. When you encounter sentences with complex subjects, you need to identify the true subject and match it with the correct verb form.
The subject of this sentence is "the primary concern," which is singular. Don't be confused by the prepositional phrase "of the attending physicians" that follows—this phrase describes whose concern it is, but it doesn't change the fact that "concern" is the main subject. Since we're talking about one concern (even though it belongs to multiple physicians), we need a singular verb form.
The correct answer is C) "is" because it's the singular present tense form that agrees with the singular subject "concern." The sentence describes a current situation, so present tense is appropriate.
Let's examine why the other options are incorrect. Option A) "are" is the plural present tense form, which doesn't match our singular subject "concern." Option B) "were" is the plural past tense form, creating both a number disagreement and an inappropriate tense shift since there's no indication this is a past situation. Option D) "have been" is also plural and creates an unnecessarily complex perfect tense that doesn't fit the context.
For HESI grammar questions, always identify the true subject by mentally crossing out prepositional phrases and other modifiers. The core subject-verb relationship will become clearer, helping you avoid common traps where intervening phrases make plural nouns seem like the subject when they're actually just descriptive elements.
- Here _______ the chart and the lab reports you requested for the patient in room 3B.
Answer: are
This question tests subject-verb agreement with compound subjects joined by "and." When you encounter sentences with multiple subjects, you need to identify whether the verb should be singular or plural based on how the subjects relate to each other.
The sentence has a compound subject: "the chart and the lab reports." When two or more subjects are connected by "and," they form a plural subject that requires a plural verb. Even though "chart" is singular, the combination of "chart" and "reports" creates a plural subject requiring the plural verb "are."
Choice B ("are") is correct because it's the plural present tense verb that agrees with the compound subject "the chart and the lab reports."
Choice A ("is") is incorrect because it's a singular verb, which doesn't agree with the compound plural subject. This is a common trap - students might focus only on the first part of the compound subject ("chart") and choose the singular verb.
Choice C ("was") is wrong because it's both singular and past tense. The context suggests present tense (someone is currently presenting these items), and as established, you need a plural verb anyway.
Choice D ("will be") is incorrect because it indicates future tense, but the speaker is presenting the materials right now, not promising to deliver them later.
Remember this pattern: when subjects are joined by "and," treat them as plural and use plural verbs. Watch for this construction on grammar questions - it's a frequent test point because the singular/plural distinction can be tricky with compound subjects.
- Which revision correctly fixes the subject-verb agreement in this sentence: 'The number of patients admitted to the ICU have increased significantly this month'?
Answer: The number of patients admitted to the ICU has increased significantly this month.
Choice B correctly uses 'has' because 'the number' (not 'patients') is the subject, which is singular. Choice A maintains the original error with 'have.' Choice C changes the meaning by using 'a number of,' which would take a plural verb, but the sentence becomes awkward. Choice D changes to 'numbers' (plural) but creates an illogical meaning.
- Most of the anesthetic _______ worn off by the time the patient was moved to the recovery room.
Answer: has
This question tests subject-verb agreement with collective nouns, a grammar concept that frequently appears on nursing entrance exams. The key is identifying what the subject is and whether it should be treated as singular or plural.
The subject of this sentence is "most of the anesthetic." While "anesthetic" can sometimes be countable (referring to different types of anesthetic drugs), in medical contexts it's typically treated as an uncountable noun referring to the anesthetic effect or substance as a whole. Since we're talking about the anesthetic effect wearing off from one patient, "anesthetic" functions as a singular, uncountable noun here.
With singular subjects, you need a singular verb. Choice A) "has" is the correct singular present perfect form that agrees with the singular subject "most of the anesthetic."
Choice B) "have" is incorrect because it's the plural form of the present perfect tense, which doesn't agree with the singular subject. Choice C) "were" is wrong because it's past tense plural, and the sentence requires present perfect tense to show an action that started in the past and continues to the present moment. Choice D) "are" is incorrect because it's present tense plural, and again, the context requires present perfect tense to indicate the ongoing result of a past action.
For HESI grammar questions, always identify the true subject first, determine if it's singular or plural, then match it with the appropriate verb form. Pay special attention to collective nouns and phrases beginning with "most of" or "some of" - they often create agreement challenges.
- The medical student is one of those diligent learners who _______ every opportunity to observe and practice clinical skills.
Answer: seek
This question tests your understanding of subject-verb agreement with relative pronouns, a common grammar concept on the HESI exam. When you encounter sentences with relative clauses (clauses beginning with "who," "that," or "which"), you need to identify what the verb should agree with.
The key is recognizing that "who" refers back to "those diligent learners," not "one." The phrase "one of those diligent learners who" creates a relative clause where "who" modifies the plural noun "learners." Since "learners" is plural, the verb must be plural as well. Therefore, "seek" (B) is correct because it agrees with the plural antecedent "learners."
Option A ("seeks") is incorrect because it treats "who" as if it refers to "one," making the verb singular. This is a common mistake, but "who" grammatically refers to "learners," not "one." Option C ("is seeking") is wrong for the same reason—it's singular and doesn't match the plural antecedent. Option D ("was seeking") creates both a subject-verb disagreement and an inappropriate tense shift, since the sentence describes a general characteristic rather than a past action.
When you see "one of those [plural noun] who" constructions on the HESI, remember that the verb after "who" should always be plural because it agrees with the plural noun, not with "one." This pattern appears frequently in grammar sections, so practicing this specific construction will help you avoid this common trap.
- All of the nurses on the pediatric floor _______ required to complete advanced life support certification.
Answer: are
This question tests subject-verb agreement, a fundamental grammar concept that appears frequently on the HESI exam. When you encounter sentences with collective nouns or phrases describing groups, you need to identify the true subject and match it with the correct verb form.
The subject of this sentence is "all of the nurses," which is plural. Even though "floor" appears right before the blank, it's part of a prepositional phrase ("on the pediatric floor") that modifies "nurses" but doesn't affect the verb agreement. The plural subject "all of the nurses" requires a plural verb form.
Option C ("are") is correct because it's the plural present tense form that agrees with the plural subject "all of the nurses."
Option A ("is") is incorrect because it's singular present tense, which doesn't agree with the plural subject. This is a common trap when students focus on nearby singular nouns like "floor" instead of the actual subject.
Option B ("was") is wrong because it's singular past tense. Not only does it fail to agree with the plural subject, but there's no indication in the sentence that this requirement existed only in the past.
Option D ("has been") is incorrect because "has" is the singular form of the auxiliary verb. The plural form would be "have been," but even that would be awkward here since simple present tense is more appropriate for ongoing requirements.
Remember: always identify the true subject by ignoring prepositional phrases, then match your verb to that subject's number (singular or plural).
- The news about the clinical trial's success _______ spreading rapidly among the medical community.
Answer: is
When you encounter subject-verb agreement questions, you need to identify the true subject of the sentence and determine whether it's singular or plural. This becomes tricky when the subject is separated from the verb by prepositional phrases or other modifying elements.
In this sentence, the subject is "news," which appears before the prepositional phrase "about the clinical trial's success." The word "news" is always treated as singular in English, even though it ends in 's' and might seem plural. Think of other similar words like "mathematics," "physics," or "politics" - they follow the same pattern. Since "news" is singular, it requires the singular verb form "is."
Looking at the wrong answers: (A) "are" is incorrect because it's the plural form of the verb "to be," but our subject "news" is singular. (B) "were" is wrong because it's both plural and past tense, while we need present tense to match "spreading." (D) "have been" is incorrect because "have" is the plural auxiliary verb form, and again, our subject is singular.
The correct structure is: "The news... is spreading rapidly."
Study tip: When checking subject-verb agreement, mentally cross out prepositional phrases and other modifiers to isolate the core subject. Also, memorize that certain words ending in 's' are actually singular: news, mathematics, economics, athletics, and measles. These commonly appear on standardized tests because they can trick students into choosing plural verbs.
- Which of the following sentences contains correct subject-verb agreement?
Answer: The list of potential side effects for the new medication is quite extensive.
Subject-verb agreement questions test your ability to match singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. The challenge lies in identifying the true subject, especially when prepositional phrases or other elements create distance between the subject and verb.
Let's examine why option C is correct: "The list of potential side effects for the new medication is quite extensive." The subject here is "list," which is singular, so it correctly pairs with the singular verb "is." The prepositional phrase "of potential side effects" doesn't change the fact that "list" is the subject.
Now for the incorrect options: Option A uses "team," a collective noun that's typically singular in American English, but pairs it with the plural verb "were." The correct verb should be "was." Option B has "Each" as the subject, which is always singular, but incorrectly uses the plural verb "are." It should be "is." Option D presents a "neither...nor" construction where the verb should agree with the subject closest to it ("charge nurses," which is plural), but uses the singular "is" instead of "are."
When tackling subject-verb agreement on the HESI, remember to locate the true subject by crossing out prepositional phrases and other modifiers. Pay special attention to indefinite pronouns like "each," "neither," and "every" (usually singular) and collective nouns like "team" and "staff" (typically singular in American English).
- Identify the sentence that contains a subject-verb agreement error involving indefinite pronouns.
Answer: Each of the medical devices require calibration before use in patient care.
Choice D contains an error because 'each' is singular and requires the singular verb 'requires,' not 'require.' Choice A is correct (though it has a pronoun agreement issue, the verb agreement with 'everyone has' is proper). Choice B correctly uses 'appears' with the singular 'neither.' Choice C correctly uses 'have' with the plural 'several.'
- The chief of staff, along with the department heads, _______ responsible for implementing the new hospital-wide protocols.
Answer: is
When you encounter questions about subject-verb agreement with compound subjects, pay close attention to the connecting words and phrases that link the subjects together.
In this sentence, "the chief of staff, along with the department heads" creates a compound subject where "along with" is the key phrase. Unlike coordinating conjunctions such as "and," phrases like "along with," "together with," "as well as," and "in addition to" don't create true compound subjects. Instead, they create parenthetical phrases that don't affect the verb agreement. The main subject remains "the chief of staff," which is singular, so the verb must be singular: "is."
Looking at the wrong answers: B) "are" treats this as a plural compound subject, which would be correct if the conjunction were "and" (the chief of staff and the department heads are responsible). C) "were" makes the same plural error while also incorrectly shifting to past tense, when the context calls for present tense. D) "have been" creates both a plural disagreement and an unnecessary perfect tense that doesn't fit the straightforward present-tense context of the sentence.
The correct answer is A) "is" because it agrees with the singular main subject "the chief of staff."
Remember this pattern: when subjects are connected by phrases like "along with," "together with," or "as well as," ignore everything after that phrase for verb agreement purposes. Focus only on the main subject that comes before the connecting phrase.
- Two-thirds of the hospital's nursing staff _______ to participate in the upcoming skills workshop.
Answer: plan
When you encounter subject-verb agreement questions on the HESI, focus on identifying the true subject of the sentence, not just the noun closest to the verb. This type of question tests whether you can navigate prepositional phrases and fractional expressions that can obscure the actual subject.
In this sentence, the subject is "two-thirds," which refers to a portion of the nursing staff. When fractions like "two-thirds," "half," or "most" refer to people or countable items, they take plural verbs because you're talking about multiple individuals within that group. Since two-thirds of the staff represents multiple nurses, the verb must be plural. Answer B) "plan" is correct because it's the plural form that agrees with this plural subject.
Let's examine why the other options fail: A) "plans" is singular, which would only work if the subject were singular (like "the director plans"). C) "is planning" uses the singular helping verb "is," making it grammatically incorrect with the plural subject "two-thirds." D) "has planned" also uses a singular helping verb "has," creating the same agreement error.
The key trap here is that "staff" is singular, but it's not the actual subject—it's part of the prepositional phrase "of the hospital's nursing staff." The fraction "two-thirds" is what's doing the action.
For HESI success, remember this pattern: when fractions or percentages refer to countable people or things, treat them as plural subjects requiring plural verbs. Cross out prepositional phrases to isolate the true subject.
- Identify the sentence that has an error in subject-verb agreement.
Answer: A number of new regulations regarding patient privacy has been issued by the board.
Subject-verb agreement questions test your ability to match singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. The key is identifying the true subject of each sentence, which can be tricky when prepositional phrases or certain expressions create confusion.
In option C, the phrase "A number of new regulations" uses "A number of" as the subject. While this might seem singular because of the word "a," the expression "a number of" actually takes a plural verb because it means "several" or "many." The sentence should read "A number of new regulations regarding patient privacy have been issued by the board." The singular verb "has" creates the agreement error.
Option A is correct because with "either...or" constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Since "nurse practitioner" (singular) is closest to the verb, "sees" is appropriately singular. Option B correctly uses "has" because "the number" (unlike "a number") always takes a singular verb, even when followed by a plural noun in a prepositional phrase. Option D properly uses the singular "needs" because when subjects are joined by commas in a series, they're treated as individual items requiring a singular verb.
Remember that "the number of" is always singular, while "a number of" is always plural. This distinction appears frequently on standardized tests, so memorize this pattern: "The number is/has" versus "A number are/have."
- In the sentence 'Not only the attending physician but also the residents was consulted about the treatment plan,' what correction is needed?
Answer: Change 'was consulted' to 'were consulted' because the subject closest to the verb is plural.
With 'not only...but also' constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Since 'residents' is plural and closest to the verb, it should be 'were consulted.' Choice B changes tense unnecessarily and doesn't address the agreement issue. Choice C suggests a structural change that's not required. Choice D changes the meaning by making 'resident' singular when multiple residents may have been involved.
- Administering IV fluids and monitoring the patient's electrolyte balance _______ critical tasks for the nurse.
Answer: are
This question tests your understanding of subject-verb agreement with compound subjects. When you encounter sentences with multiple subjects connected by "and," you need to identify whether they form a compound subject that requires a plural verb.
The sentence contains a compound subject: "Administering IV fluids" and "monitoring the patient's electrolyte balance." These are two separate gerund phrases (verb forms acting as nouns) joined by "and." When two or more subjects are connected by "and," they create a compound subject that requires a plural verb form. Therefore, "are" is correct because it agrees with the plural compound subject.
Let's examine why the other options are incorrect:
Option A ("is") is wrong because it's a singular verb form that doesn't agree with the compound subject. This is a common error when students focus only on the subject closest to the verb rather than recognizing the compound structure.
Option B ("was") is incorrect because it's both singular and past tense. The sentence describes ongoing nursing responsibilities, not completed past actions, and the singular form doesn't match the compound subject.
Option C ("has been") is wrong because it's singular and uses present perfect tense inappropriately. While present perfect can describe ongoing situations, the singular "has" doesn't agree with the compound subject.
Remember this pattern: compound subjects joined by "and" nearly always take plural verbs, regardless of whether the individual subjects are singular. When you see multiple actions or responsibilities listed together with "and," look for plural verb forms in the answer choices.
- Which sentence demonstrates the most subtle subject-verb agreement error that might be overlooked in healthcare writing?
Answer: The criteria for patient discharge has been updated according to new federal guidelines.
Choice C contains the most subtle error because 'criteria' is the plural form of 'criterion' and requires the plural verb 'have,' not 'has.' This error is often missed because 'criteria' doesn't look obviously plural. Choice A should use 'requires' (equipment is singular). Choice B should use 'suggest' (phenomena is plural). Choice D should use 'has' (media can be singular in American English when referring to news coverage as a collective entity).
- Choose the sentence below that contains an error in subject-verb agreement.
Answer: My chief complaint, which are the persistent headaches, has not subsided.
Subject-verb agreement questions test your ability to match singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs, even when phrases come between them that might be distracting.
Option C contains the error: "My chief complaint, which are the persistent headaches, has not subsided." The relative pronoun "which" refers back to "headaches" (plural), so it should be "which are" - that part is actually correct. However, the main subject is "My chief complaint" (singular), which correctly takes the singular verb "has." The real error is more subtle - the sentence is awkwardly constructed and creates confusion, but the primary issue is that "headaches" should be the subject, making it "My chief complaint, the persistent headaches, have not subsided."
Option A is correct because with "neither...nor" constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it - "physical therapy" is singular, so "seems" is appropriate. Option B is correct because "Mathematics," despite ending in 's,' is a singular subject requiring the singular verb "is." Option D is correct because collective nouns like "board" typically take singular verbs when the group acts as one unit.
Watch for sentences where phrases or clauses separate the subject from its verb - these are common traps. Always identify the true subject first, then determine if it's singular or plural. Don't be fooled by intervening words or phrases that might sound plural or singular.
- The presence of elevated white blood cells in the patient's lab results _______ an infection.
Answer: implies
This question tests subject-verb agreement, a fundamental grammar concept that appears frequently on the HESI exam. When you encounter sentences with complex subjects, focus on identifying the true subject that the verb must agree with.
The subject of this sentence is "the presence," which is singular. Even though "elevated white blood cells" appears right before the blank, this phrase is part of a prepositional phrase ("of elevated white blood cells") that modifies "presence." Prepositional phrases never contain the subject of a sentence. Since "presence" is singular, you need a singular verb form.
Option C) "implies" is correct because it's the singular present tense form that agrees with the singular subject "presence."
Option A) "imply" is wrong because it's the plural form of the verb, which would be used with plural subjects like "results" or "cells," not with the singular "presence."
Option B) "are implying" is incorrect because "are" is a plural auxiliary verb. This creates a subject-verb disagreement since "presence" is singular and would require "is implying" if you were using present progressive tense.
Option D) "have implied" fails for the same reason as option B—"have" is the plural auxiliary verb. A singular subject would require "has implied" for present perfect tense.
When tackling subject-verb agreement questions on the HESI, always locate the main subject by eliminating prepositional phrases and other modifiers. The verb must agree with that core subject, regardless of other nouns that appear closer to the verb.
