English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Correcting Subject Verb Agreement
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Correcting Subject Verb AgreementQuestion 1 of 10

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "The number of applications from rural districts   declined, although a number of late submissions   unprocessed."

have; remains
has; remain
have; remain
has; remains
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English Grammar & Syntax Quiz

English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Correcting Subject Verb Agreement

Practice Correcting Subject Verb Agreement in English Grammar & Syntax with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Correcting Subject Verb Agreement, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for English Grammar & Syntax.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "The number of applications from rural districts   declined, although a number of late submissions   unprocessed."

  1. have; remains
  2. has; remain (correct answer)
  3. have; remain
  4. has; remains
Explanation: When you see a sentence involving "the number of" or "a number of," you're being tested on a classic subject-verb agreement distinction. These two phrases look similar but behave very differently. "The number of" acts as a singular subject — it refers to one specific count — so it takes a singular verb. "A number of," by contrast, means "several" or "many" and acts as a plural subject, taking a plural verb. In your sentence, "the number of applications... has declined" is correct because "the number" is singular, and "a number of late submissions remain unprocessed" is correct because "a number of" is functionally plural. That makes B the right answer: has; remain. Here's where each wrong answer trips you up. A (have; remains) gets both verbs backwards — it treats "the number" as plural and "a number of" as singular, the exact opposite of the rule. C (have; remain) correctly handles "a number of" with remain but incorrectly pairs "the number" with have instead of has. D (has; remains) correctly uses has with "the number" but then wrongly treats "a number of late submissions" as singular with remains, collapsing a plural idea into a singular verb. A reliable tip: whenever you spot these phrases, mentally substitute to check. Replace "the number of applications" with "the count" (singular → has), and replace "a number of late submissions" with "several submissions" (plural → remain). This substitution trick will serve you well on any agreement question involving these constructions.

Question 2

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "The lead researcher, as well as three assistants who   the archive,   expected to testify before the committee."

  1. manages; are
  2. manage; are
  3. manages; is
  4. manage; is (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence contains a phrase like "as well as," "along with," or "together with" inserted between the subject and verb, that phrase does not change the grammatical subject — it's a parenthetical modifier. This question tests two separate subject-verb agreement decisions at once, which is the real challenge here. Start by identifying the true subject of each clause. In the relative clause "who   the archive," the antecedent of who is "three assistants" — a plural noun — so you need the plural verb manage. This eliminates A and C immediately, since manages is singular and would only work if who referred to a singular noun. Now for the main clause: the grammatical subject is "The lead researcher." The phrase "as well as three assistants who manage the archive" is a parenthetical — it adds information but doesn't compound the subject the way and would. Because "The lead researcher" is singular, the main verb must be singular: is expected. This eliminates B, which pairs the correct manage with the incorrect plural are. That leaves D — manage for the assistants, is for the lead researcher — as the correct answer. Choice A fails on both counts: manages mismatches the plural "assistants," and are mismatches the singular "lead researcher." Choice B gets the relative clause right but then wrongly treats the main subject as plural. Choice C inverts the error — singular verb fits neither "assistants" nor the phrase structure correctly. Study tip: Whenever you see "as well as" or "along with," mentally bracket the phrase and ask: what is the true grammatical subject? Those connectors are traps designed to make singular subjects feel plural.

Question 3

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "Two-thirds of the sensors in the northern array   calibrated, but one-third of the replacement equipment   still awaiting inspection."

  1. is; are
  2. are; are
  3. is; is
  4. are; is (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence contains a fraction or percentage as its subject, subject-verb agreement depends on the noun in the prepositional phrase that follows — not the fraction itself. This is called the "fraction rule," and it's one of the trickier agreement patterns you'll encounter. In the first clause, "two-thirds of the sensors" requires you to look at "sensors," which is plural, so the correct verb is "are." In the second clause, "one-third of the replacement equipment" requires you to look at "equipment," which is a mass noun (uncountable and singular), so the correct verb is "is." That gives you are; is, which is answer D. Looking at the wrong choices: A) is; are reverses the logic entirely — it treats "sensors" (plural) as singular and "equipment" (singular) as plural, getting both clauses wrong. B) are; are gets the first clause right by correctly matching the plural "sensors," but then incorrectly applies plural agreement to "equipment," ignoring that mass nouns like equipment, furniture, and information are grammatically singular. C) is; is correctly handles the singular "equipment" in the second clause but then wrongly treats the plural "sensors" as singular in the first — the opposite error from A. A reliable strategy: whenever you see a fraction or percentage before "of," mentally cross out the fraction and make the noun after "of" your real subject. Then ask yourself: is that noun count or mass? Plural count nouns take plural verbs; mass nouns always take singular verbs, regardless of the fraction in front of them.

Question 4

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "Neither the revised budget nor the recommendations from the auditors who   reviewed it   likely to satisfy the oversight committee."

  1. has; appears
  2. have; appears
  3. has; appear
  4. have; appear (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence uses a "neither...nor" construction, two separate agreement rules are at play — and this question tests both at once. Train yourself to slow down and identify each verb's true subject before choosing. The first blank asks about the verb inside the relative clause "who   reviewed it." The relative pronoun "who" refers back to "auditors" — a plural noun — so the verb must be plural: have. This eliminates choices A and C, which use "has." The second blank is the main verb of the entire sentence. Its subject is the "neither...nor" phrase: "neither the revised budget nor the recommendations." With "neither...nor," subject-verb agreement follows the proximity rule (sometimes called the "nearest noun rule"): the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. That nearest subject is "recommendations," which is plural, so the verb must also be plural: appear. This confirms D as the correct answer and eliminates B, which uses the singular "appears." To break down each wrong choice: A uses "has" for the relative clause verb (incorrectly agreeing with the singular "auditors"... wait — "auditors" is plural, so "has" is wrong regardless) and "appears" (wrong number for "recommendations"). B correctly uses "have" but then incorrectly uses "appears," ignoring the proximity rule. C uses "has" (wrong — "auditors" is plural) and "appear" (correct for the main verb), so it gets one right but one wrong. Your strategy: in "neither...nor" sentences, always identify the noun immediately before the main verb — that's the one that controls agreement. Don't let the first noun in the construction distract you.

Question 5

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "More than one proposal, despite the objections raised during the hearings,   been rejected, but more than two alternatives   under consideration."

  1. has; remain (correct answer)
  2. have; remain
  3. has; remains
  4. have; remains
Explanation: When a sentence contains "more than one" + singular noun, it follows a quirky but consistent rule: despite the logical implication of plurality, the phrase takes a singular verb. This question tests whether you can apply this rule while also handling a compound sentence with two separate subject-verb agreements. For the first blank, the subject is "more than one proposal." Even though "more than one" suggests multiple proposals, English grammar treats this construction as grammatically singular — so it requires "has," not "have." This makes answer A the correct choice for the first blank. For the second blank, the subject is "more than two alternatives." Here the noun "alternatives" is genuinely plural (two or more, explicitly stated), so it takes the plural verb "remain," not "remains." This confirms that A ("has; remain") is the correct pairing. Looking at the wrong answers: B ("have; remain") gets the second blank right but incorrectly treats "more than one proposal" as plural — a natural but mistaken instinct. C ("has; remains") correctly handles the first blank but then applies a singular verb to "more than two alternatives," which is genuinely plural and requires "remain." D ("have; remains") gets both blanks wrong — it pluralizes the singular construction and singularizes the plural one. A useful tip: memorize "more than one" = singular verb as a fixed rule, since it's counterintuitive. Contrast it with "more than two/three/etc." which behaves normally (plural noun = plural verb). Exam writers frequently exploit this asymmetry to create tempting wrong answers.

Question 6

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "The Coastal Chronicles, a documentary series about islands that   beyond the shipping lanes,   been nominated for an international award."

  1. lies; have
  2. lie; have
  3. lie; has (correct answer)
  4. lies; has
Explanation: When a sentence contains a relative clause embedded between the subject and its verb, you need to carefully identify what the verb is actually agreeing with — not just the nearest noun. Here, the sentence has two verb slots to fill. The first verb belongs to the relative clause "that   beyond the shipping lanes," which describes islands — a plural noun. So the first verb must be plural: lie, not lies. This eliminates choices A and D immediately, since both use the singular lies to describe plural islands. Now for the second verb: the main subject of the sentence is The Coastal Chronicles, a documentary series title. Titles of works — even ones that look plural — are treated as singular nouns in grammar. "The Coastal Chronicles" refers to one unified work, so it takes a singular verb: has, not have. This eliminates choice B, which incorrectly pairs a plural have with a singular title. That leaves C — lie; has — as the correct answer. The relative clause correctly uses lie to agree with islands, and the main clause correctly uses has to agree with the singular title. Choice A (lies; have) gets both verbs wrong. Choice B (lie; have) correctly handles the first verb but fails on the second. Choice D (lies; has) correctly handles the title but fails on the relative clause. A useful tip: whenever a relative clause separates a subject from its verb, mentally bracket the interrupting phrase and identify each verb's true subject independently. Titles, organizations, and collective nouns almost always take singular verbs, even when they sound plural.

Question 7

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "The collection of field notes, including three notebooks that   recovered last month,   the clearest record of the expedition."

  1. was; provide
  2. were; provides (correct answer)
  3. were; provide
  4. was; provides
Explanation: When a sentence contains multiple clauses with potential subject-verb agreement traps, your first job is to identify the true subject of each clause — ignoring any intervening phrases that might distract you. In the relative clause "that   recovered last month," the subject is "that," which refers back to "three notebooks" (plural). Therefore, the verb must be the plural were, not "was." This eliminates choices A and D immediately, since both use the singular "was" — a classic trap where the nearby singular word "collection" pulls your attention away from what "that" actually refers to. Now look at the main clause: "The collection of field notes...   the clearest record." Here, the true subject is "collection," a collective noun that functions as singular. The phrase "including three notebooks that were recovered last month" is a parenthetical modifier — strip it away and you have "The collection...   the clearest record." A singular subject demands the singular verb provides, not "provide." This eliminates choice C, which pairs the correct "were" with the incorrect plural "provide." That leaves B — were; provides — the only option that correctly matches each verb to its actual subject. Choice A uses "was" for "three notebooks" (wrong number) and "provide" for "collection" (also wrong number) — doubly incorrect. Choice C gets the relative clause right but fails the main clause. Choice D flips both errors from C. Your strategy: always strip prepositional phrases and modifying clauses to expose the bare subject before choosing a verb. Ask yourself, "What is this verb actually describing?" and agreement questions become much more manageable.

Question 8

Choose the pair of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "According to the final inventory, there   in storage two crates of manuscripts and a cabinet that   extensive repair."

  1. is; need
  2. are; needs (correct answer)
  3. are; need
  4. is; needs
Explanation: When a sentence inverts the typical subject-verb order — placing the verb before the subject — you need to mentally flip the sentence to identify the true subject and match the verb accordingly. This question tests two separate subject-verb agreement decisions in one sentence. Start with the first blank. The sentence begins with "there  ," which signals an inverted structure. Reorder it: the true subject is "two crates of manuscripts and a cabinet." Because a compound subject joined by and is plural, the verb must be plural: are. This eliminates A and D immediately. Now the second blank. The subject of the relative clause is "a cabinet" — singular. A singular subject requires a singular verb, so the correct choice is needs, not need. This confirms B) are; needs as the correct answer. Here's why each wrong answer fails: A) is; need gets both verbs wrong — is treats the compound subject as singular, and need mismatches with the singular "cabinet." C) are; need correctly uses are for the compound subject but then incorrectly uses the plural need with the singular "cabinet" — a tempting trap if you're on a roll and apply plural logic to the second blank without re-examining its subject. D) is; needs correctly uses needs for "cabinet" but incorrectly treats the compound subject as singular with is. As a strategy, always locate the grammatical subject before selecting a verb — especially in inverted sentences or relative clauses where the subject and verb are separated or reordered.

Question 9

Choose the sequence of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "That the two appendices   omitted from the final draft   not mean that the central argument   sufficient evidence."

  1. were; does; lacks (correct answer)
  2. was; do; lack
  3. were; do; lacks
  4. was; does; lack
Explanation: When you see a sentence built around a "that-clause" as the subject, your first job is to identify the true grammatical subject of each verb — not the nearest noun. Here, the sentence has three verb slots to fill. The subject of the first verb is "the two appendices" — plural, so it takes "were" (past tense, plural). That eliminates B and D immediately, since both use "was," which would require a singular subject. Now you're choosing between A and C. The subject of the second verb is the entire noun clause "That the two appendices were omitted from the final draft." A noun clause acting as a subject is always treated as singular — just like saying "That mistakes happen is true." So the second verb must be "does," not "do." This eliminates C, which incorrectly uses "do." Answer A ("were; does; lacks") is correct. The third verb targets "the central argument" — singular — so it correctly takes "lacks" in answer A. Looking at the wrong answers: B uses "was" (wrong number for "appendices") and "do" (wrong number for the noun-clause subject) — two errors. C gets "were" right but uses "do" for the singular noun-clause subject — one error. D uses "was" (wrong for plural "appendices") and "does" correctly, but pairs "lack" with the singular "central argument" — two errors. A quick tip: whenever a full clause serves as the grammatical subject ("That... + verb"), treat it as singular and pair it with a singular verb. This is a frequent trap in grammar exams, so train yourself to spot clause-as-subject constructions immediately.

Question 10

Choose the sequence of verbs that correctly completes the sentence: "Each of the engineers who   the turbines   a monthly report that   any unusual vibration."

  1. oversee; submits; includes (correct answer)
  2. oversees; submit; include
  3. oversee; submit; includes
  4. oversees; submits; include
Explanation: When a sentence contains multiple clauses with different subjects, subject-verb agreement must be evaluated independently for each clause — this question tests exactly that skill across three separate verb blanks. Start with the first blank: "who   the turbines." The subject of this relative clause is "who," which refers back to "engineers" (plural). A plural subject requires a plural verb, so the correct form is oversee, not oversees. This eliminates choices B and D immediately. Now the second blank: "  a monthly report." Here you need to find the true subject of the main clause. It's "Each," not "engineers." The word each is always singular, even when followed by a prepositional phrase containing a plural noun ("of the engineers"). Singular subject means singular verb: submits. This eliminates choice C, which uses "submit." The third blank: "  any unusual vibration." The subject is "report" (singular — it's one report), so the verb must be includes. This confirms choice A. Walking through the wrong answers: B (oversees; submit; include) pairs a singular verb with the plural "engineers" in the relative clause and incorrectly uses plural verbs for the singular "each" and "report." C (oversee; submit; includes) gets the relative clause right but fails on the second blank by treating "each" as plural. D (oversees; submits; include) correctly handles "each" but wrongly uses a singular verb for the plural "engineers" and a plural verb for the singular "report." The key strategy: whenever "each," "every," "either," or "neither" serves as the subject, treat it as singular regardless of the nouns that follow it in a prepositional phrase.