English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Subject Verb Agreement With Complex Subjects
20 questions · exam conditions
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Subject Verb Agreement With Complex SubjectsQuestion 1 of 20

The mayor, as well as the council members,   the proposal yesterday.

was backing
were backing
is backing
are backing
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English Grammar & Syntax Quiz

English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Subject Verb Agreement With Complex Subjects

Practice Subject Verb Agreement With Complex Subjects 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 Subject Verb Agreement With Complex Subjects, 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

The mayor, as well as the council members,   the proposal yesterday.

  1. was backing (correct answer)
  2. were backing
  3. is backing
  4. are backing
Explanation: The subject is "the mayor," singular; the phrase "as well as the council members" does not change the number of the verb. Since the action happened yesterday, use the past tense form "was backing." The tempting wrong choice is "were backing" because of the plural council members, but they are not the grammatical subject.

Question 2

The only one of the interns who at the time   for the delay was Elena.

  1. were responsible
  2. was responsible (correct answer)
  3. is responsible
  4. are responsible
Explanation: The subject of the relative clause is "the only one," which is singular, so the verb must be singular: "was." The time phrase "at the time" also points to past tense. The tempting error is "were responsible" because it matches the nearby plural "interns," but the clause describes "one," not "interns."

Question 3

Neither the assistants nor the supervisor   on site last week.

  1. is on site
  2. were on site
  3. was on site (correct answer)
  4. are on site
Explanation: With neither...nor, the verb agrees with the closer subject, and 'the supervisor' is singular, so the verb must be singular. 'Last week' also requires past tense, giving 'was on site.' The tempting wrong choice is 'were on site' because the plural 'assistants' is nearby, but it is not the deciding subject.

Question 4

So far, the range of topics, not the panels,   the debate.

  1. has shaped (correct answer)
  2. have shaped
  3. are shaping
  4. were shaping
Explanation: The subject is 'the range of topics,' which is singular; 'not the panels' is an aside and does not control agreement. 'So far' calls for present perfect, so the singular verb is 'has shaped.' The tempting error is 'have shaped,' because the nearby plural 'panels' can mask the true singular subject.

Question 5

Many a musician in the orchestra   with that difficult passage.

  1. are struggling
  2. have struggled
  3. were struggling
  4. has struggled (correct answer)
Explanation: With 'many a,' the noun stays singular, so the subject is singular and takes 'has struggled.' The tempting mistake is treating 'many' as plural and choosing 'are struggling' or 'have struggled,' but 'many a musician' means many musicians one by one and still takes a singular verb.

Question 6

The number of errors in the revised report   now unexpectedly low.

  1. are
  2. is (correct answer)
  3. was
  4. were
Explanation: The subject is 'number,' a singular noun; the phrase 'of errors' merely modifies it. Since 'now' sets the time as present, use singular 'is.' The tempting trap is 'are,' because the nearby word 'errors' is plural, but it isn't the subject of the sentence.

Question 7

The list of test samples, along with the calibration data,   now ready for verification.

  1. were
  2. are
  3. was
  4. is (correct answer)
Explanation: The subject is list, not samples or calibration data. The phrase along with the calibration data is an added detail and does not change agreement, so a singular verb is needed. Now points to present tense, so is fits. The tempting error is are, which grabs the plural nouns nearby instead of the true subject.

Question 8

Managing several projects at once now   more difficult than expected.

  1. seems (correct answer)
  2. seem
  3. was
  4. were
Explanation: The subject is the whole activity of managing several projects at once, a singular gerund phrase, so the verb must be singular: seems. The word now also signals present tense. A tempting wrong answer is seem, because the plural noun projects sits right before the blank; however, the verb agrees with the gerund phrase, not with projects.

Question 9

At the time of the accident, among its causes   a torn gasket and a worn bearing.

  1. was
  2. were (correct answer)
  3. is
  4. are
Explanation: The subject is the compound noun phrase 'a torn gasket and a worn bearing,' so the verb must be plural: 'were.' Because the accident is in the past, 'are' is also impossible. The tempting error is 'was,' which wrongly treats the situation as singular instead of recognizing the two causes.

Question 10

That the students missed so many classes yesterday   not surprising at the time.

  1. were
  2. is
  3. was (correct answer)
  4. are
Explanation: The subject is the entire clause 'That the students missed so many classes yesterday,' which names one situation, so the verb is singular. Since the action is tied to 'at the time' in the past, use 'was.' The tempting error is choosing 'were' because 'students' is plural, but the plural noun inside the clause does not control the verb.

Question 11

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

Neither the summary prepared by the interns nor the appendices to the final report   why the totals in the last section  .

  1. explains; differ
  2. explain; differ (correct answer)
  3. explain; differs
  4. explains; differs
Explanation: When a sentence uses a "neither...nor" construction, subject-verb agreement follows a specific rule: the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. This is sometimes called the "proximity rule" or "the rule of the nearer subject." In this sentence, "neither the summary...nor the appendices" is the compound subject for the first blank. The subject closest to the verb is "the appendices" — a plural noun — so the verb must be plural: explain, not explains. This makes choice B and C possible so far. For the second blank, the subject is "the totals in the last section." The head noun here is "totals," not "section" — "in the last section" is just a prepositional phrase modifying totals. Since "totals" is plural, the verb must also be plural: differ, not differs. This confirms B) explain; differ as the correct answer. Choice A (explains; differ) gets the second verb right but applies singular agreement to the first verb incorrectly, as if "the summary" were the nearer subject. Choice C (explain; differs) gets the first verb right but incorrectly treats "section" (part of a prepositional phrase) as the subject of the second clause. Choice D (explains; differs) makes both errors simultaneously, treating singular nouns as the governing subjects in both cases. A useful habit: whenever you see a long subject, mentally cross out all prepositional phrases and identify the true head noun before choosing your verb. On grammar exams, prepositional phrases are a classic distractor designed to make you pick the wrong number.

Question 12

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

Beyond the row of storage sheds   a loading dock and two temporary offices that   scheduled for demolition.

  1. stands; is
  2. stands; are
  3. stand; are (correct answer)
  4. stand; is
Explanation: When a sentence is inverted — meaning the subject comes after the verb — you need to mentally flip the sentence back to its natural order to identify the true subject and match the verb correctly. This question tests two separate subject-verb agreement decisions in one sentence. For the first blank, the sentence begins with a prepositional phrase ("Beyond the row of storage sheds"), which means the subject follows the verb. Reordering gives you: a loading dock and two temporary offices stand beyond the row of storage sheds. The subject is a compound — "a loading dock and two temporary offices" — which is plural, requiring the plural verb stand, not "stands." This eliminates choices A and B immediately. For the second blank, the relative clause "that   scheduled for demolition" refers to the same compound subject: "a loading dock and two temporary offices." Again, that's a plural subject, so you need the plural verb are, not "is." This eliminates choice D. Choice C — stand; are — correctly uses plural verbs for both instances of a plural compound subject, making it the right answer. Choice A (stands; is) uses singular verbs for both blanks, incorrectly treating the compound subject as singular. Choice B (stands; are) gets the second verb right but still mishandles the inverted structure in the first clause. Choice D (stand; is) correctly identifies the plural verb for the first blank but then loses track of the subject in the second clause. Study tip: When you see an inverted sentence or a prepositional phrase at the start of a clause, always rewrite it in subject-verb order before deciding on agreement — the subject is never inside a prepositional phrase.

Question 13

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

Sixty percent of the laboratory equipment   already packed, whereas sixty percent of the sample containers   still on the shelves.

  1. are; are
  2. is; is
  3. are; is
  4. is; are (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence uses a collective measurement like a percentage, subject-verb agreement depends on what the percentage refers to — specifically, whether the noun that follows is countable or uncountable. This is the core concept being tested here. "Sixty percent of the laboratory equipment" uses equipment, which is an uncountable (mass) noun. Because you can't count individual "equipments," the verb must be singular: is. Meanwhile, "sixty percent of the sample containers" uses containers, a countable plural noun — you can count individual containers — so the verb must be plural: are. That makes answer D (is; are) the correct choice. Answer A (are; are) treats both nouns as countable plurals, which works for containers but fails for equipment, an uncountable noun that always takes a singular verb. Answer B (is; is) does the opposite — it correctly handles equipment but wrongly applies a singular verb to containers, a countable plural that needs are. Answer C (are; is) gets both wrong simultaneously, applying a plural verb to the uncountable noun and a singular verb to the countable plural. A useful strategy: whenever you see a percentage or fraction + "of" + noun, ignore the number and look directly at the noun after of. Ask yourself, "Is this noun countable or uncountable?" If it's uncountable (like water, furniture, or equipment), use a singular verb. If it's a countable plural (like students or containers), use a plural verb. This rule also applies to phrases like "a majority of" and "a portion of."

Question 14

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

Reviewing the invoices from overseas vendors before the auditors arrive   less time than reconciling the payment records that   reference numbers.

  1. takes; lack (correct answer)
  2. take; lack
  3. takes; lacks
  4. take; lacks
Explanation: When a question gives you two blanks requiring two verbs, treat each blank as its own subject-verb agreement problem — identify the subject of each clause separately before choosing any answer. For the first blank, the subject is the gerund phrase "Reviewing the invoices from overseas vendors before the auditors arrive." Gerund phrases, no matter how long, are singular — they act like a single noun, the way "Swimming is fun" works. That means the verb must be the singular takes, not the plural take. This eliminates choices B and D immediately. For the second blank, the subject is "the payment records," a plural noun. The relative clause is "that   reference numbers," where that refers back to "payment records." A plural subject needs a plural verb, so the correct choice is lack, not lacks. This eliminates choice C, which pairs takes correctly in the first blank but then incorrectly uses the singular lacks for a plural subject. That leaves A — takes; lack as the only pair that satisfies both subject-verb agreement rules correctly. To recap the wrong answers: B (take; lack) fails because it treats the gerund phrase as plural. C (takes; lacks) nails the first verb but then misidentifies "the payment records" as singular. D (take; lacks) gets both verbs wrong. A reliable strategy: in sentences with long or complex subjects, mentally strip away all the prepositional phrases and modifying clauses until you find the true grammatical subject, then match the verb to it — don't let length fool you into guessing plural.

Question 15

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

The museum's director, together with two conservators who   the textiles,   whether the west gallery is sufficiently secure.

  1. inspect; decides (correct answer)
  2. inspects; decides
  3. inspect; decide
  4. inspects; decide
Explanation: When a sentence contains a parenthetical phrase between the subject and verb, your job is to mentally strip it out and match the verb to the true subject. The phrase "together with two conservators who   the textiles" is a prepositional interruption — it does not change the grammatical subject of the main clause, which remains "the museum's director" (singular). This is a classic subject-verb agreement trap. Now you have two verbs to fill: one inside the relative clause ("who  ") and one for the main clause (" "). The relative clause "who   the textiles" refers to "two conservators" — a plural noun — so that verb must be plural: inspect. The main verb governs "the museum's director" (singular), so it must be singular: decides. That gives you A) inspect; decides, the correct answer. Here's why each wrong choice fails. B) inspects; decides makes the relative-clause verb singular, incorrectly agreeing with "director" instead of "conservators." C) inspect; decide gets the relative clause right but then lets the interrupting plural phrase hijack the main verb — a tempting mistake because "conservators" feels close to the main verb slot. D) inspects; decide commits both errors simultaneously, pluralizing the main verb and singularizing the relative-clause verb. Your strategy: whenever you see phrases like together with, along with, or as well as between subject and verb, they are not conjunctions — they don't create a plural subject. Cross them out mentally, identify the true subject, and match your verb to it alone.

Question 16

Which pair of verb forms correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

The chief source of delays—the permit applications submitted without signatures—  in the intake office, where a supervisor and an assistant   every form.

  1. are found; review
  2. is found; reviews
  3. is found; review (correct answer)
  4. are found; reviews
Explanation: When a sentence contains an interrupting phrase between the subject and verb, your job is to strip away that phrase and identify the true grammatical subject. This question tests exactly that skill — twice. The first blank's subject is "the chief source," not "permit applications." The long dash sets off "the permit applications submitted without signatures" as an interrupting modifier, which you should mentally remove. "The chief source... is found" is correct because "source" is singular. This rules out A and D, which use "are found." For the second blank, the subject is "a supervisor and an assistant." Two subjects joined by and form a compound subject, which is plural — so the verb must be "review," not "reviews." This rules out B, which pairs "is found" correctly but then wrongly uses "reviews" with a compound subject. That leaves C as the only answer that handles both subjects correctly: singular "source" → "is found," and compound "supervisor and assistant" → "review." Here's why the wrong answers fail specifically: A uses plural "are found" for the singular subject "source." B gets the first verb right but uses "reviews," treating the compound subject as singular. D fails on both counts — "are found" for a singular subject and "reviews" for a plural one. A reliable strategy: whenever you see dashes, parentheses, or commas setting off a phrase, bracket that phrase out entirely and read the sentence without it. Your subject-verb agreement will become much clearer, and you won't be distracted by nearby nouns that aren't actually the subject.

Question 17

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

The number of commuters using the ferries   since May, while a number of additional boats   under repair.

  1. have increased; remain
  2. has increased; remains
  3. have increased; remains
  4. has increased; remain (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence contains two subject-verb pairs, you need to evaluate each one independently. The key concept being tested here is the difference between "the number of" and "a number of" — two phrases that look similar but behave very differently. "The number of" treats the subject as a single, countable unit — the number itself — so it takes a singular verb. "The number of commuters has increased" is correct because you're describing one statistic. "A number of," by contrast, means "several" or "many," making it function as a plural subject. "A number of boats remain" is correct because you're referring to multiple individual boats. This tells you the first blank needs "has increased" (singular) and the second needs "remain" (plural), which makes D the correct answer. Now let's see where the other choices go wrong. A reverses both correctly — it uses the plural "have increased" for "the number of" and the plural "remain" for "a number of," getting the first blank wrong. B correctly uses "has increased" for the first blank but then uses "remains" (singular) for "a number of boats," treating a plural concept as singular. C does the opposite — it uses the plural "have increased" incorrectly for "the number of," while correctly using "remain" for the second blank. Every distractor gets at least one blank wrong. A handy rule to memorize: "The number" = singular; "a number" = plural. On grammar exams, these two phrases are a classic trap precisely because students assume both should behave the same way.

Question 18

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

The stack of folders containing the original permits   in the archive, but the permits themselves   no expiration date.

  1. lies; bear (correct answer)
  2. lies; bears
  3. lie; bear
  4. lie; bears
Explanation: When a sentence contains two separate subject-verb pairs, you need to identify the true subject of each clause independently — this question tests exactly that skill, specifically with prepositional phrase interruptions and collective subjects. For the first blank, the subject is "stack" (singular), not "folders." The phrase "of folders containing the original permits" is a prepositional modifier — it describes the stack but doesn't change what the verb must agree with. Because "stack" is singular, you need the singular verb "lies." This eliminates choices C and D immediately. For the second blank, the subject is "permits" (plural). The clause reads "the permits themselves   no expiration date." "Themselves" is a reflexive pronoun reinforcing "permits," which is unmistakably plural. A plural subject requires the base form "bear" (not "bears"). This eliminates choice B, which incorrectly pairs "permits" with the singular "bears." That leaves A — "lies; bears" as the only correct pairing... wait, let me be precise: choice A gives lies; bear, which matches singular "stack" with "lies" and plural "permits" with "bear." That's exactly right. To recap the wrong answers: B (lies; bears) gets the first verb right but wrongly treats "permits" as singular. C (lie; bear) correctly handles "permits" but mistakes "folders" for the subject of the first clause. D (lie; bears) makes both errors simultaneously. Your study tip: whenever you see a noun followed by a prepositional phrase ("stack of folders"), mentally cross out everything between the noun and the verb — the true subject is always that first noun.

Question 19

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

More than one of the applicants who   experience in rural clinics   requested a second interview.

  1. has; has
  2. have; has (correct answer)
  3. have; have
  4. has; have
Explanation: When a sentence contains multiple noun phrases and relative clauses, you need to identify which noun each verb is actually agreeing with — and they aren't always the same noun. Start with the relative clause: "who   experience in rural clinics." The subject here is who, which refers back to applicants (plural). So this verb must be plural: have. That eliminates A and D, both of which use has for this slot. Now look at the main clause: "More than one of the applicants...   requested a second interview." The grammatical subject is more than one, not applicants. Even though applicants is nearby and plural, it's the object of the preposition of — it doesn't control the main verb. The phrase "more than one" is treated as a singular unit in standard English, so it takes the singular verb has. This confirms the correct answer is B: have; has. Choice A (has; has) gets the main clause right but incorrectly makes the relative clause verb singular, as if who referred to a single person rather than applicants. Choice C (have; have) correctly handles the relative clause but then incorrectly lets the plural applicants "bleed over" and control the main verb — a classic proximity error. Choice D (has; have) reverses the logic entirely, making both mistakes simultaneously. Your takeaway: always trace each verb back to its own grammatical subject, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases. The phrase "more than one" consistently takes a singular verb — a reliable pattern worth memorizing for grammar exams.

Question 20

Which pair of verbs correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

Each of the policy proposals that   additional funding   a separate cost analysis.

  1. require; need
  2. requires; needs
  3. require; needs (correct answer)
  4. requires; need
Explanation: Whenever you see a sentence with multiple clauses and blanks for verbs, your first job is to identify the true grammatical subject of each verb — not just the nearest noun. For the first blank, the subject isn't "proposals" — it's "Each," a singular indefinite pronoun. Even though "proposals" appears right before the blank, "of the policy proposals" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "Each." Singular indefinite pronouns like each, every, either, and neither always take singular verbs, so the first verb must be require — wait, actually requires would be singular... let's work through both blanks carefully. "Each... requires" — singular subject, singular verb. That eliminates A and C for the first blank. Now for the second blank: the subject is "that," a relative pronoun referring back to "proposals" (plural). So the verb in the relative clause agrees with its antecedent "proposals," requiring the plural need. That makes D — requires; need — the correct answer. Hold on: re-reading answer C (require; needs) — "require" would be plural, disagreeing with "Each." So C is actually wrong. D is the correct answer, not C.
  • A (require; need): Both verbs are plural, but "Each" demands a singular verb for the first blank.
  • B (requires; needs): The first verb correctly agrees with "Each," but "needs" wrongly treats the relative clause subject "that/proposals" as singular.
  • C (require; needs): "require" fails to agree with the singular "Each."
  • D (requires; need): Correctly uses singular "requires" for "Each" and plural "need" for the relative clause referencing plural "proposals." ✓
Study tip: In sentences with "each of the [plural noun]," always verb-agree with each (singular), not the plural noun in the prepositional phrase — then separately analyze any relative clauses for their own subjects.