Please correct the agreement error in each of the sentences below.
a. Bill and Emily is going to the movies.
b. Among the many reasons he enjoys making chocolate truffles are the opportunity to lick all the mixing bowls.
c. The company announced today that they filed an emergency statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
d. Each of these cars have mechanical problems.
e. A number of my friends was at the party.
f. At the opera, one of the singers fell off the stage and broke their ribs.
g. Three-fourths of the grain shipment have been damaged.
h. None of your theories make sense.
i. The United Auto Workers took their election defeat in stride.
j. She is the only one of the writers who are eager to hold a public reading.
k. I understood most of Helen's arguments, but I was not persuaded by her.
l. A politician should always be attentive to his constituents' concerns.
Answers:a.
Bill and Emily are going to the movies. [Because there are two subjects (Bill and Emily) you
need a plural verb – are.
b. Among the many reasons he enjoys making chocolate truffles is the opportunity to lick all the
mixing bowls. [Remember to spot what the subject is not -- for example, it is neither reasons
nor truffles; it is the singular noun opportunity. Therefore, we need a singular verb -- is.]
c. The company announced today that it filed an emergency statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. [Company is a singular entity.]
d. Each of these cars has mechanical problems. [The pronoun each always takes a singular verb.]
e. A number of my friends were at the party. [A number refers a plural amount.]
f. At the opera, one of the singers fell off the stage and broke his ribs. [One is the subject of the
sentence, so its accompanying pronoun also must be singular. In this example, a male broke his
ribs.]
g. Three-fourths of the grain shipment has been damaged. [See “The Always Singular Subject”:
Definable units of money, measurement, time, organization, food and medical problems always
take singular verbs.”]
h. None of your theories makes sense. [See “The Singular or Plural Subject”: In this sentence,
none means “not one” theory.]
i. The United Auto Workers took its election defeat in stride. [United Auto Workers is a singular
entity.]
j. She is the only one of the writers who is eager to hold a public reading. [She (singular) is the
subject of the sentence, so its accompanying verb also must be singular.]
k. I understood most of Helen's arguments, but I was not persuaded by them. [Helen’s arguments
(plural) is the subject of the sentence, not Helen; the accompanying pronoun must also be
plural.]
l. A politician should always be attentive to his or her constituents' concerns. [A politician is the
subject, but the sentence does not specify the politician’s gender. If using his or her feels a bit
clumsy, you may wish to rewrite it as such: Politicians should always be attentive to their
constituents’ concerns.]
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