American English prefers the singular in some cases where British English prefers the plural.. There are a number of words like government, company, team, department, committee, associat
Trang 1Decide which option is correct
1 One can hear quiet often that politics _ a dirty game IS / ARE
2 The government announced a new policy HAS / HAVE
3 Gymnastics _ not exactly one of my favourite sports IS / ARE
4 The athletics we watched really exciting WAS / WERE
5 Spaghetti _ much tastier than jacket potatoes IS / ARE
6 The staff _ not satisfied with the working conditions IS / ARE
7 Physics to interest Janet SEEMS / SEEM
8 Your jeans very fashionable Where did you buy _ ? IS / ARE, IT / THEM
9 The police announcing that the road will be closed for two more hours IS / ARE
10 The TV news on at ten IS / ARE
11 The scissors _ very sharp; be careful with _ IS / ARE, IT / THEM
12 Where _ you family live? DO / DOES
13 The team playing above expectations this season IS / ARE
14 Ten years _ a long time to spend in prison IS / ARE
15 The jury _ postponed a decision HAS / HAVE
16 Her clothes _ dirty and torn WAS / WERE
17 Her exact whereabouts unknown REMAINS / REMAIN
18 Fish and chips _ her favourite meal IS / ARE
19 Your belongings _ in my way IS / ARE
20 12 % of the people _ unemployed IS / ARE
21 Most cattle _ fattened for slaughter IS / ARE
22 The holidays _ the best opportunity I have for spoiling myself IS / ARE
23 Ten thousand dollars a lot of money IS / ARE
24 Every man and woman required to check in IS / ARE
25 My glasses on the bedside table earlier on but now I can’t find _ WAS / WERE, IT / THEM
26 Stamina important for athletes IS / ARE
27 Mumps _ a disease whereby your salivary glands are swollen and in pain IS / ARE
28 The majority of the exams negatively marked WAS / WERE
29 The lights in the room _ been dimmed HAS / HAVE
30 The sheriff or his deputy going to be here any minute IS / ARE
31 The class _ going on a field trip WAS / WERE
32 The flock of birds _ a formation in the sky MAKE / MAKES
33 Little Women a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott IS / ARE
34 Ethics a code of values IS / ARE
35 Neither John nor Trevor like car racing LIKE / LIKES
36 The family different views of the issue HAVE / HAS
37 Physics with light, sound, heat, electricity and matter in motion DEALS /
DEAL
38 Two kilometres not far IS / ARE
39 Here a list of things we need to buy IS / ARE
40 None of us perfect IS / ARE
Trang 241 All the necessary preparations _ been done already HAS / HAVE
42 The first thing the detective noticed footsteps all over the house WAS / WERE
43 Alex is one of those guys who beer to spirits PREFER / PREFERS
44 Everybody _ expected to be here by 7 a.m IS / ARE
45 The rich richer, while the poor _ poorer GET / GETS
46 Neither of the men working IS / ARE
47 The United States _ a country of opportunity IS / ARE
48 The problem at the picnic wasps WAS / WERE
49 Most of the children _ in good health IS / ARE
50 A number of citizens complained about the new law HAS / HAVE
Trang 3One can hear quiet often that politics _ a dirty game IS
The government announced a new policy HAVE1 / HAS
Gymnastics _ not exactly one of my favourite sports IS
The athletics we watched really exciting WAS
Spaghetti _ much tastier than jacket potatoes IS
The staff _ not satisfied with the working conditions ARE
Physics to interest Janet SEEMS
Your jeans very fashionable Where did you buy _ ? ARE, THEM
The police announcing that the road will be closed for two more hours ARE2
The TV news on at ten IS3
The scissors _ very sharp; be careful with _ ARE, THEM
Where _ you family live? DO / DOES
The team playing above expectations this season IS4 / ARE
Ten years _ a long time to spend in prison IS5
The jury _ postponed a decision HAS / HAVE
Her clothes _ dirty and torn WERE
Her exact whereabouts unknown REMAINS / REMAIN
Fish and chips _ her favourite meal IS
Your belongings _ in my way ARE6
12 % of the people _ unemployed ARE7
Most cattle _ fattened for slaughter ARE
The holidays _ the best opportunity I have for spoiling myself ARE
Ten thousand dollars a lot of money IS
Every man and woman required to check in IS
My glasses on the bedside table earlier on but now I can’t find _ WERE, THEM
Stamina important for athletes IS
Mumps _ a disease whereby your salivary glands are swollen and in pain IS
The majority of the exams negatively marked WERE
The lights in the room _ been dimmed HAVE
The sheriff or his deputy going to be here any minute IS8
The class _ going on a field trip WAS
1 In British usage, however, collective nouns are more often treated as plurals: The
government have not announced a new policy
American English prefers the singular in some cases where British English prefers the plural
There are a number of words like government, company, team, department, committee, association, audience, class, club, community, crowd, family, jury, orchestra, population, press, staff, which can be followed by a singular verb or a plural verb It depends on how you
perceive the noun, whether as a unit, or as a group of individuals
2 Words police, staff have plural verb
3 Words like the news, diabetes, measles, means ( = method or money), economics, …
have a singular verb
4 If you want to emphasize that the team is playing as a unified unit, functioning as one, use Singular
5 Words stating an amount (time, money, weight, etc.) are usually singular and take a
singular verb
6 The words belongings, earnings, goods, outskirts, premises, savings are followed by plural
7 The words such as percent, fraction, part, majority,—look at the noun in of phrase (object of
the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb
Trang 4The flock of birds _ a formation in the sky MAKES
Little Women _ a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott IS9
Ethics a code of values IS
Neither John nor Trevor like car racing LIKES
The family different views of the issue HAVE - the subject refers to the individuals of
a group
Physics with light, sound, heat, electricity and matter in motion DEALS
Two kilometres not far IS
Here a list of things we need to buy IS
None of us perfect IS10
All the necessary preparations _ been done already HAVE
The first thing the detective noticed footsteps all over the house WAS
Alex is one of those guys who beer to spirits PREFER
Everybody _ expected to be here by 7 a.m IS
The rich richer, while the poor _ poorer GET11
Neither of the men working IS12
The United States _ a country of opportunity IS
The problem at the picnic wasps WAS
Most of the children _ in good health ARE
A number of citizens complained about the new law HAVE
8 When subjects are joined by “either or,” “neither nor,” “not only but also,” the verb agrees with the
subject closest to it
9 A title, organization, or country, even when plural in form, usually takes a singular verb
10 None and all can take a singular or a plural verb, depending on what they mean Use a
singular verb when none means no one, not one or not any, but a plural verb when none
suggests more than one person Similarly, all takes a singular verb when meaning the whole,
but a plural verb when meaning all the particulars.
11 Adjectives proceeded by THE and used as plural nouns take a plural verb
12 Remember - each someone anyone nobody one somebody no one anybody everyone everybody
subjects always take singular verbs